Prospective PhD students
Starting a PhD at Instituto Superior Técnico, more specifically at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Departamento de Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores, DEEC) and the Institute for Systems and Robotics, can be a time-consuming endeavour. However, do not despair: many students, both foreign and Portuguese, have successfully gone through the paperwork process before. In this page we will outline the steps that are necessary to become a PhD student at IST, including obtaining a scholarship.
Summary
In Técnico, PhD students do not receive a salary from the university itself (as is often the case in other European countries), however external financial support is available from the state Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT). The two things are decoupled, therefore you will have to interact with both FCT (for the doctoral grant) and with IST (for study-related aspects, e.g., to declare what doctoral courses you want to attend) separately.
In short, the process consists of these two parts, which are separate but at times interleaved (for example, to finalize an FCT contract you will have to provide documentation that you have been accepted from IST):
- winning a doctoral grant from FCT; submitting documentation to FCT and signing a contract with them
- being accepted as a doctoral student from IST; registering to their PhD Programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Getting an individual doctoral grant from FCT
This is the FCT website that publishes instructions for grant applications: http://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/concursos/. As of 2014, the grant is € 980 per month, tax free. The duration is 3 years, though it can be extended to 4 years.
When to apply
Depending on the year regulations, there can be one or two calls to obtain individual doctoral grants (Bolsas de Doutoramento Individuais, BD).
In case your call is the sole one existing that year, simply apply for that one.
On the other hand, when there are two grant calls in a year, with deadlines usually in June and in September, bear in mind that you can only apply for one call per year, meaning that, in the event of you losing the June call, you would have to wait another 12 months to apply again. Think carefully whether you should apply in June or in September. In June there are probably fewer people applying, because many students will still be struggling with their final Master's exams and thesis, so it is a good idea to apply at this time. On the other hand, if you are not very confident about the quality of your application and work plan, then it could be worth taking some extra time to improve your writing together with your supervisor. Remember: you can only apply once per year.
In all cases, do not wait until the last hours/minutes because the FCT website may be slow due to many simultaneous requests.
How to apply
For official instructions always refer to the FCT website. In short, you need:
- a supervisor
- a work plan proposal, divided into several sections
After winning the grant
FCT will email you to communicate whether you have won the grant 2-3 months after the call was closed. Winning the doctoral grant is the hardest step in the whole process; the remaining stuff that you have to submit to IST and FCT is relatively easy, but do not underestimate it. It is not a coincidence that they give you a long time —6 months from the day you receive the acceptance email— to prepare all the paperwork that is left to write: start thinking about it right after you win your scholarship (alright, maybe after one night or two of celebration).
Applying for the PhD programme at IST
In order to officially apply for the DEEC PhD programme (PDEEC), go to the Post-Graduate and Vocational Training Unit (Núcleo de Pós-Graduação e Formação Contínua, NPGFC): it is located in the main IST building (Pavilhão Central), first floor.
They will give you a sheet called PhD Application Form (Candidatura a Programa de Doutoramento) that you should fill. Additionally, you have to provide the documentation listed below.
If you have problems providing one of the documents, for example the syllabus of your Bachelor and Master exams certified by your university, talk to your PhD supervisor or to the coordinator of the DEEC PhD programme (PDEEC).
| document | notes |
|---|---|
| copy of national identity card or passport | - |
| copy of your fiscal identification card (cartão de contribuinte aka Número de Identificação Fiscal, NIF) | it is not strictly necessary to have the actual plastic NIF card: a sheet with your fiscal number provided by the office that originally gave you the número de contribuinte will suffice; this office is normally Finanças or Loja de Cidadão |
| curriculum vitae | - |
| evidence of previous qualifications (certificado de habilitações) |
|
| motivation letter | - |
| reference letters | - |
| PhD supervisor's acceptance letter, if applicable (yes, for a PhD at DEEC it is applicable) | - |
| research work plan signed by supervisor, if applicable (yes, for a PhD at DEEC it is applicable) | in this plan you propose a research topic and the goals you intend to achieve during your PhD |
| € 100 | you can either pay this as a bank check to Instituto Superior Técnico, or directly at the NPGFC with cash or ATM/multibanco |
The application form and the above documentation must be delivered to NPGFC or sent there by post:
Núcleo de Pós-Graduação e Formação Contínua Instituto Superior Técnico Av. Rovisco Pais 1049-001 Lisboa
Approval by IST and selecting your courses
Once you have handed over all the documents, you will have to hand in... another one: a list of PhD courses to the DEEC secretariat (North Tower, room 5.07, opening hours 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00), totalling 60 credits (5 exams) and taken from this list: https://fenix.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/cursos/deec/curricular-plan
Then, you have to wait a couple of weeks for them to exchange the documents with two entities and get their approval:
- PDEEC
- Scientific Board (Conselho Científico, CC)
Afterwards, you will be eligible to obtain a matrícula: NPGFC will send you a letter at home, and you can be registered/enrolled according to the following instructions.
