Call for Applications for the Award of 1 Research Grant (BI) for Graduates Enrolled in a Non-Degree-Granting Program

 Summary

A call is open for the award of 1 (one) Research Grant (BI), reference SCENTBOND/09/BI/2026, within the scope of the project “Scent Bonding: Examining Emotional Olfactory Cues of Human Interaction” (Ref. 2024.16838.PEX – https://doi.org/10.54499/2024.16838.PEX), funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the 2024 call for exploratory research projects in all scientific domains. The grant will be carried out at the William James Center for Research, ISPA – Instituto Universitário.

1. Scientific Area(s): Psychology

2. Funding: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT), under the 2024 call for exploratory research projects in all scientific domains.

3. Candidate Profile

Mandatory Requirements:

1. The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology or a related scientific field;
2. The candidate must be enrolled in a non-degree-granting program at the time of contract signing, as defined in this call for applications.

Preferred Requirements:

1. Previous experience in data collection in laboratory settings;
2. Previous experience in research using psychophysiological measures (e.g., electrocardiography, electromyography, skin conductance response);
3. Proficiency in Portuguese and English, both written and spoken.

4. Mandatory Requirements for Admission

For the purposes of admission to this call, candidates must submit the following documents, under penalty of exclusion:

1. Copy of the Bachelor’s degree certificate/diploma in Psychology or a related scientific field, indicating the final grade obtained;
2. Proof of enrollment in a non-degree-granting course, or alternatively, a declaration of honor in which the candidate confirms meeting the conditions for enrollment and undertakes to provide the respective proof by the grant contract phase;
3. Detailed Curriculum Vitae;
4. Motivation letter.

Only candidates who can prove that they hold a Bachelor’s degree by the application deadline will be admitted. In the case of a degree awarded by a foreign higher education institution, candidates must submit proof of recognition of the academic degree by a Portuguese higher education institution, as well as proof of conversion of the respective final grade to the Portuguese grading scale, in accordance with applicable legislation.

If the candidate has already requested recognition but is still awaiting its issuance, they may alternatively submit a declaration of honor stating that the recognition has been requested and that the respective proof will be provided by the time of contract signing, without prejudice to other applicable legal requirements.

If the candidate is not enrolled or does not have, at the time of application, formal proof of enrollment in a non-degree-granting program, they may submit a declaration of honor stating that they are enrolled or meet the conditions for enrollment, undertaking to provide the respective proof by the grant contracting stage, without prejudice to the provisions of this call and applicable regulations.

Failure to submit the required documents, as well as the submission of incomplete, incorrect, or illegible documents, will result in exclusion from the application process.

Providing false statements constitutes grounds for exclusion from the application, without prejudice to the adoption of other sanctions as provided by law.

5. Requirements for Grant Contract

The selected candidate must demonstrate, at the time of contract signing, that they hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology or a related scientific field and are enrolled in a non-degree-granting program, as well as compliance with all other requirements applicable to this type of grant. The requirement for enrollment in a non-degree-granting program arises from the regulatory framework governing Research Grants awarded to graduates under this modality.

In the case of diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions, and where the candidate has submitted a declaration of honor regarding degree recognition, the candidate must provide, by the time of contract signing, proof of recognition of the degree in Portugal and, where applicable, proof of conversion of the final grade to the Portuguese grading scale.

For the purpose of signing the research grant contract, the candidate must also submit a personal data form, Ciência ID, a copy of an identification document, and a declaration of honor confirming compliance with the applicable legal framework for research grants.

Providing false statements constitutes grounds for cancellation of the application or the grant, without prejudice to the adoption of other sanctions under the law.

6. Work Plan

The project “Scent Bonding: Examining Emotional Olfactory Cues of Human Interaction” aims to investigate the role of emotional body odors in modulating various dimensions of human interaction by integrating olfactory and visual cues in experimental paradigms.

