The legal status of research fellows is laid down in the following legislation:
- Law No. 40/2004, of 18 August (Research Grant Fellowship Statute - EBI), in its current version;
- Research Grant Regulations of the University of Coimbra, approved by Resolution no. 23/2005 of the Senate of the University of Coimbra, published in the Portuguese Official Gazette, 2nd series, under order no. 5120/2005 (2nd series), of 7 March 2005;
- FCT Research Grant Regulations, approved by Order No. 234/2012, published in the Second Series of the Portuguese Official Gazette, 25 June 2012.
No. In accordance with Article 4 of the EBI, the fellowship contract does not establish a legal employment relationship or the provision of services, and the fellow does not acquire the status of a public employee.
In accordance with Article 5 of the EBI, the duties of a grant holder are carried out on an exclusive basis, and the exercise of any other remunerated function or activity, whether public or private, including the practice of a liberal profession, is not permitted, with the following exceptions:
a) Copyright and intellectual property rights;
b) Holding conferences and lectures, short professional training courses, and other similar activities;
c) Allowances and travel expenses;
d) Serving on the governing bodies of the host institution;
e) Participation in advisory bodies of an institution other than the one to which they are affiliated, provided that they have the prior consent of the latter;
f) Serving on juries for competitions, examinations, or assessments outside the host institution;
g) Participation in evaluation panels and committees and providing opinions requested by national or foreign organizations;
h) Provision of teaching duties by fellowship holders at a higher education institution when, upon their agreement, and with the due prior authorization of the host institution and without prejudice to the work program underlying the fellowship, as follows: up to a maximum of four hours per week, not exceeding an average of three hours per week per semester, and may not include exclusive responsibility for courses or curricular units.
Activities outside the host institution, even when remunerated, shall be considered compatible with the exclusivity regime, provided that such activities relate directly to the work plan underlying the fellowship and are carried out on a non-permanent basis
Yes. According to Article 9(f) and (g) of the EBI, it is possible to suspend the activities funded by the grant, but only for reasons of parental leave or illness of the fellow.
In accordance with Article 9(6) of the EBI, during the suspension of the grant on grounds of parenthood or illness, the payment of the grant may be maintained for the corresponding period excluding the payment of other allowances applicable to foreseeable circumstances (namely the allowances regularly paid by the social security system in these contexts).
No. As stated in Article 9(1) and 9(6) of the EBI, during the period of parental leave or sick leave, the grant will be suspended and will resume on the first working day after the interruption.
To request the suspension of your grant due to parental leave, you must submit the following documents to the Human Resources Management Service (SGRH):
- The child's birth certificate or identity card;
- The dates on which you will take your first parental leave.
To request a suspension of the allowance due to illness, you must submit the following to the SGRH:
- A medical certificate or declaration of illness issued by a hospital (see Article 9(g) of the EBI)
If the grantee decides to maintain the grant during the suspension period, they must inform the project supervisor or the funding body so that the necessary budget topping up can be ensured.
Yes, as long as you meet the eligibility criteris for Voluntary Social Insurance.
Yes. In accordance with the provisions of article 174 of the Code of Contributory Social Security Schemes, as soon as the grant contract comes to an end, the grant holder must request the termination of the VSS, otherwise he/she will remain a beneficiary of the contributory scheme.
Yes. In accordance with Article 9 e) of the EBI, grant holders are entitled to personal accident insurance coverage from the host or funding organisation, including when travelling abroad.
In the event of an accident, the fellow, or a third party on his or her behalf if he or she is unable to do so, must complete the accident report form available on the website of the insurance company involved and submit it as soon as possible to SGRH so that it can be forwarded to the relevant insurance company or intermediary within a maximum of 8 working days from the date of the accident.