The 100 students selected for the Gulbenkian New Talent Scholarship programme are now known. The aim of the programme is to distinguish and support the talent of students with exceptional academic performance and to encourage them to begin research in the areas of basic science: biology, physics, mathematics and chemistry, as well as in any area of the humanities, arts and social sciences.
Among the 100 scholarship holders selected are 18 students from the University of Porto, linked to the areas of Biology, Social Sciences, Physics, Humanities, Mathematics and Chemistry. We find Luís Wolffrom Barbosa on this shortlist, a second year L.EIC student who finished the first year with an average of 19.35 marks.
Luís tells us that what led him to apply was ‘the desire to explore the link between Mathematics and Informatics and to learn more about some of the branches I could choose in the future.’ He was also motivated by the activities and events on offer throughout the programme and the chance to make contact with the other scholarship holders. ‘It’s an honour to be a Gulbenkian scholarship holder and I hope I’m up to the challenge!’ acknowledges the student, who still doesn’t know what path he will follow after finishing his degree but knows that he wants to continue learning and deepening his knowledge and, most importantly, doing what he loves!
The Gulbenkian New Talent Scholarships are aimed at students attending the 2nd, 3rd or 4th year of undergraduate or integrated master’s programmes, or the 1st year of master’s programmes, at Portuguese HEIs, with an average of 16.5 or above at the time of application.
With a value of up to 3,500 euros, the scholarship includes support – totalling 1,000 euros – to ensure that the scholarship holders can continue their studies, namely for the payment of tuition fees and to stimulate research.
The remaining amount – 1,500 euros – is earmarked for ‘talent enrichment activities’, namely: advanced training courses; participation in conferences and summer schools; internships, language courses, the purchase of books and laboratory equipment, among others.
Candidates whose household has an annual per capita income of less than 12,000 euros will also be entitled to complementary social support worth 1,000 euros.
The scholarships also include an immersive talent enrichment programme. The fellows are supported by tutors and a scientific committee, both professors of recognised merit, who, through permanent dialogue, accompany the fellows throughout their research work, developing excellence through contact with excellence.
More than just a grant, the New Talents programme includes scientific retreats, a unique experience that combines scientific activities with cultural and social activities in the special setting of the Gulbenkian Foundation.