Scientific Research Fellowship – HEMPVALUE

Politécnico de Leiria; Portugal; On-site; EUR 14,000 - 17,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Monthly stipend €1,359.64

Job summary

Politécnico de Leiria invites applications for a 12-month scientific research fellowship within the HEMPVALUE project, funded under Interreg VI-A Spain-Portugal. The position targets graduates and PhD students in Materials, Chemical, Biomedical, Bioengineering and related areas in Portugal.

The fellow will prepare hemp fiber, develop 3D filament by extrusion, bioactive hemp coatings, and bifunctional orthoses, under supervision at the Centre for Rapid and Sustained Product Development

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biochemistry or related areas.
• PhD students in related fields may apply, or enrolment in courses without degree via a Research Unit.
• Eligibility follows FCT rules for foreign degrees and recognition.

Responsibilities

• Prepare hemp fiber and develop 3D filament via extrusion for biomedical uses.
• Develop bioactive hemp derivative coatings and bifunctional orthoses.
• Characterize mixtures and final structures for biomedical and antimicrobial properties.

Skills

Biomaterials prep

Filament extrusion

Additive manufacturing

Biofunctional structures

Data analysis (statistics)

Education

Master’s degree in Materials/Chemical/Biomedical/Bioengineering/Metallurgical/Polymer engineering or related areas

Job description

Organisation/Company Politécnico de Leiria Department CDRSP Research Field Engineering » Materials engineering Engineering » Chemical engineering Engineering » Biomedical engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Other Positions Application Deadline 3 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/London) Country Portugal Type of Contract Other Type of Contract Extra Information research fellowship contract Job Status Other Job Status Extra Information 12 months, eventually renewable Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 21 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Reference Number 0375_HEMPVALUE_4_E Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Polytechnic of Leiria is now opening applications for 1 (one) scientific research fellowship, within the project “HEMPVALUE- Inovação e sustentabilidade no setor do cânhamo industrial: 0375_HEMPVALUE_4_E”, Co-financed by the European Union through the Interreg VI-A Spain-Portugal Programme (POCTEP) 2021-2027, under the following conditions:

. SCIENTIFIC AREA: Materials Engineering.

. RECIPIENTS: Holders of a master’s degree in Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Polymer Engineering or related areas, who are PhD students in Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biochemistry or related areas, or who are enrolled in courses that do not confer an academic degree in association with a Research Unit (in accordance with articles 5 to 7 of the FCT regulations).

. DURATION: 12 months, eventually renewable until the end of the project or the maximum duration for this research fellowship type. The fellowship is due to start in 2026/11.

. WORK PLAN: Preparation of hemp fiber, development of 3D filament combining hemp fiber with traditional polymers, development of bioactive coatings based on hemp derivatives, development of bifunctional orthoses. Characterization of the mixtures, processing and final structures obtained with a focus on biomedical applications and antimicrobial properties.

. WORKPLACE AND SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISION: The work will be developed at the Centre for Rapid and Sustained Product Development from the Polytechnic of Leiria (CDRSP-PLeiria), under the supervision of PhD Researcher Juliana Rosa Dias.

. GRANT FINANTIAL COMPONENTS: Monthly maintenance stipend of € 1.359,64 according to the FCT Regulation for Studentships and Fellowships ( https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM-202… ). Plus, if applicable, the monthly Voluntary Social Insurance, according to the conditions defined in Research Fellowship Holder statute, as well as the Personal Accident Insurance, during the research fellowship period.

. PAYMENT: The maintenance stipend will be monthly processed, through bank transfer, to the account identified by the research fellow.

. ACTIVITY SCHEME: Exclusivity, according to the applicable legislation.

. EVALUATION PANEL: The jury responsible for the applications evaluation will be constituted by: Juliana Rosa Dias (president), Nuno Manuel Fernandes Alves and Fátima Maria Carvalhinhas Barreiros (effective members); Pedro José da Silva Carreira and Catarina Duarte Batista (substitute members).

