BIOTECnico is a program for talented and highly motivated students of any nationality. Criteria for acceptance of a candidate are based on the excellence of the academic record and motivation, statement of purpose and letters of reference.
The selection and ranking criteria is a three-step procedure. Firstly, after the reception of the applications, a pre-assessment will be made by the IST PhD academic office to check whether each application conforms to the eligibility taking into account the admission criteria (Phase 1). The PhD academic office forwards all eligible applications to the Program Director who immediately starts the second phase of the selection and ranking process. The Scientific Committee will be responsible for ensuring the accurate progression of the evaluation process in compliance with Law 32/91 (20th July) and for writing the overall selection process report.
Evaluation and ranking is based on the following 3 main criteria taking into account diverse knowledge and qualifications:
A. Academic qualifications (min mark – 0, max – 5 / weight – 5)
B. Research experience relevant to the BIOTECnico program (min mark – 0, max – 5 / weight – 4)
C. Scientific potential (min mark – 0, max – 5 / weight – 3)
These main criteria will be evaluated through the analysis of the candidates CV, motivation letter and recommendation letter(s). The classification attributed to the candidate’s academic-CV is normalized, according to the FCT reference-base for BD, to account for differences between different diplomas (BSc, 2-step MSc, integrated MSc). The quality of the institution that granted the candidate’s diploma is further taken into account. The ranking will favor candidates that are (co-)authors of papers in journals with peer reviewing, those that have presented communications in conferences and those having exceptional CVs demonstrating special skills, in line with the research areas of the BIOTECnico program. After each student is evaluated against the above evaluation criteria, the candidates will be ordered in a graded list (Phase 2).
The best 12 candidates or top 25% ones (whichever is a lower number) will be invited for an interview, either in person, or by video conference (Phase 3) to assess their background, specific technical skills, motivation and communication aptitudes in English. The results of this interview will further contribute to make an informed decision on the ranking of the candidates concerning the 3 main criteria, in particular criteria B) and C) to identify the best candidates. The number of offered grants will be attributed to the top candidates. The grants that become available through renunciation or other reasons may be assigned to the next candidates on the reserve list, following the priority order.
Announcement of results: The results of this call will be published at Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal, within 90 working days after the deadline to submit applications. All applicants will be informed of the results by e-mail. If the decision is not favorable for the award of the scholarship, the applicant has a period of 10 working days, after receiving notice of the decision, to contest the decision in a preliminary hearing setting. Any appeal to the final decision referred above must be brought before the BIOTECnico Directive Board within 10 working days after the notification.