The grant holder will collaborate, under supervision, in the development and implementation of research activities within the scope of the project, namely:

• Implementation of experimental protocols for inducing emotional states (happiness, anger, and neutral condition) and collection of axillary sweat samples;
• Collection, processing, and monitoring of psychophysiological measures (e.g., electrodermal activity, electrocardiogram, facial electromyography) and self-report measures;
• Organization, storage, and preparation of olfactory stimuli for experimental use;
• Programming and implementation of behavioral paradigms with controlled and synchronized presentation of facial and olfactory stimuli;
• Operation and management of an olfactometer;
• Recruitment and testing of participants;
• Data processing, organization, and statistical analysis;
• Preparation of preregistrations and adoption of open science practices;
• Support in the organization of results and preparation of materials for scientific dissemination.

7. Applicable Legislation and Regulations

Law no. 40/2004, of 18 August, as amended by Decree-Law no. 123/2019, of 28 August (Research Fellowship Holder Statute – EBI); Regulation no. 950/2019, of 29 November, published in the Portuguese Official Gazette (Diário da República), no. 241, Series II, of 16 December (Regulation of Research Grants of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia – RBI); Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of 16 August (Legal framework for the recognition of academic degrees and higher education diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions); ISPA – Instituto Universitário Research Grant Regulations; and other applicable legislation.

8. Workplace and Supervision

The grant contract will be signed with ISPA, CRL (contracting entity). The work will be carried out at the William James Center for Research (host institution), at ISPA – Instituto Universitário, and, if necessary, at other locations required for the implementation of the work plan.

Scientific supervision will be provided by the Principal Investigator of the project, Dr. Nuno Gomes, with the collaboration of Dr. Inês Mares (member of the research team).

9. Duration

The grant is expected to have a duration of 6 months and may be renewed for additional periods up to the maximum duration of the project, subject to the project’s budget and limited by the maximum period established for this type of grant under Article 6, paragraphs 4 and 5, of the FCT Research Grant Regulations.

The grant is expected to start on May 2, 2026.

10. Financial Conditions and Other Grant Components

The monthly grant amount, corresponding to full-time dedication, is €1,040.98, in accordance with the grant value table established by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for grants awarded in Portugal (https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tabela_valores_SMM_2025.pdf). This amount may be subject to applicable updates and will be paid monthly by bank transfer to the grant holder.

The grant holder will benefit from personal accident insurance and, if not covered by any social protection scheme, may exercise the right to social security by adhering to the voluntary social insurance scheme (Decree-Law No. 40/89, of February 1; Article 10 of the Research Fellowship Holder Statute).

11. Application Submission

The call is open from April 1, 2026, to April 15, 2026, at 11:00 PM (Lisbon time). Only applications submitted and received within the established deadline will be considered.

Applications must be submitted by email to candidaturas.investigadores@ispa.pt, with wjrc@ispa.pt in copy, and must include the reference SCENTBOND/09/BI/2026 in the subject line.

Applications must be accompanied by the following documents (as indicated in point 4):

a) Bachelor’s degree certificate in Psychology or a related scientific field, including the final grade;

b) Proof of enrollment in a non-degree-granting course, or alternatively, a declaration of honor in which the candidate confirms meeting the conditions for enrollment and undertakes to provide the respective proof by the grant contract phase;

c) Detailed Curriculum Vitae;

d) Motivation letter.

All documents must be submitted in PDF format.

Applicants who submit their application incorrectly or fail to provide proof of the required eligibility criteria, as defined in this call, may be excluded from the selection process.

12. Evaluation and Selection Criteria

The evaluation and selection process will be conducted based on the assessment of the candidate’s merit, according to the following criteria and weightings:

A) Academic Background and Curriculum (30%), considering:

• Final grade of the Bachelor’s degree in Psychology or a related scientific field;

• Alignment of the academic background with the scientific area of the project.

   

B) Relevant Research Experience (40%), considering:

• Experience in experimental research in Psychology;
• Experience with experimental methodologies and/or psychophysiological techniques;

• Experience in data collection, processing, and analysis.