. APPLICATION DEADLINE: october 21, 2026 to november 03, 2026

. SELECTION METHOD AND EVALUATION CRITERIA:

• A) Suitability of Academic Study Area (SA):
  • Academic degree in Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and Biochemistry - 20 points.
  • Academic degree in related areas – 13 points
• B) Academic Qualification (AQ): final grade of master's degree;
• C) Professional/Academic Experience (PAE):
  • Has excellent professional/academic experience – 20/20 points
  • Has very good professional/academic experience – 17 points.
  • Has good professional/academic experience – 14 points.
  • Has enough professional/academic experience – 10 points.
  • Has insufficient professional/academic experience – 2 points.
  • No mention of professional/academic practice – 0 points.
• D)Specific knowledge (SK): Experience and knowledge in: (1) preparation of biomaterials through the preparation of mixtures for filament fabrication by extrusion; (2) filament fabrication by extrusion; (3) additive manufacturing techniques for biomedical applications, namely in 3D printing; (4) development of reinforced biofunctional structures and their characterization (physicochemical, mechanical, biological and microbiological); (5) data analysis and processing using statistical methods.
  • Excellent knowledge – 20 points.
  • High knowledge – 15 points.
  • Medium knowledge – 10 points.
  • Low level of knowledge – 5 points.
  • No knowledge – 0 points.

with the final grade FG = [A*0.3 + B*0,2 + C*0.2 + D* 0.3]. If the jury decides by reasoned deliberation, the three first classified in the curriculum analysis will be invited for an interview (INT), with the final grade (FG) = [FG*0.8 + INT*0.2]. Candidates who, at the end of the assessment, obtain a classification of less than 9,5 will be excluded from the contest.

Observation: If the candidate(s) with foreign qualifications(s) do not present, during the application phase, the recognition of the degree or foreign diploma and the classification conversion to the Portuguese scale, the jury defines the conversion only for the application purposes based on the rules of the legal regime applicable to the recognition of foreign degrees and diplomas or, when not possible, applies the minimal classification of 10 points.

Note that foreign academic degrees need to be registered by a Portuguese institution, in accordance with Decree-law no. 66/2018, dated August 16th, and Ordinance no. 33/2019, dated January 25th. The presentation of the certificate is mandatory for signing the contract. More information can be obtained at: https://www.dges.gov.pt/pt/pagina/reconhecimento?plid=374

. ELIGIBILITY OF CANDIDATES: Without prejudice to the applicable rules to each type of research fellowship, the following candidates are eligible:

• a) National citizens or citizens of other member states of the European Union;
• b) Third-party states citizens;
• c) Stateless persons;
• d) Beneficiaries of political refugee status.

. RESULTS | DISCLOSURE AND COMPLAINTS: The jury will send to the candidates, by e-mail, the provisional results of the evaluation (presented in the form of the minutes resulting from the evaluation process) within 90 working days after the application deadline. After this disclosure, candidates have 10 working days to pronounce, if they wish, in the appropriate form available in the institutional webpage, under the terms of the administrative procedure code (CPA). The final decision will be taken within a maximum period of 60 working days after the conclusion of the previous hearing of interested parties, of which a complaint can be filed within 15 working days, after notification, to the highest executive body of the Polytechnic of Leiria. Within the scope of the research fellowship award procedure, if the final ordering list, duly approved, contains a number of approved candidates higher than the number of research fellowships to be filled, an internal recruitment reserve is always created, which can be used when there is need for occupation due to withdrawal of the scholarship holder, under the terms of the CPA, to be used during the eligibility of the project.

. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATION: Research Fellowship Holder statute, approved by Law no. 40/2004, dated August 18th, in its current wording; Regulation n.º 152/2021, dated february 22th (Polytechnic of Leiria Regulation for Studentships and Fellowships), with amendment introduced by Regulation nº. 548/2022 dated June 8th (Polytechnic of Leiria Regulation for Studentships and Fellowships).

Leiria, October 20, 2026.
The Pro-Rector of the University of Leiria and Oeste