Research Scholarship (Graduate)
Research Scholarship (Graduate) S2AQUAcoLAB/Bolsa/Ref_02/2026
S2AQUA - Collaborative Laboratory, Association for Sustainable and Smart Aquaculture (S2AQUAcoLAB), in accordance with Article 7 of the S2AQUAcoLAB Research Grant Regulations, hereby announces that a call for applications has been opened for a Research Grant (Graduate) in the field of Marine Biology, Biology, Aquaculture or equivalent.
The competition for the award of a Research Grant is intended for the execution of research support activities within the scope of the BlueBoost project (SBEP/0002/2023), which is funded by the FCT through the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership.
1. The Work Plan:
The work programme for the scholarship holder to be hired includes the following activities:
1. Conducting macroalgae cultivation trials in IMTA.
2. Collecting and analysing samples to assess the bioremediation capacity of dissolved nutrients from macroalgae;
3. Collecting and preparing data for LCA and economic feasibility analysis of IMTA;
4. Supporting the planning and execution of other trials taking place within the scope of the project;
5. Data analysis, report writing, dissemination of results and preparation of content for knowledge transfer.
The position includes a training component, and candidates interested in developing their Master's dissertation/internship within the scope of the project are encouraged to apply.
It is desirable that the candidate be available to work on weekends and public holidays, and to travel nationally and internationally, depending on the activities in progress.
2. Desired profile:
1. Level 6 Higher Education (Bachelor's Degree) in Marine Biology, Biology, Aquaculture or equivalent;
2. Experience in macroalgae cultivation;
3. Ability to work independently, in the laboratory and in the field;
Applicants must be enrolled in an integrated master's degree, master's degree or doctorate, or in a non-degree course, as part of the educational project of a higher education institution developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units.
3. Other requirements:
a) Be highly motivated, demonstrate autonomy and the ability to propose new approaches;
b) Experience in developing and/or executing national and international research projects;
c) Ability to adapt and integrate into a team;
d) Advanced level of English;
e) Autonomy and proactivity.
4. Type and duration of the fellowship
A Research Grant for Graduates will be awarded.
The grant is expected to start at a date to be agreed with the selected candidate, ending on 30 August 2026, on a full-time basis. The work to be carried out under this Grant is temporary in nature and will not continue beyond the completion of the project.
The grant must be carried out on an exclusive basis, in accordance with the S2AQUAcoLAB grant regulations (Regulamento Bolsas de Investigação S2AQUAcoLAB) and the FCT grant regulations based on Portuguese Law 40/2004 of 18 August (Scientific Research Grant Holder Statutes), amended by Decree -Law 123/2019 of 28 August.
5. Beneficiaries (conditions required)
The scholarship is intended for holders of a bachelor's degree in marine biology, biology, aquaculture or equivalent.
Applicants must be enrolled in an integrated master's degree, master's degree or doctoral programme, or in a non-degree course that is part of the educational project of a higher education institution developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units.
6. Submission of applications
The call is open between January 06th, 2025 and 23:59 on January 20th, 2026.
To apply for this research fellowship you must send an email to geral@s2aquacolab.pt with the subject S2AQUAcoLAB/Bolsa/Ref_02/2026.
Each candidate may submit only one application, under penalty of cancellation of all applications submitted.
Making false statements or committing acts of plagiarism is grounds for cancellation of the application, without prejudice to the adoption of other punitive measures.
7. Supervision and place where the activity will be developed
The activities will be carried out at the S2AQUAcoLAB facilities, based at the Olhão Fish Farming Pilot Station, Av. do Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, s/n, 8700-194 Olhão, Portugal, and at the Tavira Mollusc Farming Experimental Station (EEMT-IPMA), Vale Caranguejo s/n 8800-737 Tavira, under the guidance of Dr Raquel Quintã, researcher at S2AQUAcoLAB.
The scholarship working hours are 40 hours per week.
8. Amount of monthly maintenance allowance
The amount of the fellowship is 1040,98€, according to the table of fellowships approved by FCT, I.P. https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tabela_valores_SMM_2025.pdf
The fellow is entitled to the reimbursement of the voluntary social insurance (1st level), if applicable, in accordance with the conditions defined in the Statute of the Research Fellow. The fellow will receive personal accident insurance during the duration of the fellowship.
