Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) is the Portugal’s main funding agency for research and it is responsible for following the bilateral and multilateral international agreements in science and technology. 

FCT is a public autonomous institute under the aegis of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education. FCT covers all fields of science, from natural sciences to humanities, normally in a responsive mode, aiming at capability enhancement and research excellence.

FCT’s mission consists in continuously promoting the advancement of scientific and technological knowledge in Portugal, exploring opportunities that become available in any scientific or technological domain to attain the highest international standards in the creation of knowledge, and to stimulate their diffusion and contribution to improve education, health, environment, and the quality of life and well being of the general public.

This mission is mainly accomplished through the financing subsequent to the evaluation of the merit of proposals presented by institutions, research teams or individuals in public open calls, and also through cooperation agreements and other forms of support in partnership with universities and other public or private institutions.

Functions

·         To promote, finance, accompany and evaluate science and technology institutions, programs, projects and qualification of human resources;

·         To promote and strengthen support infra-structures for scientific research and technological development;

·         To promote the diffusion of scientific and technological culture and knowledge, and their teaching;

·         To stimulate the update, interconnection, reinforcement and availability of science and technology information sources at the national and international level;

·         To ensure international cooperation in the scientific and technological domains.

With a staff of 228 persons, FCT’s budget for 2008 is around 570 million €. Funding is structured around the following schemes: promotion of training and career development (fellowships, scholarships, mainly for PhD, Post-doc and PhD in industry), support of centres of excellence (associated laboratories) and research centres (institutional funding), support to infrastructures, promotion and development of scientific activity (research projects) and for diffusion of scientific culture.

http://www.fct.mctes.pt

 MNT-ERA.NET Support Programmes

Name of initiative/program: FCT Funding Programme for Science

Programme owner (ministry): FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (a body of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education)

Executing agency, contact person, contact details: FCT

Contact: Prof. Luis Viseu Melo, Advisor for Nanotechnology

phone: +351 213924455

mail: luis.melo@fct.mctes.pt

Topics allowed:

All Nanoscience/Nanotechnology topics

Phases of R&D being funded (basic research, pre-competitive, application, serial production, market entry), funding rates (app.)

Pre-competitive R&D

Funding rates (app.):

• During the execution of the project the Companies should present to FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), the documents related to the total expenses made, either financed by FCT or by themselves.
• Check the regulations for projects funded by FCT (in Portuguese).

Percentage of costs covered by national funding by Type of Organisation and Type of Activity

Eligibility criteria specific for Portuguese participants

1. Type/nature of participants
   • Institutions of higher education, their institutes and R&D centres
   • State Laboratories
   • Associated Laboratories
   • Non-profit private institutions which the main purpose is to undertake R&D activities
   • Companies, when they form part of consortia with R&D institutions or are involved in integrated R&D programs
   • Other public or private institutions with S&T activities
2. Legal/administrative/financial conditions
   • The Principal Investigator of a Portuguese Partner must dedicate at least 25% of time to the project.
   • The total time dedicated to FCT-funded projects must not exceed 100%.

Major restrictions (e.g. types of institutions eligible for funding; SMEs, public/private etc.)

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