Research Grants - FEUP – INDTECH 4.0 – SP3-P109_P110 (# of pos: 2)

Updated: over 2 years ago
Deadline: 24 Nov 2021

2 Research Grant Announcement (M/F)

Call open for applications for two research grants within the framework of project INDTECH 4.0 – Novas tecnologias para fabricação Inteligente (SP3), ref. POCI-01-0247-FEDER-026653, co‐financed by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), under the following conditions:

Scientific Area: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Telecommunications, Electronics and Automation or Informatics.

Admission requirements: Candidates who cumulatively meet the following two requirements may apply for this grant:

Requirement 1:

- Be a student enrolled in a doctoral program in the area of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Telecommunications, Electronics and Automation or Informatics, a requirement to be duly proven at the time of signing the contract.

or

- To be enrolled in a non-academic degree course integrated in the educational project of a higher education institution, developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D unit, in the area of Electrical Engineering, a requirement to be duly proven at the time of signing the contract.

Note: In the case of masters who are enrolled in non-academic degree courses, the scholarship can only be awarded to those who do not exceed, with this scholarship contract, including possible renewals, an accumulated period of two years in that typology of the scholarship, followed or interpolated.

and

Requirement 2:

- Hold a master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Telecommunications, Electronics and Automation or Informatics.

If the degree has been awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must comply with the provisions of the Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of august 16th, and any formalities established there must be fulfilled until the time of signing the contract.

Activity Outline: The INDTECH 4.0 project's overall goal is to design and develop innovative technologies in the context of Industry 4.0/FoF (Factories of the Future), which will be implemented in PSA Mangualde's automotive assembly plant. In particular, the SP3 will focus on the development of mechatronic systems for autonomous handling solutions (new generation of AGVs), based on flexibility, collaboration, adaptability and modularity vectors.

The candidate must contribute to the development of modular/plug 'n' play systems in order to achieve the following demonstrator prototypes of the project:

  • Plug 'n play system for AGV XXL: this demonstrator is intended to convert conventional vehicles into autonomous vehicles (while maintaining the possibility of conventional functionality), mainly intended for material handling operations with high load (can reach 5,000 kg) in outdoor environment, characterized by frequent changes at the level of cadence and pulling torques, given the optimal adaptation to the edge of outdoor paths (which can reach slopes of about 12%).
  • Automatic reconditioning/picking and kitting system (AGV Collaborative): this demonstrator will be used, at first, for the reconditioning/picking of small logistics volumes (such as logistics boxes with small components), and, at a second stage, for the execution of the automatic kitting process, involving the handling of parts of various shapes and weights.
  • AGV stacker for automatic and intelligent storage: characterized by the automatic handling and stacking of packages in a conventional warehouse, with spaces less than 2 meters wide, using the shelving conventionally already existing in the companies (i.e. without replacing the pre-existing infrastructure).
  • Flexible and adaptive guidance system without magnetic stripe/laser: this demonstrator aims to develop and prototype alternative guidance systems to the conventional magnetic stripe solution, which is presented as highly rigid. The aim is to combine a set of technologies that provide AGVs with greater flexibility and adaptability in their movement paths on the factory floor.

The fellows will be integrated in the research activity of the INDTECH 4.0 project team, in the scope of the tasks of the activities of subproject SP 3 - Autonomous handling systems, foreseen for Profiles 109 and 110, listed below:

- Atividade 19 – Testes e Ensaios

1. Testes e ensaios a subsistema - componentes mecânica e eletrónica dos AGVs

2. Testes e ensaio a subsistema - tecnologia de mapeamento e guiamento de AGV indoor e outdoor

3. Testes e ensaios às versões laboratoriais integradas

4. Testes e ensaios às versões de demonstração

These tasks may be subject to adjustment depending on the feasibility of the project. All changes that imply the allocation to other tasks will be subject to an approval request to ANI/AICEP.

Legislation and regulations: Law Nº. 40/2004, of 18th August, in its current wording (Statutes of Scientific Research Fellow) and Regulation of Research Grants of Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, in force ( https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/regulamento.phtml.pt ) and Regulation of Research Grants of University of Porto.

Work place: The work will be developed at Digital and Intelligent Industry research lab (DIGI2), of the Research Center for Systems and Technologies (SYSTEC) of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, under the scientific supervision of Prof. Doutor Gil Manuel Magalhães de Andrade Gonçalves and Professor Doutor Adriano da Silva Carvalho.

Grant duration: The fellowships will have an expected duration of 3 months, starting in December 2021, on an exclusive basis, but not exceeding the project's conclusion date.