The payment of the fellowship will be made on a monthly basis by S2AQUAcoLAB, through bank transfer to the account indicated by the fellow.
9. Admissibility
9.1 Requirements for applicant admissibility
Who can apply for the Research Fellowship:
A. Portuguese Citizens or citizens of Member States of the European Union;
B. Citizens of third states.
To apply for the Research Fellowship, it is necessary to:
C. Reside in Portugal permanently and habitually;
D. Not have benefited from a research fellowship in companies directly financed by FCT, regardless of their duration.
9.2 Application Admissibility Requirements
It is indispensable, under penalty of non-admission of the application:
E. Detailed and signed Curriculum Vitae of the candidate;
F. A motivation letter (maximum one-page, double space, letter Arial, size 12) where the reason for the application is clearly and briefly stated, as well as the academic and professional background, such as academic training, supplementary training and other information considered relevant for the evaluation of the CV;
G. Copy of the ID card or passport;
H. Permanent residence certificate, permanent residence permit, or long-term resident status, if applicable;
I. Documents proving the conditions required for the respective type of fellowship, in particular certificates of qualifications indicating the degree and final classification, all recognised by a Portuguese university if diplomas were obtained abroad;
J. Copy of evidence related to professional experience and training, including letters of recommendation, proof of courses or traineeships, if applicable;
K. Document proving enrollment in a master's degree program, or in a non-degree course that is part of an educational project at a higher education institution developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units
L. Updated document proving professional status, indicating the nature of the employment relationship and duties, which may be replaced by a sworn statement if the candidate does not engage in any professional activity or provide any services, if applicable;
M. Declaration of the candidate, under commitment of honour, that they meet the requirements of admission for this fellowship – a template is available in (Declaração sob compromisso de honra - BI)
The reference to the S2AQUAcoLAB/Bolsa/Ref_02/2026 scholarship competition must be indicated in the subject line of the application email.
Failure to submit the documentation referred to in J), K), and L) within fifteen days of the date of notification of the results will result in the scholarship not being awarded.
10. Composition of the jury
The competition jury consists of the following members:
President: Raquel Quintã, Reseracher do S2AQUAcoLAB;
1st Effective Member: Cátia Marques, Scientific Coordinator do S2AQUAcoLAB;
2st Effective Member:: Ana Catarina Braga Reseracher do S2AQUAcoLAB;
1st Alternate Member: Íris Silva, Reseracher do S2AQUAcoLAB;
2st Alternate Member: Renata Gonçalves, Reseracher do S2AQUAcoLAB.
11. Selection methods and criteria
Eligible Applications will be scored from zero (0 minimum rating) to twenty (20 maximum rating).
Admission criteria: all candidates who meet the requirements of this notice.
Evaluation method: applications will be evaluated through a curricular evaluation (CA) (100%) of the applicant. An interview will only be conducted if the jury deems it necessary or in case of a tie (E).
11.1 Curricular evaluation (CA)
The curriculum assessment (CA) will be expressed quantitatively from 0 to 20 points, corresponding to the sum of the points obtained in the following objective criteria:
CA = 0,15 × A + 0,85 × B
where:
A - Academic merit (0-20 points): Assesses the candidate's academic merit based on their degree average;
B - Professional experience (0-20 points): Assessment of the candidate's previous experience based on the following criteria:
1. Experience in macroalgae cultivation (0-6 points);
2. Experience in the cultivation of Ulva sp. and Gracilaria sp. specifically (0-4 points);
3. Experience in aquaculture or maintenance of cultivation systems for other marine organisms (0-3 points);
4. Experience in biological and environmental sampling relevant to the work to be carried out (0-4 points);
5. Knowledge and experience in data analysis, report writing and dissemination of results (0-3 points).
11.2. Interview
Based on the Curriculum Assessment, candidates will be ranked.
Interviews will only be conducted if the jury deems it necessary or in the event of a tie.
The interview will be conducted in person or by videoconference, and candidates will be ranked according to the following criteria:
a) Knowledge of the areas covered by the project;
b) Verbal expression and fluency;
c) Ability to adapt and integrate into a team;
d) Motivation;
e) Autonomy;
These criteria will be rated from zero to twenty, with the total interview score resulting from the sum of the criteria divided by five (0 to 20 points).
