The University of Coimbra opens a call for the assignment of a research grant, with one position(s), under the project 2023.13758.PEX, title HetSyn - Compartmentalized learning with coupled electrochemical adaptation.
The call is governed by this Notice of Opening, the University of Coimbra Research Grant Regulations (RBIUC), subsidiarily by the Research Grant Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology (RBIFCT), by the Research Fellow Statute (EBI), by the Norms for Grant Assignment and Management within R&D Projects, by the Code of Administrative Procedure (CPA), all in their current wording, and by other applicable national and community legislation.
Procedure Reference: IT137-2025-174
I - Legal admission requirements
I.I - Grant Recipients:
Students enrolled in a master’s degree, in the scientific area of Physics, Biophysics, Biomedical
Engineering, Computer Science, Neurosciences or related disciplines.
I.II - Ineligible candidates:
Candidates who have already benefited from two research grant contracts with UC in the condition of being enrolled in a master's degree, regardless of whether each contract has reached the maximum legally permitted duration.
.
I.III - Eligible for grant assignment if meeting the requirements:
a) Portuguese nationals or nationals of other EU Member States
b) Nationals of third countries
c) Stateless persons
d) Beneficiaries of political refugee status
When the work plan takes place, in whole or in part, in foreign institutions, only candidates who can prove permanent and habitual residence in Portugal at the start of the grant are eligible.
II - Grant location: Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC-UC)
III- Scientific supervision/coordination of the grant: Renato Carlos Farinha Duarte
IV - Work Plan / Goals to be achieved: From individual synapses to whole neurons, there are multiple physical barriers constraining electrochemical diffusivity and introducing selectivity and competition in the adaptive processes. Their existence and prevalence entails that activity-dependent adaptation unfolds in a segregated, compartmentalized manner. On the other hand, the proteins and complexes that do diffuse across these barriers trigger the induction and expression of different forms of plasticity across different spatial and temporal domains. With these observations in mind, this sub-project investigates the coupling between synaptic and intrinsic plasticity by considering the processes across these different levels of compartmentalization and their interactions as a set of coupled adaptive systems. The workplan is divided in two parts:
(1) investigate competition and cooperation among different forms of plasticity across different spatiotemporal domains;
(2) investigate the mechanisms linking synaptic plasticity with homeostatic scaling and other forms of neuron-wide adaptation.
V - Initial grant duration: Twelve (12) months.
V.I - Renewal Possibility: Non-renewable
VI - Funding and financial conditions of the grant
VI.I - Monthly grant amount (paid by bank transfer at the end of each month): 1.040,98 €
VI.II - Other financial components of the grant: Not applicable.
VI.III - In addition to the above amounts, voluntary social security (SSV) is included when the grant has a duration of six months or more, corresponding to the first level, if the candidate opts for it, as well as mandatory personal accident insurance.
VI.IV - Funding: The grant(s) assigned under this call will be funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P./MCTES with national funds (PIDDAC).
VI.V - Information and publicity about the funding: In all R&D activities carried out within the scope of grants funded indirectly by FCT, the mention of financial support from FCT and the respective Funding Program must be expressed, including all communications, publications, scientific creations and theses carried out with the support of FCT. The rules for publicity are available on the FCT website, as well as on the websites of the funding Operational Programs, if applicable.
It is expressly mandatory to use the FCT logo available in http://www.fct.pt/logotipos/ and, when applicable, the logos of the European Union and the Operational Program, following the graphic standards available on the websites of the respective Operational Programs. The dissemination of research results must comply with the rules of open access to data, publications and other research results. In dissemination actions with international impact, in addition to the FCT logo, the national insignia of the Portuguese Republic must be affixed.
VII - Selection Methods: Evaluation of the academic record (AR)
VII.I - AR - In the evaluation of the academic record, the candidates' academic performance will be assessed according to the following weights and criteria:
- Criterion 1 – Absolute merit of curriculum vitae;
- Criterion 2 – Specific knowledge related to the work plan.
VII.II- The evaluation of the criteria and the final classification will be based on a scale from 0 to 100, with scores rounded to the nearest hundredth, applying the following formulas:
- AR: criterion 1 * (60%) + criterion 2 * (40%) = 100%
- Final Classification (FC): AR * (100%) = 100%
VII.III - All candidates who meet the admission requirements are subject to the academic record evaluation, carried out according to the criteria and weights defined in VII.I.
VII.IV - Candidates who score below 50 in any selection method will be excluded, and subsequent methods, if any, will not apply to them. Candidates who are duly notified but fail to attend the interview (if applicable) or withdraw at any stage will also be excluded.
VII.V - Tie-breaking criteria: In the event of a tie in the rankings, candidates will be ordered in descending order as follows:
a) Based on the score obtained in the first method applied;
b) Based on the score of their academic qualifications.
