Call for Applications for Research Grants for Bachelor's Degree Holders enrolled in Non-Degree Courses

IMS_BOLSA_ISAL_2025_01

The Instituto Superior de Estatística e Gestão da Informação da Universidade Nova de Lisboa – NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) is calling for applications for 1 (one) Research Grant for Bachelor's Degree Holders enrolled in Non-Degree Courses, in the area of Information Systems, under the under the Research Grant Regulations of the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and The Statute of the Research Fellow (EBI).

The grant will be funded entirely by Nova Information Management School (NOVA IMS) – Universidade Nova de Lisboa, under the framework of the “Centro de Investigação” within the scope NOVA Information Systems & Analytics Lab.

1. Profile of recipients

The following are eligible to apply for this call:

• Nationals or citizens of other member states of the European Union;
• Third-country nationals;
• Stateless persons;
• Citizens with political refugee status. 

To apply for the Doctoral Research Scholarship, it is necessary to:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems and Technologies, Data Science, or Information Management;
• Solid programming knowledge, particularly in Python and Bash scripting;
• Knowledge and practical experience with the Azure suite (Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Active Directory, Azure Key Vault);
• Hold an AZ-900 - Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals certification;
• Prior experience in data model migration;
• Be enrolled in a non-degree course.

2. Work plan and goals to achieve

The research work aims to transfer and integrate data stored in SAS into the ADP (Azure Synapse Analytics) structure. The migration will be carried out securely, efficiently, and with data integrity assurance, ensuring that all relevant information is correctly transported and optimized for use within the Azure environment. This work will be performed in four steps:

1. Analysis and Planning;
2. Data Extraction from SAS;
3. Transformation and Optimization;
4. Loading and Validation in Azure Synapse Analytics.

Compliance with ethical and responsibility standards is considered essential for this position.

3. Applicable Legislation and Regulations

The call is governed by the present Opening Notice, by the Research Scholarship Regulation of NOVA University of Lisbon, approved by Dispatch No. 9484/2023, published in the II Series of the DR of September 14, 2023, the FCT Research Scholarship Regulation, approved by Regulation No. 950/2019, published in the II Series of the DR of December 16, 2019, by the Research Scholarship Statute approved by the Law 40/2004, of August 18, in the current wording, and by other applicable national and community legislation.

4. Workplace

The work will be developed at the facilities of NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), Campus de Campolide, 1070-312 Lisboa, Portugal, under the scientific supervision of Professor Dr. Tiago Oliveira.

5. Type and Duration of Scholarships

The research grant for graduates enrolled in a non-degree program is intended to support the recipient in carrying out research activities.

The scholarship will have a duration of 3 months, renewable for a maximum period of 24 months.

6. Amount of monthly maintenance allowance

The scholarship amount is €2,000.00 per month, in accordance with the table of monthly maintenance allowances specified in the Research Grant Regulations of NOVA University Lisbon.

The monthly payment will be made by bank transfer.

All grant holders benefit from personal accident insurance for research activities, covered by the NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa – Instituto Superior de Estatística e Gestão da Informação.

All grant holders who are not covered by any social security scheme can ensure the exercise of the right to social security by joining the voluntary social insurance scheme, under the terms of the Contributory Regimes Code of the Social Security System, with NOVA IMS covering the costs resulting from the contributions as per the terms and limits outlined in Article 10 of the Research Grant Holder Statute (EBI).Application Admissibility Requirements.

7. Application Admissibility Requirements

It is essential, under penalty of non-admission to the Call, to attach the following documents to the application:

• Curriculum Vitae;
• One (1) Motivation Letter;
• One (1) Letter of Recommendation;
• Certificates of qualification of the academic degrees held, specifying the final classification and, if possible, the classifications obtained in all subjects taken, or, alternatively, the candidate's declaration of honor on how(s) he completed the bachelor’s degree by the end the application deadline;
• Registration of recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions and registration of the respective final classification conversion to the Portuguese classification scale, or, alternatively, the candidate's declaration of honor on how he obtained the recognition of the foreign degree equivalent to a graduate degree until the end of the application period;
• Proof of non-degree course enrolment.