Registering for the PhD programme at IST
Once a consensus has been reached from all the parts involved within IST (NPGFC doing the communication, but most importantly DEEC and CC) you need to get another sheet from NPGFC, called PhD Registration Form (Matrícula em Programa de Doutoramento).
Alongside the registration form, you will have to hand in the following documents:
- a printout of the email by FCT that stated you have won the scholarship
- 2 passport-sized pictures
Note that you have up to a maximum of 20 working days to make the matrícula, counting from the date which is printed on an acceptance letter from IST that you receive at home.
Later on, you should also bring the following certificates (they are not urgent but they are mandatory):
- a declaration by FCT, similar to this one, stating that your scholarship pays for € 2750 of your yearly tuition fees (custos de formação or propinas). In order to request such a declaration to FCT, you should ask them a letter similar to this one, via email or fax (number 213907481, Loja do Cientista), every academic year;
- antitetanic vaccine; it is possible to have a digital scan emailed by your home, or take the vaccine again in a Portuguese Local Medical Centre (Centro de Saúde);
- a document that contains the names of your parents; examples are your ID or passport (in some countries) or your birth certificate.
Last but not least, it is highly advisable that your FCT grant starts as soon as possible from your matrícula date, specifically within a 6-month period from that date. If that is not the case, you will have to pay the entire tuition fees for your first year (€ 3000), as opposed to having FCT pay for 90+% (€ 2750) on your behalf.
Obtaining and signing the PhD contract at FCT
Go to your scholarship evaluation results on the FCT website, then click on Additional data submission and upload of documents (Submissão de dados adicionais e pré-submissão electrónica de documentos). You will access a list of documents that you have to submit, first electronically then by post or physically. Besides easy items like your university diplomas or your advisor's acceptance letter, pay special attention to the following ones:
| document | notes |
|---|---|
| Acceptance declaration from the host institution(s) (Documento comprovativo de aceitação da instituição de acolhimento) | Institute for Systems and Robotics |
| Acceptance declaration from the degree granting institution(s) (Documento comprovativo de aceitação da instituição que confere o grau) | Instituto Superior Técnico |
| Clarification of professional status (Esclarecimento da situação profissional) | Declaration of non-existence of professional activities on your part at the time of the grant award. If you presently have a grant from IST Projects, submit a declaration stating that this grant will be interrupted once you start receiving the FCT grant. |
| Eligibility compliance document (Documento comprovativo de elegibilidade) | Applicable to all foreign citizens. Usually, this is a letter from the director of ISR justifying the reasons for your stay in Portugal. |
| Certificate of permanent residence in Portugal (Documento comprovativo de residência permanente) | Applicable to all foreign citizens. Normally, the Portuguese Republic gives this document after 5 years of stay in the country. Because this is not practical for prospective PhD students, usually it is sufficient to submit a letter from the director of ISR (see above) plus any other residence permits that you have (e.g., Certificado de Registo de Cidadão da União Europeia, which is given by Lisbon city hall). |
After you have uploaded all the necessary documents, you can seal (lacrar) your online process. At this point FCT will review your documents and tell you if anything is wrong, usually approving individual documents with a green "v" checkmark, like this:
When everything is approved, which can take 4-6 weeks, you will download, print and sign your contract and then finalize this process physically at the FCT office in Lisbon (showing the real documents and diplomas, too). Refer to the FCT page for detailed instructions.
Suggestions
- Your FCT grant has an actual duration of 12 months. It needs to be explicitly renewed (extended) every year, sending a letter to FCT 60+ days before each grant year ends.
- Even though an FCT grant is tax free and does not cover social security per se, it is still possible to apply to voluntary social security (seguro social voluntário, SSV) at a Loja do Cidadão or Segurança Social office. Check this guide for more information. Essentially, when FCT sends you the contract at home, they will also include a certificate that says you are eligible for voluntary social security; you can apply and start paying every month; then, provide the receipts to FCT, which will reimburse them to you.
- For medical services and pharmacy purchases, always show your social security document (or European medical card) - at any Portuguese pharmacy or hospital. In addition to this first reduction, Farmácia Palma will also discount the VAT off your medicines if you show an IST card.
- Pay attention to the article called "Components of the grant" (Componentes das bolsas) of the Fellowships and Grants Regulations, linked at the bottom. It mentions the available subsidies regarding travel and research periods spent out of your own country.
See also
- Study at IST guide, compiled by the Mobility and International Cooperation Office (Núcleo de Mobilidade e Cooperação Internacional, NMCI, formerly known as Gabinete de Relações Internacionais, GRI). There is useful information on that page, including for example visa and academic calendar, at the bottom.
- Post-Graduate and Vocational Training Unit (Núcleo de Pós-Graduação e Formação Contínua, NPGFC) web page, only in Portuguese at the moment
- FCT — Fellowships and Grants FAQ from the official FCT website.
- FCT — Fellowships and Grants Regulations for the latest edition of the calls.
- Wiki of Site dos Bolseiros de Investigação Científica. This is an unofficial, student-created wiki written in Portuguese containing useful material for FCT grant holders.
- Forum of Site dos Bolseiros de Investigação Científica.