11.3 Final Classification
The candidates´ final classification will be decided by a majority of the jury.
All candidates that applied for the fellowship will be ranked according to the classification awarded by the jury, based on the CA.
If the interview (I) is necessary, the final classification (FC) will be obtained through the weighted sum of the curriculum evaluation (CA) - with a weight of 40% - and the interview (I) - with a weight of 60%.
FC = 0.4 × CA + 0.6 × I
The jury will hold the necessary meetings to obtain a final decision, documenting the procedures in minutes, as well as all the elements deemed relevant to reach the final decision. If there are no applications of merit, the jury may decide not to award this scholarship.
The Jury reserves the right to decide not to award the fellowship if it considers that none of the candidates has the appropriate profile, experience, and/or skills to carry out the work plan.
12. Reporting the results
The results of the evaluation are published at the location indicated in the opening notice and by email within 90 working days after the application submission deadline.
Candidates have a period of 10 working days after the disclosure of the results to present any objections, in the pre-hearing of interested parties and in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Administrative Procedure.
The final decision shall be taken no later than 60 working days after the conclusion of the prior hearing of interested parties.
The provisions of the preceding paragraphs shall not apply where the draft decision leads to the granting of a fellowship to all applicants, in which case the draft shall be equivalent to the final decision
13. Approval
After the conclusion of the hearing process of interested parties, the jury´s decision will be taken to the Board of Directors of S2AQUAcoLAB for approval.
14. Other information
Hiring documents:
After the selection of the candidate, the following documents/information will be requested for the purpose of hiring:
- Copy of the civil, tax, and social security identification number (if applicable);
- Document disclosing the country of residence, residence permit, or other legally equivalent document (if applicable) which should be valid at the starting date of the fellowship;
- Documents proving that the applicant meets the conditions required for the respective type of fellowship, including proof of registration;
- Declaration of commitment acknowledging the exclusivity regime;
- Certificates of qualifications;
- Bank account number - IBAN.
Fellowship contract model
After the selection of the candidate and reception of all documentation, a fellowship contract will be signed according to the model: Fellowship Contract.
Fellowship evaluation
The activity developed by the fellow will be evaluated by the supervisors, who will apply the criteria defined in the Fellow´s Final Activities Report.
1. Analysis of the report and compliance with the work plan.
Fellowship report
At the end of each fellowship period (if applicable) the fellow must submit a report following the template available in the Fellow´s Final Report.
The Board of Directors reserves the right, by change of circumstances at the date of this announcement, to cancel this call without any recruitment.
Applicants with disabilities will have preference in a situation of equal classification, and such preference prevails over any legal preferences. Applicants must declare, under commitment of honour, their disability degree, type of disability and means of communication/expression to be used during the selection period.
S2AQUAcoLAB's non-discrimination and equal opportunities policy
No candidate may be privileged, benefited, impaired or deprived of any right or exempt from any claim as to descent, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, economic situation, origin, social status, genetic inheritance, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnicity, territory of origin, language, religion, politics, ideology or trade union affiliation.
15. Applicable legislation and regulations
Research Fellow Statute, approved by Law No. 40/2004, of August 18, as amended by Decree-Law No. 202/2012, of August 27, by Law No. 12/2013, of January 29, by Decree-Law No. 89/2013, of July 9, by Decree-Law No. 233/2012, of October 29, and by Decree-Law No. 123/2019, of August 28.
Regulation on Research Grants of the FCT, I. P., approved by Regulation No. 950/2019, of November 29, 2019, published in the Official Gazette, Series II, Part C, of December 16, 2019, with the amendments introduced by Regulation No. 643/2021, of June 30, 2021, published in the Official Gazette, Series II, Part C, of July 14, 2021.
Administrative Procedure Code, approved by Decree-Law No. 4/2015, of January 7, in the wording currently in force. Regulation on Research Grants from S2AQUA – Collaborative Laboratory, Association for Sustainable and Smart Aquaculture, approved in official letter FCT/109/06/01/2023/S by the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P.
S2AQUA - Collaborative Laboratory, Association for Sustainable and Smart Aquaculture’s Regulation of Research Fellowships, approved in the document FCT/109/06/01/2023/S by FCT, I.P.
This notice was approved by the jury members on January 06 th, 2025.
