Reference: ARDITI-DRIFT-2026-001-BII
ARDITI – Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation – Association, hereby opens a call for applications for one (1) Research Initiation Fellowship, within the scope of the research activities of the project “DRIFT”, under the following conditions:
Application period: from 13/03/2026 to 26/03/2026
Type of scholarship:
Research Initiation Fellowship for students enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree.
Scientific area:
Electronic Engineering
Host institution:
ARDITI – Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation – Association
Scientific supervisor:
Marc Fernandez Morron, PhD
Funding entity:
FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, through ARDITI – Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation – Association
Target applicants:
The research fellowship to be awarded is intended for carrying out R&D activities by students enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering or a related field.
Eligibility requirements:
The following may apply for the fellowship:
a) Nationals of Portugal or of other Member States of the European Union
b) Nationals of third States
c) Stateless persons
d) Beneficiaries of refugee status
Admission requirements:
To apply, candidates must also meet the following requirements:
General requirements:
- Enrolment in a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering or a related field.
- The fellowship will only be contracted if the selected candidate presents a valid enrolment certificate in a degree-awarding study cycle, issued by the Academic Services of the Higher Education Institution, indicating the current academic year or the duration of the course (start and end dates).
Preferred requirements:
- Basic knowledge of electronics
- Knowledge of VHF radio systems
- Knowledge of renewable energy systems
- Team spirit
- Self motivation and ability to work independently
- Knowledge of the English language (B2 level of the CEFR)
- Good knowledge of the Portuguese language (native speaker or C2 level of the CEFR)
Work plan:
Project DRIFT aims to develop a radio tracking surveillance system that overcomes the limitations of biotelemetry in adverse conditions such as those found in freshwater ecosystems of oceanic islands, and to contribute to determining the home range, habitat fidelity, and daily and seasonal activity of a threatened native species (European eel) on Madeira Island. At the technological level, the goal is to create, test and refine a low-cost prototype of a VHF radio receiving system coupled to aerial drones. This system will be compared with traditionally used methods, namely manual tracking with handheld devices and fixed passive tracking.
In this context, it will also be necessary to implement fixed bases with charging systems designed to operate for extended periods without user intervention.
The work plan for this fellowship includes:
- Supporting the activities of the DRIFT project, specifically in the following tasks:
o Collaborate in the design of a drone-based radio tracking system, in the analysis of available telemetry products on the market that can be adapted to drones, and in the analysis of costs, benefits and technical specifications relevant for the effective tracking of fish in steep, fragmented freshwater environments.
o Collaborate in building a functional prototype of the drone-based radio surveillance device, involving the integration of key hardware components and custom software.
o Validate the prototype by conducting laboratory and field tests. In the laboratory tests, critical performance parameters such as signal range, system stability, and seamless integration with drone platforms will be assessed. Field tests will be carried out along a stream section to evaluate real world functionality and identify necessary improvements.
o Collaborate in the installation of fixed receivers along a stream.
o Collaborate in fieldwork for capturing and tagging fish, and for collecting environmental telemetry data using drones and devices for measuring the physico chemical parameters of water.
o Test the effectiveness of the drone-based radio surveillance system continuously over several months in sections of a stream.
Duration of the fellowship:
The fellowship will have a maximum duration of 12 months (paragraph 3 of Article 5 of the ARDITI Research Fellowship Regulations), with an expected starting date of 1st of May 2026.
Monthly maintenance allowance:
The fellowship holder will receive a monthly maintenance allowance of 651,12 euros, tax exempt, in accordance with the ARDITI table of monthly maintenance allowances and Annex 1 of the ARDITI Research Fellowship Regulations (https://cloud.arditi.pt/index.php/apps/files/files/73196848?dir=/_Atividades/_ARDITI_docs/_Regulamentos/Bolsas&openfile=true).
Payments due to the fellowship holder are made by bank transfer to the account indicated by the holder.
The monthly maintenance allowance is paid during the last week of each month.
Other benefits:
All fellowship holders benefit from personal accident insurance related to the research activities, supported by ARDITI.
All fellowship holders who are not covered by any social protection scheme may exercise their right to social security by joining the voluntary social insurance scheme, under the terms of the Contributory Regimes Code of the Social Security Welfare System, with ARDITI bearing the cost of the contributions under the terms and within the limits established in Article 10 of the Research Fellowship Holder Statute.
How to apply:
Until 26-03-2026, interested candidates must submit their application by email to
The following documents must be attached to the email:
A. Updated Curriculum Vitae in Portuguese
B. Motivation letter explaining how the candidate meets the requirements of the call, research abilities and research interests
C. Valid enrolment certificate in a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering or a similar field, issued by the Academic Services of the Higher Education Institution, indicating the current academic year or the duration of the course (start and end dates)
D. List of completed course units, with the respective ECTS and grades
Selection committee:
President: Marc Fernandez Morron, PhD Researcher at ARDITI
Member: Victor Azevedo, Eng., Research Technician at ARDITI
Member: Inês Órfão Dr., Senior Research Technician at ARDITI
Alternate member: André Freitas, Eng., Research Technician at ARDITI
Alternate member: Tiago Meireles, PhD, Assistant Professor at the University of Madeira
Alternate member: Jorge Lopes, Eng., Research Technician at ARDITI
In the event that the President is unable to serve, they will be replaced by the first full member, and the first alternate member will replace the full member.
