진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

Call for Research Grant Assignment

The University of Coimbra opens a call for the assignment of a research grant, with 1 position(s), under the project 2023.14860.PEX, title Q-Bet : Bridging classical to quantum approaches, leveraging HPC and bio-inspired computational approaches, with applications in Physics, Channel Coding, and Bio-inspired AI .

The call is governed by this Notice of Opening, the University of Coimbra Research Grant Regulations (RBI-UC), subsidiarily by the Research Grant Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology (RBI-FCT), by the Research Fellow Statute (EBI), by the Norms for Grant Assignment and Management within R&D Projects, by the Code of Administrative Procedure (CPA), all in their current wording, and by other applicable national and community legislation.

Procedure Reference: IT137-25-306

I - Legal admission requirements
I.I - Grant Recipients:
Students enrolled in a master’s degree, in the scientific area of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Physics Engineering, or related areas
OR
Graduates, in the scientific area of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Physics Engineering, or related areas, enrolled in a non-degree-granting course[JB2.1][JB3.1].

I.II - The non-degree-granting course must be related to the type of activity covered by the grant. Non-degree-granting courses are defined as those referred to in subparagraph e) of paragraph 3 of Article 4 of Decree-Law No. 74/2006, in its current wording, provided that, under subparagraph e) of Article 3 of RBI-FCT, they are developed in association or cooperation between the higher education institution and one or more R&D units.
[JB4.1]
I.III - [JB5.1] Ineligible candidates:
Candidates enrolled in non-degree-granting courses who have already benefited from a grant contract and who, with this grant assignment, including possible renewals, exceed a total accumulated period of two consecutive or non-consecutive years in this type of grant.
Candidates who have already benefited from two research grant contracts with UC in the condition of being enrolled in a master's degree, regardless of whether each contract has reached the maximum legally permitted duration.
[JB6.1].
I.IV - Eligible for grant assignment if meeting the requirements:
a) Portuguese nationals or nationals of other EU Member States
b) Nationals of third countries
c) Stateless persons
d) Beneficiaries of political refugee status
When the work plan takes place, in whole or in part, in foreign institutions, only candidates who can prove permanent and habitual residence in Portugal at the start of the grant are eligible.[JB7.1]

II - Grant location: QuantumLab@UC, sala T5.3 DEEC ou IT UC

III- Scientific supervision/coordination of the grant: Gabriel Falcão Paiva Fernandes

IV - Work Plan / Goals to be achieved: The Q-Bet project focuses on bridging classical to quantum computational approaches, leveraging HPC and bio-inspired computational approaches, with applications in Physics, Channel Coding, and Bio-inspired AI. This work plan advances quantum computing design pipelines (T1) and quantum Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes, (T2). For T1, we systematically profile classical optimisation methods to pinpoint quantum opportunities, establish a hardware-aware development pipeline (validating use cases, addressing circuit optimisation and error mitigation), and define scaling roadmaps for quantum computing hybrid approaches.
T2. Work plan and objectives to be achieved:
• Analysis of the state of the art on LDPC codes targeted for quantum computing.
• Preparation of bivariate bicycle (BB-type) LDPC parity check matrices.
• Development of LDPC decoding algorithms on high-performance computing machines, namely multicore GPUs.
• Implementation and validation of codes on real hybrid systems based on quantum and classical computers.
• Writing of scientific articles.

V - Initial grant duration: 6 months

V.I - Renewal Possibility: Possibily renewable

VI - Funding and financial conditions of the grant
VI.I - Monthly grant amount (paid by bank transfer at the end of each month): 1040,98€

VI.II - Other financial components of the grant: N.A

VI.III - In addition to the above amounts, voluntary social security (SSV) is included when the grant has a duration of six months or more, corresponding to the first level, if the candidate opts for it, as well as mandatory personal accident insurance.

VI.IV - Funding: The grant(s) assigned under this call will be funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)[LM8.1]

VI.V - Information and publicity about the funding: In all I&D activities carried out within the scope of grants indirectly financed by the FCT, mention of financial support from the FCT and the respective Funding Program must be made, including all communications, publications, scientific creations and theses carried out with the support of the FCT. Advertising rules are available on the FCT website, as well as on the websites of the funding Operational Programs, if applicable.
It is expressly mandatory to use the FCT logo available at http://www.fct.pt/logotipos/ and, when applicable, the logos of the European Union and the Operational Programme, following the graphic standards available on the websites of the respective Operational Programmes. The dissemination of research results must comply with open access standards for data, publications and other research results. In promotional activities with international impact, in addition to the FCT logo, the national emblem of the Portuguese Republic must be displayed. [LM9.1]

VII - Selection Methods: Evaluation of the academic record (AR)

VII.I - AR - In the evaluation of the academic record, the candidates' academic performance will be assessed according to the following weights and criteria:
- Specific knowledge related to the work plan (30%);
- Adequacy of the candidate's profile for the work plan to be developed (40%);
- The grades obtained in subjects relevant to the type of fellowship (20%);
- Knowledge of foreign languages, particularly English (10%).

VII.III- The evaluation of the criteria and the final classification will be based on a scale from 0 to 100, with scores rounded to the nearest hundredth, applying the following formulas:
- AR: Specific knowledge related to the work plan * (30%) + Adequacy of the candidate's profile for the work plan to be developed * (40%) + The grades obtained in subjects relevant to the type of fellowship * (20%) + Knowledge of foreign languages, particularly English * (10%) = 100%
- Final Classification (FC): AR * (100%) = 100%

VII.IV - All candidates who meet the admission requirements are subject to the academic record evaluation, carried out according to the criteria and weights defined in VII.I.