   

C) Motivation Letter (30%), considering:

• Alignment of the academic background with the project’s objectives;
• Demonstrated interest and motivation for the tasks outlined in the work plan;

• Potential for integration into the research team.

   

Applications will be evaluated and scored on a scale from 0.00 to 20.00 for each criterion. The final score will be calculated using the following formula:

Final Score = (A × 30%) + (B × 40%) + (C × 30%)

In the event of a tie, candidates will be ranked based on the scores obtained in the evaluation criteria in the following order of precedence: Criterion B, Criterion A, Criterion C.

If the tie persists, the jury may decide by majority vote and, if necessary, may conduct an interview to break the tie.

13. Jury Composition

• Dr. Nuno Gomes (Assistant Professor at ISPA – Instituto Universitário; Integrated Researcher at the William James Center for Research; President);
• Dr. Inês Mares (Assistant Professor at ISPA – Instituto Universitário; Integrated Researcher at the William James Center for Research; Full Member),
• Dr. Magda Saraiva (Assistant Professor at ISPA – Instituto Universitário; Integrated Researcher at the William James Center for Research; Full Member);
• Dr. Lénia Amaral (Assistant Professor at ISPA – Instituto Universitário; Integrated Researcher at the William James Center for Research; Alternate Member);
• Miguel F. Benrós, MSc (PhD Candidate at ISPA – Instituto Universitário; William James Center for Research; Alternate Member).

14. Communication of Results

All applicants will be notified of the minutes of the evaluation process by email, sent to the address provided for this purpose, with acknowledgment of receipt.

Notifications will be made by email, in accordance with Articles 112(1)(c) and 113(5) of the Portuguese Code of Administrative Procedure.

15. Deadlines and Procedures for Prior Hearing, Complaints, and Appeals

After the provisional results list is communicated, candidates have a period of 10 working days to submit comments as part of a prior hearing, in accordance with Articles 121 et seq. of the Portuguese Code of Administrative Procedure. The final decision will be issued after considering the comments submitted during the prior hearing. Once this decision is communicated, the selected candidate has 10 working days to formally accept the awarded grant in writing. Failure to provide a valid justification within this period will be considered as a renunciation or withdrawal of the grant.

Following the final decision, candidates may submit a complaint within 15 working days, or appeal to the highest executive body of the funding institution within 30 working days, both counted from the date of notification.

If the selected candidate renounces the grant or withdraws their intention to accept it, the jury may notify and award the grant to the next-ranked candidate, if applicable, according to the final ranking list.

16. Grant Contract and Final Report Templates

The template for the grant contract, as well as the template for the final report to be prepared by the grant holder and the supervisor, together with the corresponding evaluation criteria, can be consulted in the ISPA – Instituto Universitário Research Grant Regulations (Annexes 2, 3, 4, and 5) at:

https://intranet.ispa.pt/sites/default/files/users/531/rg102_bols_invest_cient_v4.0.pdf

17. Publicação do edital do concurso 

O presente edital é publicado: a) Na plataforma EURASEXX nas línguas portuguesa e inglesa; b) No sítio da internet do ISPA, na língua portuguesa e inglesa; c) Redes sociais do ISPA.

18. Non-Discrimination and Equal Access Policy

ISPA actively promotes a policy of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion, taking careful measures to prevent any form of discrimination. In this context, terms such as “candidate,” “researcher,” “PhD holder,” and similar are used in this document without reference to the gender of individuals.

In accordance with Decree-Law No. 29/2001 of February 3, candidates with disabilities have priority in cases of equal ranking, which prevails over any other legal preference. Applicants must declare, under a declaration of honor, their degree of disability, type of impairment, and the means of communication/expression to be used during the selection process, as provided in the aforementioned law.

19. Personal Data Protection

By applying, the candidate provides the necessary information and consent for the processing of personal data, solely for the purpose of collection and integration into the database of the selection procedure, and for the duration of the process, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Documents submitted as part of this procedure constitute administrative records and will be accessed in compliance with Law No. 26/2016 of August 22, as amended.