Guide · 12 min read

Research Funding in Portugal 2026: FCT, BIAL, La Caixa, EU

Researchers based in Portugal have access to an unusually deep funding landscape: national FCT calls, European Research Council and Horizon Europe as EU Member State, Marie Skłodowska-Curie mobility, EMBO fellowships and installation grants, Iberian foundations (BIAL, la Caixa), and international foundations like Wellcome, HFSP and HHMI. This guide maps them all with 2026 deadlines.

National funding: FCT

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) is the main national funder. The three flagship individual calls:

• Projetos de IC&DT — biannual, up to €249k over 36 months for PI-led projects across every discipline. 2026 call closes September.
• Estímulo ao Emprego Científico Individual (CEEC) — 6-year individual research contracts at Junior / Associate / Coordinator levels. PhD required. 2026 call closes mid-June.
• Bolsas de Doutoramento — 4-year PhD stipends, all disciplines. 2026 call closes late May.

There are also thematic calls (Patient-Oriented Research, Mar2020), sabbatical grants, and bilateral programmes with Brazil, Germany, France, Spain, and others.

European Research Council (ERC)

Portugal is a full ERC-eligible host country. Every ERC scheme — Starting (€1.5M, 2–7y post-PhD), Consolidator (€2M, 7–12y), Advanced (€2.5M, senior PIs), Synergy (team), and Proof of Concept — is available. See our detailed ERC Starting Grant 2027 guide for the application playbook.

Horizon Europe

Over 20 thematic clusters covering Health, Climate, Culture, Food, Digital, Security, and mobility actions. The easiest entry points for individual researchers based in Portugal:

• Cluster 1 Health — personalised medicine, infectious diseases, chronic disease, mental health. 2026 deadlines concentrated September–November.
• Cluster 5 Climate, Energy, Mobility — renewables, hydrogen, battery storage.
• EIC Pathfinder Open — bottom-up, high-risk science across all domains. Annual October deadline.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

MSCA funds mobility across career stages: Doctoral Networks (consortium, 4-year doctoral training), Postdoctoral Fellowships (2–3 year individual mobility, European and Global tracks), Staff Exchanges, and COFUND. See our MSCA Postdoc playbook for strategy.

EMBO

Portugal is an EMBC member state. EMBO funds:

• Postdoctoral Fellowships — 2-year fellowships requiring country mobility.
• Installation Grants — €50k/year for 3–5 years for group leaders establishing a lab in an EMBO-supported country (Portugal eligible).
• Scientific Exchange Grants, Short-Term Fellowships, Global Investigator Awards.

Foundations

• Fundação BIAL — biennial grants for biomedical research and consciousness studies. Up to €50k per project. Next call 2026/2027 cycle closes December 2026.
• Fundación “la Caixa” — Health Research Call (up to €1M per project, Iberia-focused), Junior Leader Fellowships (Incoming and Retaining postdoc tracks). Open to Spain and Portugal.
• Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian — grants in sciences, arts, and culture. Less systematic than FCT but regularly funds PT researchers.

International foundations

• Wellcome Trust — Discovery Awards (up to £4M, 8 years) and Early-Career Awards (5 years). Open to researchers in Portugal.
• HFSP — Research Grants for intercontinental life-sciences teams. Portugal-led teams eligible.
• AXA Research Fund, Templeton, Volkswagen Stiftung, Leverhulme — thematic grants generally open to Portugal.

Institutional and regional routes

In addition to the above, most Portuguese universities have internal competitive funds (sabbatical, seed, equipment) administered by the research office (Gabinete de Projectos / Serviço de Apoio à Investigação). Regional funding via IAPMEI and PT2030 / PT2020 can co-finance infrastructure and innovation projects.

How to keep track

Grant Radar indexes every source above (FCT, ERC, MSCA, Horizon, EMBO, BIAL, la Caixa, Wellcome, HFSP and more) and ranks calls against your research profile. Calls refreshed hourly. Free during beta.