The following should be noted for the above‐mentioned admissibility requirements: 

• In the case of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, and in order to ensure the application of the principle of equal treatment to candidates who hold foreign and national academic degrees, it is mandatory to recognize those degrees and convert their final grade to the Portuguese grading scale. Recognition of academic degrees and foreign diplomas as well as the conversion of the final grades to the Portuguese grading scale may be required in any public higher education institution, or in the Directorate‐General for Higher Education (DGES, just in the case of automatic recognition). In this regard, it is suggested that the DGES portal be consulted at the following address: http://www.dges.gov.pt.
• Only candidates who have completed the degree program leading to the bachelor’s degree by the application deadline will be admitted. If they do not yet have the certificate of completion, a declaration of honor will be accepted by the candidates in which they have completed the necessary qualifications for the purposes of the competition by the end of the application deadline. The awarding of the scholarship is always dependent on the presentation of proof of the academic qualifications required for the scholarship grant.

Candidates who do not submit the required application forms will be excluded from the competition.

8. Application Deadline

The call for applications is open from 17 April 2025 to 8:00 PM (Lisbon time) on 06 May 2025. 

Applications and supporting documents as outlined in this Call for Applications must be submitted via e-mail to rh@novaims.unl.pt, with the subject line indicating the reference IMS_BOLSA_ISAL_2025_01.

Each applicant can only submit one (1) application, under penalty of cancellation of all applications submitted. 

The provision of false statements or the act of plagiarism by candidates will result in the cancellation of the application, without prejudice to the adoption of other punitive measures.

9. Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation considers the merits of the applicant.

Applications considered admissible will be scored on a scale of 0 to 100 on each of the following evaluation criteria:

Criterion A - Curricular evaluation and other documents presented, weighting 70%:

• A1 – Academic performance and relevance to the field or project, weighting 70%;
• A2 - Professional experience and relevance to the field or project, weighting 30%.

If the Jury deems it necessary, an interview may be held with the candidates placed in the first three positions according to the ordering resulting from the previous criteria. In this case, the final score will include the curriculum assessment (as described above), valued at 60%, and the interview, valued at 40%. If none of the candidates has the appropriate profile (overall assessment below 50%), the scholarship will not be awarded.

For tie-breaking purposes, candidates will be ranked on the basis of the marks awarded for each of the assessment criteria in the following order of precedence: criterion A1, criterion A2, interview (if applicable).

Important notes for candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions:

• Candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions can apply and will be evaluated using the same criteria as candidates with diplomas issued by Portuguese institutions, if they present, in their application, proof of recognition of academic degrees and the conversion of final classification for the Portuguese classification scale under the terms of the applicable legislation.
• Candidates with foreign degrees who do not show proof of conversion from the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale will be evaluated with the minimum classification (0 points) in sub criterion A1.
• In any case, scholarship contracts with candidates with diplomas issued by foreign institutions will only be concluded upon presentation of proof of recognition of academic degrees and conversion of the final classification, as stated above.

• Candidates whose application is evaluated with a final score lower than (50) points are not eligible for scholarship.

   

10. Composition of the Selection Panel

The assessment panel of the candidates consists of the following elements:

• President:
  • Professor Dr. Tiago Oliveira, NOVA IMS, NOVA University of Lisbon (Coordinator);
• Members:
  • Professor Dr. Frederico Cruz-Jesus, NOVA IMS, NOVA University of Lisbon;
  • Professor Dr. Catarina Neves, NOVA IMS, NOVA University of Lisbon.

The evaluation panel will assess applications in accordance with the evaluation criteria outlined in this Call for Applications, considering the relevant assessment elements.

All the members of the jury, including the Chair, make a commitment to respect a set of responsibilities essential to the evaluation process, such as the duties of impartiality, the declaration of any potential conflict of interest situations and confidentiality. At all times during the evaluation process, confidentiality is fully protected and ensured in order to guarantee the independence of all opinions produced.

11. Announcement of Results

The results of the evaluation are communicated via e-mail to the e-mail address used by the applicant for the application.

12. Time limits and procedures for prior hearings, complaints, and appeals

After communicating the provisional list of the results of the evaluation, the candidates have a period of 10 working days to, willingly, express themselves in the pre-hearing of interested parties, in accordance with Articles 121 and following of the Code of Administrative Procedure. 

The final decision shall be given after the analysis of the statements presented at the prior hearing of interested parties. A claim may be lodged within 15 working days or, alternatively, an appeal may be lodged within 30 working days, both counted from their notification. Applicants who choose to submit a complaint must address their statement to the members of the Selection Jury. Applicants who choose to appeal must address the appeal to the Selection Jury.

13. Non-Discrimination and Equal Access Policy

The Instituto Superior de Estatística e Gestão da Informação da Universidade Nova de Lisboa - NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, so that no candidate may be privileged, benefited, disadvantaged or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty on the grounds of, in particular, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological convictions and trade union membership.