VII.V - Candidates who score below 50 in any selection method will be excluded, and subsequent methods, if any, will not apply to them. Candidates who are duly notified but fail to attend the interview (if applicable) or withdraw at any stage will also be excluded.

VII.VI Tie-breaking criteria: In the event of a tie in the rankings, candidates will be ordered in descending order as follows:
a) Based on the score obtained in the first method applied;
b) Based on the score of their academic qualifications.

VII.VII All provisional and final jury decisions must be justified, recorded in minutes, and published on https://apply.uc.pt/.
VII.VIII Jury Composition:

President: Gabriel Falcão Paiva Fernandes
Effective Members: Jorge Nuno de Almeida e Sousa Almada Lobo e Sagar Dipak Silva Pratapsi
Alternate Members: Fernando Jorge Penousal Martins Machado e Maria Helena Almeida Vieira Alberto

VII.IX - Selection reserve list: the reserve list consists of candidates approved in all selection methods who do not secure one of the available vacancies under this procedure. The reserve list is valid for one months[LL10.1]

VIII- Application Submission
Candidates must access and register on the electronic platform https://apply.uc.pt/ to submit their application, selecting the procedure to which they wish to apply.
Documents uploaded for the application must be in portable document format (PDF).
Applications are submitted by completing the sections available in the electronic platform "Apply UC" under "My Application."

VIII.I- Mandatory documents to attach when applying:
 Curriculum Vitae, duly updated, dated, and signed;
 Copy of academic degree certificates.
a) If the possession of a degree is a requirement for the grant, candidates holding a degree obtained abroad must, by the end of the application period, provide proof of recognition or evidence that it has been requested, as per Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of August 16. Failure to present degree recognition at the time of contract signing, as per the RBI-UC, will result in exclusion.
b) If duly justified, documents proving the possession of academic degrees and diplomas, or their recognition, may be waived at the application stage and replaced by a candidate's sworn statement. However, until the grant agreement stage, the respective proofs must be submitted under penalty of exclusion.
c) Proof of enrollment in a degree or non-degree course may be waived at the application stage and replaced by a sworn statement from the candidate. However, the required proof must be submitted by the grant agreement stage under penalty of exclusion.
 Whenever possible, documentation proving prior grant benefits should also be attached to the application.

VIII.II- Other documents to attach when applying:
 Any other elements the candidate considers relevant.
 Motivation Letter

VIII.III - All application documents must be submitted in Portuguese and/or English. When the originals are in another language, a translation into one of these languages must be provided.

VIII.IV - Applications that are not properly completed or do not meet the admission criteria defined in the applicable legislation and this notice will not be accepted.

VIII.V - No documents required for the application may be submitted after the application deadline.

VIII.VI - Without prejudice to the penal provisions of the law, false statements made by candidates or grant holders regarding relevant matters for the grant award or renewal, or for the evaluation of its progress, will result in its cancellation.

IX – Application deadline: 25/07/2025to 07/08/2025

X - Activity Regime: The grant does not create or constitute a legal-labor relationship. It is carried out under an exclusive dedication regime, and the grantee is awarded the Research Grantee Status, as stipulated in the EBI and the RBI-UC.

XI - Notification of Candidates: All notifications will be made through the electronic platform Apply UC, under the terms of subparagraph c) of paragraph 1 and subparagraph b) of paragraph 2 of Article 112 of the CPA and Article 22 of the RBI-UC. The notifications will take effect after being made, as provided in Article 113 of the CPA.

XII - Under Articles 121 and 122 of the CPA and Article 22 of the RBI-UC, candidates may, if they wish, submit comments regarding the jury's decisions within 10 business days, through the "Audiência dos Interessados" option in the platform's procedure section.

XIII - Candidates may also submit a complaint within 15 business days or an appeal to the UC's highest-ranking official within 30 business days, both following the respective notification, under Articles 191 and 192 of the CPA.

XIV - Selected candidates must declare in writing, within five business days of notification, their acceptance of the grant and confirm that they meet the requirements to accept the proposed start date of the grant contract. Unless a justifiable reason is provided, failure to provide this declaration within the stipulated time will be considered a renunciation of the grant. In case of renunciation or withdrawal by the selected candidate, the next candidate on the final classification list will be notified.

XV - The full competition process can be consulted by candidates, subject to prior scheduling, by sending an email to the Human Resources Management Service at: sgrh@uc.pt.

XVI - In compliance with subparagraph h) of Article 9 of the Constitution, the University of Coimbra, as an employer, actively promotes a policy of equal opportunities between men and women in terms of employment access and career progression, ensuring that any form of discrimination is strictly avoided. It encourages underrepresented minorities in each area to apply.
Accordingly, no one may be privileged, benefited, disadvantaged, or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty on the grounds of ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, family status, economic situation, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, place of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union membership.
The University of Coimbra also promotes measures to facilitate the balance between professional, family, and personal life, recognizing the efforts of its employees and fostering motivation.

XVII- The grantee must submit annual activity reports for each renewal and at the end of the grant contract, as stipulated in Article 7 of the RBI-UC, subject to an opinion issued by the respective supervisor(s). The report models, performance evaluation criteria, and the grant contract model are those approved under the University of Coimbra's Research Grant Regulations.