Pioneer Alliance Research Scholarships

The Business Research Unit (BRU-Iscte) at ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa is offering the Pioneer Alliance Research Scholarships for PhD students. These scholarships are designed for candidates interested in pursuing doctoral research in Economics, Finance, Management, or the DBA (Doctor of Management) program (exclusively for the DBA program without agreements with other universities). The scholarships are funded by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia under the Collaboration Protocol with ISCTE, as part of the PIONEER Alliance, which aims to foster research synergies and academic mobility among ISCTE and its partner universities.

The scholarships are governed by the FCT Scholarship Regulations and the Research Fellows Statute, ensuring a structured and supportive environment for doctoral research. The program is open to national and international candidates, including EU and non-EU citizens, stateless persons, and political refugees, provided they reside permanently in Portugal at the start of the research period abroad.

Applicants must hold a bachelor's or master's degree in Economics, Finance, Management, or a related field. Candidates must not have previously received a PhD research grant funded by FCT or hold a PhD degree. All application documents, including proof of identity, academic certificates (or declaration of completion), recognition of foreign degrees (if applicable), a motivation letter with a research plan, and two letters of recommendation, must be submitted in Portuguese or English. Foreign degrees must be officially recognized and converted to the Portuguese grading scale.

The selection process evaluates candidates based on academic, scientific, and professional merit (50%), motivation and research plan (10%), and an interview (40%). Only candidates scoring 14 or higher in the documentary analysis will be invited for an interview, which may be conducted remotely. The final ranking is based on a weighted average of these criteria, and only candidates with a final score of 15 or above are eligible for the scholarship.

Applications must be submitted via the ISCTE recruitment platform by June 13, 2026. The scholarship provides financial support for doctoral research, governed by national regulations, and offers an excellent opportunity to join a vibrant research community in Lisbon, Portugal.