VII.VI - All provisional and final jury decisions must be justified, recorded in minutes, and published on
https://apply.uc.pt/.
VII.VII - Jury Composition:
President: Renato Carlos Farinha Duarte
Effective Members: Natália da Costa Madeira, and Ana Luísa Monteiro de Carvalho
Alternate Members: Flávia Sofia Maia Rodrigues, and César Alexandre Domingues Teixeira
VIII- Application Submission
Candidates must access and register on the electronic platform https://apply.uc.pt/ to submit their application, selecting the procedure to which they wish to apply.
Documents uploaded for the application must be in portable document format (PDF).
Applications are submitted by completing the sections available in the electronic platform "Apply UC" under "My Application."
VIII.I- Mandatory documents to attach when applying:
➢ Curriculum Vitae, duly updated, dated, and signed;
➢ Copy of academic degree certificates.
a) If the possession of a degree is a requirement for the grant, candidates holding a degree obtained abroad must, by the end of the application period, provide proof of recognition or evidence that it has been requested, as per Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of August 16. Failure to present degree recognition at the time of contract signing, as per the RBI-UC, will result in exclusion.
b) If duly justified, documents proving the possession of academic degrees and diplomas, or their recognition, may be waived at the application stage and replaced by a candidate's sworn statement. However, until the grant agreement stage, the respective proofs must be submitted under penalty of exclusion.
c) Proof of enrollment in a degree or non-degree course may be waived at the application stage and
replaced by a sworn statement from the candidate. However, the required proof must be submitted by the grant agreement stage under penalty of exclusion.
➢ Whenever possible, documentation proving prior grant benefits should also be attached to the
application.
VIII.II- Other documents to attach when applying:
➢ Any other elements the candidate considers relevant.
➢ Motivation letter.
VIII.III - All application documents must be submitted in Portuguese and/or English. When the originals are in another language, a translation into one of these languages must be provided.
VIII.IV - Applications that are not properly completed or do not meet the admission criteria defined in the applicable legislation and this notice will not be accepted.
VIII.V - No documents required for the application may be submitted after the application deadline.
VIII.VI - Without prejudice to the penal provisions of the law, false statements made by candidates or
grant holders regarding relevant matters for the grant award or renewal, or for the evaluation of its
progress, will result in its cancellation.
IX – Application deadline: 23/04/2025 to 05/06/2025
X - Activity Regime: The grant does not create or constitute a legal-labor relationship. It is carried out under an exclusive dedication regime, and the grantee is awarded the Research Grantee Status, as stipulated in the EBI and the RBI-UC.
XI - Notification of Candidates: All notifications will be made through the electronic platform Apply UC,
under the terms of subparagraph c) of paragraph 1 and subparagraph b) of paragraph 2 of Article 112 of the CPA and Article 22 of the RBI-UC. The notifications will take effect after being made, as provided in Article 113 of the CPA.
XII - Under Articles 121 and 122 of the CPA and Article 22 of the RBI-UC, candidates may, if they wish, submit comments regarding the jury's decisions within 10 business days, through the "Audiência dos Interessados" option in the platform's procedure section.
XIII - Candidates may also submit a complaint within 15 business days or an appeal to the UC's highestranking official within 30 business days, both following the respective notification, under Articles 191 and192 of the CPA.
XIV - Selected candidates must declare in writing, within five business days of notification, their acceptance of the grant and confirm that they meet the requirements to accept the proposed start date of the grant contract. Unless a justifiable reason is provided, failure to provide this declaration within the stipulated time will be considered a renunciation of the grant. In case of renunciation or withdrawal by the selected candidate, the next candidate on the final classification list will be notified.
XV - The full competition process can be consulted by candidates, subject to prior scheduling, by sending an email to the Human Resources Management Service at: sgrh@uc.pt.
XVI - In compliance with subparagraph h) of Article 9 of the Constitution, the University of Coimbra, as
an employer, actively promotes a policy of equal opportunities between men and women in terms of
employment access and career progression, ensuring that any form of discrimination is strictly avoided. It encourages underrepresented minorities in each area to apply.
Accordingly, no one may be privileged, benefited, disadvantaged, or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty on the grounds of ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, family status, economic situation, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, place of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union membership.
The University of Coimbra also promotes measures to facilitate the balance between professional, family, and personal life, recognizing the efforts of its employees and fostering motivation.
XVII- The grantee must submit annual activity reports for each renewal and at the end of the grant contract, as stipulated in Article 7 of the RBI-UC, subject to an opinion issued by the respective
supervisor(s). The report models, performance evaluation criteria, and the grant contract model are those approved under the University of Coimbra's Research Grant Regulations.