Evaluation and selection criteria and procedures:
Each application that meets the admission requirements will be evaluated by the selection committee.
The evaluation of the admitted applications will be based on the combined assessment of the following criteria, graded on a scale from 0 to 20:
- Criterion A: Evaluation of the Curriculum Vitae and its suitability to the preferred requirements (50%)
- Criterion B: Final average grade in course units in electronics and/or telecommunications (30%)
- Criterion C: Demonstrated motivation to work on the project (20%)
Applications will be ranked according to the weighted average of the scores obtained in the three evaluation criteria, with the following weights: Criterion A – 50%, Criterion B – 30% and Criterion C – 20%.
For tie breaking purposes, candidates will be ranked according to the scores obtained in each criterion, in the following order of precedence:
Criterion C, Criterion A, Criterion B.
The selection committee may interview, via videoconference, the top 3 ranked candidates. The interview will be graded on a numerical scale from 0 to 20.
If an interview is conducted, an 80% weighting factor is applied to the curriculum-based evaluation score, and a 20% weighting factor is applied to the interview score.
Disability bonus:
Candidates with a degree of disability equal to or greater than 90% will receive a 20% bonus in Criterion C.
- Candidates with a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60% and less than 90% will receive a 10% bonus in the same criterion.
- The degree of disability must be proven by submitting, with the application, a Multi Purpose Disability Medical Certificate (AMIM), issued under Decree Law no. 202/96 of 23 October, in its current wording. Following the amendments introduced by Decree Law no. 15/2024 of 17 January, in the case of AMIMs subject to renewal or reassessment, they are considered valid provided they are accompanied by proof of having requested a disability assessment medical board before the expiry date of the certificate.
Deadlines for publication of results, prior hearing, complaint and appeal:
The draft decision on the evaluation (provisional results) will be communicated to all candidates by email within 90 working days of the application deadline.
After this communication of the provisional results list, candidates with a draft decision unfavorable to the awarding of the fellowship have a period of 10 working days to comment in a prior hearing of interested parties, under Articles 121 and following of the Code of Administrative Procedure.
The final decision (final evaluation results) will be issued and communicated after analysis of the statements submitted in the prior hearing of interested parties.
A complaint may be lodged against the final decision within 15 working days, or alternatively, an appeal may be filed within 30 working days, both periods counting from the date of the respective notification.
The submission of opposing arguments by candidates in these stages of contestation, and the communication of the outcome of their analysis, will take place exclusively by email:
Terms and conditions for scholarship renewal:
Renewal of the fellowship always depends on a request submitted by the fellowship holder within the 60 working days prior to the start date of the renewal period, accompanied by the following documents:
a) Detailed report on the research carried out, including the URLs of any communications, publications and outputs resulting from the activity, if applicable
b) Work plan for the renewal period
c) Copies of communications and publications resulting from the activity carried out, if applicable
d) Opinions issued by the supervisor(s) and by the host institution(s) on the monitoring of the scholarship holder’s work and the assessment of their activities
e) Updated document proving compliance with the exclusive dedication regime
f) Document proving renewal of enrolment in the degree awarding study cycle
Failure to submit a renewal request within the deadline set in paragraph 2 of Article 15 of the RBI will result in the scholarship expiring.
Non discrimination and gender equality policy:
ARDITI – Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation – Association promotes a policy of non discrimination and equal access, and therefore no candidate may be privileged, benefited, disadvantaged or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty on the grounds, namely, of ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, education, origin or social condition, genetic heritage, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic or racial origin, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union membership.
Personal data processing:
ARDITI – Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation – Association will act as the data controller (as defined in the GDPR), with the collection and processing of candidates’ personal data being essential for the selection and recruitment procedure and for the possible subsequent conclusion of the fellowship contract.
In order to facilitate the performance of processing, activities related to pre contractual steps, scholarship candidates are expressly informed that ARDITI – Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation – Association, as data controller, may process the following categories of personal data:
a) Identification and contact data
b) Academic and curricular data
c) Data relating to professional experience
d) Amounts received under the scholarship
Scholarship candidates are informed that, in order to comply with legal obligations, ARDITI – Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation – Association may disclose and/or transfer personal data to the following entities:
a) Instituto de Qualificação, IP-RAM
b) Instituto para o Desenvolvimento Regional, IP-RAM
d) Tax Authority
e) IGFSS – Social Security Financial Management Institute
f) IGF – Audit Authority
g) Regional Government
Funding:
The research initiation fellowship is funded by the project “DRIFT – Integration of radio telemetry in drones for tracking fish in island systems” (FCT reference no. 2024.16201.PEX), funded through the exploratory research projects call of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia – FCT.
Applicable legislation and regulations:
The call is governed by this Call for Applications, by the ARDITI Research Fellowship Regulations and by the Research Fellowship Holder Statute approved by Law no. 40/2004 of 18 August, in its current wording, and by other applicable national and European legislation. For more information, please consult the ARDITI Research Fellowship Regulations at: https://cloud.arditi.pt/index.php/apps/files/files/73196848?dir=/_Atividades/_ARDITI_docs/_Regulamentos/Bolsas&openfile=true.
Contact point:
Information about the call should be requested by email to




