Call for Research Grant Assignment - 1231378

Universidade De Coimbra; Portugal; On-site; EUR 11,000 - 13,000; Full time

Job summary

A Universidade de Coimbra abre uma bolsa de investigação associada ao projeto SMARTBENDING. O bolseiro desenvolve trabalho de pesquisa em machine learning para otimizar o desenho e controlo de dobragem de chapas metálicas, com supervisão de André Filipe Gomes Pereira.

Podem candidatar-se estudantes de mestrado ou licenciados em Engenharia Mecânica, com relação a cursos não conferentes de grau. Duração inicial de 4 meses, renovável conforme o plano.

Qualifications

• Estudante de mestrado em Engenharia Mecânica ou graduado em Engenharia Mecânica com curso não conferente de grau.
• Enquadramento no tema de dobragem de chapas metálicas e projetos de SMARTBENDING.
• Capacidade de articular teoria com avaliação experimental e ML.

Responsibilities

• Desenvolver trabalho de investigação no âmbito do projeto SMARTBENDING.
• Executar tarefas do plano de trabalho e disseminar resultados.

Skills

Machine Learning

Education

Mestrado em Engenharia Mecânica

Licenciatura em Engenharia Mecânica

Job description

Organisation/Company Universidade de Coimbra Department Divisão de Projetos e Atividades (Bolsas) Research Field Engineering > Mechanical engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Bachelor Positions Application Deadline 7 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) Country Portugal Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 23 Sep 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Call for Research Grant Assignment

The University of Coimbra opens a call for the assignment of a research grant, with one position(s), under the project 2023.14606.PEX, title “SMARTBENDING - Projeto, Otimização e Controlo Inteligentes de Processos de Dobragem de Chapas Metálicas”.

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: IT137-26-415

I - Legal admission requirements
I.I - Grant Recipients:
Students enrolled in a master’s degree, in the scientific area of Mechanical Engineering.
OR
Graduates, in the scientific area of Mechanical Engineering, enrolled in a non-degree-granting course.

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.

I.III - 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.

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.

II - Grant location: DEM - FCTUC

III- Scientific supervision/coordination of the grant: André Filipe Gomes Pereira

IV - Work Plan / Goals to be achieved: The aim of the fellowship is to develop research work within the framework of the above-mentioned project. The fellowship will be involved in the execution of the following tasks:
1- Validate the machine learning results with experimental results.
2 - Dissemination of results.

The aim of this work plan is to develop a novel machine learning tool capable of selecting the best bending design (tool geometry and process conditions) based on the bending requirements predefined by the operator. To achieve this, the Machine Learning tool focuses on the building of advanced metamodels that take into account a wide range of bending designs and bending requirements. This flexibility allows the operator to adapt the bending operation to different materials or to adjust the process parameters over time (e.g. depending on tool wear), enabling real-time control and optimization of the bending process.

V - Initial grant duration: 4 months

The duration of the fellowship will be adjusted according to the time required to process the application and formalize the fellowship. In any case, it cannot extend beyond the project end date: 19/02/2027.

V.I - Renewal Possibility: Non-renewable

VI - Funding and financial conditions of the grant

VI.I - Monthly grant amount (paid by bank transfer at the end of each month): 1.090,98€

VI.II - Other financial components of the grant: NA

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 FCT – Fundação para a Ciência
e a Tecnologia through the State Budget (OE) component | Project No. 2023.14606.PEX.

VI.V - Information and publicity about the funding: In all R&D activities carried out within the scope
of scholarships indirectly financed by FCT, mention of financial support from FCT and the
respective Financing Program must be expressed, including all communications, publications, scientific
creations and theses carried out with the support of FCT. The advertising rules are available on the FCT
website, as well as on the websites of the financing 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 Program, following the graphic standards
available on the websites of the respective Operational Programs. The dissemination of research results
must comply with open access standards for data, publications and other research results. In publicity
actions with an international impact, in addition to the FCT logo, the national insignia of the Portuguese
Republic must be displayed.

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:
- Criterion 1 - Absolute merit of curriculum vitae
- Criterion 2 - Adequacy of the candidate’s profile to the work plan to be developed

VII.II- 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: criterion 1 * (50%) + criterion 2 * (50%) = X
- Final Classification (FC): AR * (100%) = X

VII.III - 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.IV - 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.V - 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.VI - All provisional and final jury decisions must be justified, recorded in minutes, and published on https://apply.uc.pt/ .

VII.VII - Jury Composition:

President: André Filipe Gomes Pereira
Effective Members: Diogo Mariano Simoes Neto, Armando José Eusébio Marques
Alternate Members: Marta Cristina Cardoso de Oliveira, Luís Filipe Martins Menezes

IX – Application deadline: 23/09/2026to 07/10/2026

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: [e-mail] .

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.