If it is not possible to conclude the grant contracts for the minimum period of 3 consecutive months, the grants will not be awarded.

Stipend: The grant stipend amounts to 1.104,64€ according to the table of values of the grants awarded directly by FCT, I.P. in the Country (https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores ). The payment will be made by bank transfer.

Selection procedure: The selection of fellows will be based on a curriculum evaluation (CE), which will focus on the candidate's merit, and an interview (I). The curriculum of each candidate will be evaluated in a 1-5 points scale. The interview will be conducted with the three best ranked candidates whose classification in the curricular evaluation is equal to or higher than 4 points (4 in 5 points).

The evaluation criteria for the curricular component are:

Curricular Evaluation = (30%*A)+( 20 %*B)+( 20%*C)+( 20%*D)+(10%*E)

  • Academic profile of the applicant: Master in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Telecommunications, Electronics and Automation or Informatics. (5 points); Master in related areas (2 points);
  • Participation in R&D projects in areas relevant to the research project, namely in the areas of system control, sensor fusion, electric mobility and energy storage (5 points); Participation in R&D projects in areas related to the research project (2 points);
  • Knowledge of electric mobility and energy storage (1 to 5 points);
  • Knowledge of system control and sensory fusion and its application in the industrial domain (1 to 5 points).
  • Motivation letter that will allow to evaluate the English proficiency and motivation of the candidate (1 to 5 points).
  • After reviewing the submitted documentation, the Evaluation Panel will interview the top 3 ranked candidates , where it will be verified:

    Interview Classification = (50%* I-C1) +(25% * I-C2) +(25% * I-C3)

    I-C1 - Knowledge and motivation to perform the job:

    • Excellent knowledge and motivation - 4 to 5 points
    • Good knowledge and good motivation - 2 to 3 points
    • Lack of knowledge or motivation - 0 to 1 points

    I-C2 - Attitude (evaluates the applicant's behaviour in terms of teamwork skills, conflict management skills, persuasiveness, presentation and confidence)

    • Excellent attitude - 4 to 5 points
    • Adequate attitude - 2 to 3 points
    • Inadequate attitude - 0 to 1 point

    I-C3 - Ability of expression and verbal fluency in Portuguese and/or English (coherence and clarity of speech, richness of vocabulary, ability to understand and interpret the questions asked).

    • Very good ability of expression, communication or interpretation - 4 to 5 points
    • Good capacity of expression, communication or interpretation - 2 to 3 points
    • Difficulty of expression, communication or interpretation - 0 to 1 point

    The final classification of the candidates interviewed will result from the sum of the classifications obtained in the Curricular Evaluation (CE) and Interview (I), attributing to each a weighting factor of 50%.

    Candidates whose application is evaluated with a final mark of less than 4 (four) in 5 (five) points will not be eligible for a scholarship.

    Selection Jury:

    President: Gil Manuel Magalhães de Andrade Gonçalves

    Effective member: Adriano da Silva Carvalho

    Effective member: Fernando Manuel Ferreira Lobo Pereira

    Supplementary member: Armando Luís Sousa Araújo

    Supplementary member: António Pedro Rodrigues Aguiar

    Advertisement of final decision: The results of the evaluation will be released to the candidates

    by email to the email address indicated in the application process.

    Deadline for applications and form of presentation of the applications:

    The call is open from 11-11-2021 to 24-11-2021 (until 23h59m, GMT time).

    Applications must be submitted by email to [email protected] and to [email protected] , clearly stating the project reference in the subject (FEUP – INDTECH 4.0 – SP3-P109_P110) and including the following pdf documents: Motivation letter written in English, Copy of certificates evidencing academic degree (referring to the average mark of the course - of each cycle or integrated cycle - and classifications in the curricular units), detailed Curriculum Vitae; Declaration on honor that the candidate fulfills the requirement contained in article 6 of the Regulation for Research Grants of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. (model below, for student enrolled in a non-academic degree course integrated in the educational project of a higher education institution, developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D unit) and other documents considered relevant by the applicant.

    In order to assure that all documents can be read, the preferred saving format is the Portable Document Format (.pdf).

    __________________________________________________________________________________

    Declaration on honour

    I, ________(identification of the scholarship holder), holder of the Citizen Card / Visa / Residence Permit no. valid until _____, declare under honour, to be in the conditions of no. 5 of article 6º of the Research Grants from FCT, IP - Regulation No. 950/2019, of 16 December.

    Porto, __/__/__

    Signature ____________________________

    (scholarship holder)



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