University of Porto REFARMING Scholarship Grant 2026 in Portugal
The University of Porto REFARMING Research Grant 2026 offers an opportunity for graduates in geospatial, environmental and agricultural engineering to gain practical research experience in precision agriculture. The grant provides a monthly stipend of €1,090.98 for an initial period of 12 months.
The research position is part of the REFARMING project at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP). The project focuses on using spectroradiometry, remote sensing and data analysis to monitor the health and development of horticultural crops.
This opportunity may be particularly suitable for graduates interested in precision agriculture, remote sensing, geospatial technology, environmental monitoring and agricultural research.
University of Porto REFARMING Scholarship 2026 Overview
- Host Country: Portugal
- Host University: University of Porto
- Faculty: Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP)
- Research Project: REFARMING
- Grant Type: Research Grant
- Degree Level: Master's level / Research Grant for Bachelor's graduates
- Field of Study: Geospatial, Environmental and Agronomic Engineering
- Eligible Nationalities: All nationalities
- Monthly Stipend: €1,090.98
- Initial Duration: 12 months
- Research Area: Precision Agriculture and Remote Sensing
- Application Platform: Infociências recruitment platform
- Application Deadline: August 28, 2026
- Deadline Time: 23:59 mainland Portugal time
Degree Level
The REFARMING grant is intended for candidates who have completed a Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering field and meet the requirements for enrolment in a suitable Master's programme.
Eligible candidates must have a Bachelor's degree in:
- Geospatial Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Agronomic Engineering
- A sufficiently similar field
Applicants must also be eligible to enrol in a Master's degree in Geospatial Engineering, Agronomic Engineering or another eligible non-degree course.
An important point is that applicants do not necessarily need to already be enrolled in the Master's programme when submitting their application. Candidates can apply if they satisfy the conditions for enrolment, but proof of the required enrolment must be provided before the grant contract is signed.
Available Subjects
The research focuses on precision agriculture and the non-destructive monitoring of horticultural crops.
The selected researcher may work on areas such as:
- Spectroradiometry
- Remote sensing
- Precision agriculture
- Geospatial analysis
- Vegetation monitoring
- Hyperspectral imaging
- Plant physiology
- Agricultural data analysis
- Vegetation indices
- Statistical analysis
- Computational methods
- Automated data processing
The research investigates whether spectral information collected from plants can be used to understand their physiological condition without damaging the crops.
Benefits
€1,090.98 Monthly Stipend
The successful candidate receives a monthly grant of €1,090.98, paid by bank transfer.
12-Month Research Grant
The initial grant period is 12 months.
Depending on satisfactory performance, available funding and the continuation of the project, the grant may potentially be renewed.
However, funding cannot continue beyond the current end date of the REFARMING project, which is March 31, 2028.
Research Experience
The position provides practical experience in precision agriculture and agricultural technology.
The researcher can develop skills in:
- Remote sensing
- Spectral data collection
- Hyperspectral analysis
- Agricultural monitoring
- Data processing
- Programming
- Statistical analysis
- Research methodology
Personal Accident Insurance
The researcher is covered by personal accident insurance under the applicable programme conditions.
Social Insurance Support
For grants lasting six months or longer, FCUP can support the applicable first level of voluntary social-insurance contributions according to the programme rules.
Eligible Nationalities
The University of Porto REFARMING Research Grant is open to applicants of all nationalities because the call does not establish nationality as an exclusion criterion.
International graduates can therefore apply. However, candidates who obtained their academic qualifications outside Portugal need to follow the applicable Portuguese degree-recognition procedures.
Foreign qualifications must be recognised by a Portuguese higher-education institution before the contracting stage.
International applicants should therefore begin checking the recognition requirements early.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must satisfy the academic and research-related requirements of the REFARMING project.
Academic Qualification
Applicants should hold a Bachelor's degree in:
- Geospatial Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Agronomic Engineering
- A sufficiently similar discipline
The candidate must also be eligible to enrol in the relevant Master's programme or eligible non-degree course.
Relevant Experience
Previous experience in areas connected with the project can strengthen an application.
Relevant experience may include:
- Remote sensing
- Geospatial analysis
- Precision agriculture
- Agricultural engineering
- Spectral imaging
- Hyperspectral image analysis
- Data analysis
- Programming
- Environmental monitoring
- Horticultural research
Experience with hyperspectral image analysis applied to horticultural crops is specifically preferred.
Foreign Degree Recognition
Applicants with foreign qualifications must comply with Portuguese recognition requirements.
If the foreign degree has not been recognised and the final grade has not been converted to the Portuguese grading scale by the application deadline, the academic-grade component may be assessed using the specified minimum score of 10 out of 20.
Because academic performance accounts for a large portion of the selection score, international applicants should consider completing recognition and grade-conversion procedures as early as possible.
How Candidates Are Selected
The selection process uses a clear scoring system.
- 60%: Final Bachelor's degree classification
- 30%: Relevant professional or research experience
- 10%: Motivation letter
This means that academic performance has the greatest influence on the final ranking.
However, relevant technical and research experience is also important because it accounts for nearly one-third of the total score.
Applicants should make sure their CV clearly highlights experience related to:
- Remote sensing
- Geospatial technology
- Agriculture
- Spectral imagery
- Programming
- Data analysis
- Research projects
The motivation letter should explain why the applicant is interested in the REFARMING project and how their academic background and technical skills can contribute to the research.
Research Responsibilities
The successful candidate will participate directly in the REFARMING research project.
Potential responsibilities include:
- Reviewing scientific literature
- Studying spectroradiometry and vegetation
- Developing spectral-data collection protocols
- Collecting measurements using a spectroradiometer
- Processing spectral datasets
- Validating collected data
- Calculating vegetation indices
- Monitoring plant development
- Assessing plant physiological condition
- Performing statistical analysis
- Developing computational workflows
- Automating data-processing procedures
This makes the opportunity more than a traditional scholarship. The successful applicant will be expected to contribute actively to a defined research programme.
Application Procedure
Required Documents
Applicants should prepare the required application documents before submitting their application.
These generally include:
- Motivation letter
- Detailed CV
- Academic qualification certificate
- Eligibility declaration
- Supporting documents for relevant experience
- Recommendation letters
- Other documents required by the call
Up to three recommendation letters may be submitted, and at least one recommendation letter is compulsory.
Recommendation letters are submitted separately through the university system. Applicants should contact their referees well before the deadline so that the letters can be uploaded on time.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted through the University of Porto Infociências recruitment platform.
Candidates should prepare all academic and supporting documents before beginning the application.
International applicants should pay particular attention to foreign-degree recognition and grade-conversion requirements. Recommendation letters should also be requested early because referees need to submit their documents separately.
Application Deadline
The deadline to apply for the University of Porto REFARMING Research Grant 2026 is:
August 28, 2026, at 23:59 mainland Portugal time.
Applicants should submit their applications before the deadline and make sure that recommendation letters and other required supporting documents have also been received.
Final Words
The University of Porto REFARMING Scholarship Grant 2026 is a strong research opportunity for graduates interested in the intersection of agriculture, environmental technology, remote sensing and data science.
The €1,090.98 monthly stipend, 12-month research period and practical experience in precision agriculture make this opportunity particularly relevant for candidates planning careers in agricultural technology, geospatial research, environmental monitoring or Earth observation.
Since academic performance accounts for 60% of the selection score and relevant experience contributes another 30%, applicants should present a strong academic record and clearly demonstrate their technical or research experience.
International applicants should also start addressing foreign-degree recognition and recommendation letters well before the August 28, 2026 deadline.
