Research Initiation Scholarship

a) Scope

On the scope of the initiative “Verão com Ciência”, funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), to the Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies (CICANT; UID 5260), four Research Initiation Scholarships will be awarded to Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree students. Through this initiative, CICANT aims to familiarize students with the different possibilities of integrating diversity into scientific research, by including them in the activities and work plans of ongoing projects. Therefore, the promotion of basic scientific research skills is an objective. This initiative also aims to support students in the development of transversal research and professional skills, by giving them the experience of working in multidisciplinary teams. The students will be included in ongoing exploratory projects that study issues related to social impact, diversity, representation, and representativeness.

b) Work plan and profile of the applicants

During the fellowship period, students will receive initial training in different research methodologies provided by CICANT in articulation with the Principal Investigators of each project, to ease the integration of the students in the research team. The work plan to be developed and the profile of the applicants depends on the specificities of each project, as listed below. Students who received previous fellows or other research fundings from FCT are not eligible.

1) “IMlab – (Intersectionality Media Lab) – The Joacine Katar Moreira Case Study” Project (IR: Carla Rodrigues Cardoso – Ciência ID 7D10-6290-4765; Co-IR: Carla Cerqueira – Ciência 131A-C7F5-460A)

1.1) Workplan: The work plan is mainly framed in systematic literature review techniques and their crucial role in academic production, based on the development of three main skills: search of scientific databases, bibliography management, and content analysis.

1.2) Profile of the student: bachelor’s or master’s degree student in the field of social sciences with a particular interest in qualitative methodologies. Interest in the intersection between education and media and previous experience in conducting literature review will be valued.

2) “GIM – Glossário Inclusivo de Termos Matemáticos” [Inclusive Glossary of Mathematical Terms] (IR: José Carlos Neves – Ciência ID 871F-10B4-ACAF; Co-IR: Carla Sousa – Ciência ID 1A13-60F1-0B45)

2.1) Workplan: The student’s work plan includes the activities of data analysis of the project’s co-creation phase, namely through content analysis of focus groups with different educational stakeholders.

2.2) Profile of the student: bachelor’s or master’s degree student in the field of social sciences with a particular interest in qualitative methodologies. Interest in the field of media and education will be valued.

3) “LOVE-HATE: interações entre utilizadores de social media e influenciadores em tempos hiperconectados” [Interactions between social media users and influencers in hyperconnected times] project (IR: Ana Jorge – Ciência ID F21A-1BFE-4C26; Co-IR: Joana Cabral – Ciência ID DB1E-A3A9-360B)

3.1) Workplan: The student’s work plan includes the analysis of the national data of the project, through the implementation of statistical data analysis based on SPSS software.

3.2) Profile of the student: bachelor’s or master’s degree student in the field of social sciences with knowledge of statistical analysis and SPSS software.

4) “REIC – Rádio Ética e Integração Comunitária” project [Ethical Radio and Community Integration] (IR: Jorge Bruno Ventura – Ciência ID AE14-1525-1F69; Co-IR: Rita Grácio – Ciência E017-A0E4-3A8A)

4.1) Workplan: The student’s work plan includes support in the project’s fieldwork phase, namely the development of data collection tools and data collection through surveys with migrant communities. .

4.2) Profile of the student: bachelor’s or master’s degree student in the field of social sciences, interested in developing skills in the field of audience studies, preferably regarding migrants and media-based inclusion strategies.

c) Fellowship duration

The scholarship will have a duration of 1 month, starting on September 1, 2021, under the regime of exclusive dedication.

d) Legislation and official rules

Law nº.40/2004, 18th August (Research Fellowship Holder Statute) in its current version; Regulations for Studentships and Fellowships of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P.

e) Monthly allowance

The monthly maintenance allowance is €446,12, in agreement with the monthly maintenance stipend table of the grants directly attributed by FCT, I.P. within the country (https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/docs/Tabela_Valores_SMM_LOE_2021.pdf).

f) Selection Methods

The evaluation will consider:

– Merit of the academic curriculum, appropriateness of the degree(s) to the project, and overall performance of the candidate on their degree(s) – 60%

– Interests, skills, and relevant experience to the project – 40%

The jury reserves the right to not assign the research grant if none of the candidates meets all requirements and matches the desired profile.

g) Jury

President of the Jury: Ana Jorge

Vogal: Daniel Cardoso

Vogal: Jorge Bruno

Vogal: Sofia Caldeira

Vogal: Carla Sousa

h) Application details and deadline

The present call will be open between 04/08/2021 and 17/08/2021. Applications must be sent to cicant@ulusofona.pt until 17/08/2021 (23:59 WEST) with the subject “CICANT – Verão com Ciência – Fellowship Application”. Applications must contain in attachment the following documents:

– Detailed Curriculum Vitae

– Evidence of enrollment in a Bachelor’s degree or Master’s Degree program or non-academic degree course (only persons currently studying are eligible)

– Motivation Letter (including the student’s research interests)

– E-mail address and phone number for further contact

Funding

Special Support “Verão com Ciência” awarded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), I.P. to CICANT (UID 5260), in collaboration with Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES).

To know more about CICANT’s work, please check: https://cicant.ulusofona.pt/