17.12.2024

The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) has announced the final results of Call Exploratory Projects in all Scientific Fields 2023. In this round, CIES has approved the projects of researchers David Cairns and João Carvalho.

Both projects will begin next year, span 18 months, and receive a maximum funding of €50,000 each.

David Cairns' project, titled “Digital Transitions in Sciences” examines how the digital transition is reshaping the research profession within R&D units in Portugal. The study focuses on researchers' experiences, with a particular emphasis on the impact of digitization on their personal and professional development.
By conducting evidence-based analysis, the project aims to provide insights for policymakers and stakeholders in the R&D sector, fostering a deeper understanding of both the benefits and challenges that digitization brings to scientific careers and researchers' lives.

João Carvalho’s project,“Comparing Iberian Public Opinion: a political realignment?” investigates the growing influence of populist radical right parties in Portugal and Spain, challenging the long-held belief in “Iberian exceptionalism.”
The research explores the reconfiguration of political conflict in the region, focusing on how issues like immigration and European integration contribute to a new cultural divide shaping electoral preferences. The project seeks to advance the understanding of political transformations in the Iberian Peninsula and their broader implications for Europe.

CIES congratulates both researchers on their achievements and wishes them success in their groundbreaking projects.