Investigadores Auxiliares in Portugal The Ciência 2007 programm - a vision of the start-up national panorama On-line survey organized by the Network of Investigadores Auxiliares at Univeristy of Minho April 2009 Email sent to almost 300 Investigadores Auxiliares Near 200 answers collected Gender Female 43,3 Male 56,7 Less than 30 3,2 31 to 35 36,9 36 to 40 37,4 40 to 50 19,8 Above 50 2,7 Age Do you speak Portuguese? Yes, fluently 76,5 Yes, basic Portuguese 15,5 No, I don t 8
Where do you work? A University 66,3 A Research Institute 19,3 A State Laboratory 14,4 A Private company 0 Other 0 Other 0 Other 25,7 Universidade Nova de Lisboa 12,8 Universidade de Aveiro 8 Universidade do Minho 7 Universidade do Porto 5,9 Universidade da Beira Interior 5,3 Universidade de Coimbra 4,8 Universidade dos Açores 3,7 Universidade Técnica de Lisboa 3,7 CIIMAR - Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental 3,7 Universidade de Lisboa 2,7 ITN - Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear 2,7 LNEC - Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil 2,7 Universidade de Trás os Montes e Alto Douro 2,1 IICT- Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical 2,1 LNIV - Laboratório Nacional de Investigação Veterinária 2,1 IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular 1,1 INRB - Instituto Nacional de Recursos Biológicos (ex-iniap) 1,1 Universidade do Algarve 0,5 Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa 0,5 Direcção Geral de Protecção das Culturas 0,5 INIA - Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária 0,5 INSA- Instituto Nacional de Saúde Ricardo Jorge 0,5
PhD from: Portugal 54,6 United Kingdom 11,2 Germany 3,7 Netherlands 3,7 France 3,2 Spain 3,2 United States 3,2 China 2,1 Belgium 1,6 Brazil 1,6 India 1,6 Canada 1,1 Italy 1,1 Russia 1,1 Switzerland 1,1 Ukraine 1,1 Australia 0,5 Bulgaria 0,5 Denmark 0,5 Hong Kong 0,5 Hungary 0,5 Ireland 0,5 Japan 0,5 New Zealand 0,5 Poland 0,5
Pos-doc experience in: Portugal 67,9 United Kingdom 5,3 United States 4,8 Germany 3,7 France 3,2 Italy 2,1 Spain 2,1 China 1,6 Japan 1,6 Netherlands 1,6 Australia 1,1 Bangladesh 1,1 Brazil 1,1 Greece 0,5 Hungary 0,5 Jordan 0,5 Sweden 0,5 Ukraine 0,5 Did anyone help you with practical issues at the start of your contract (Social Security, tax number/health care system/residence permit etc.)? Not applicable, as I was already living and working in Portugal before I started my contract 55,1 No, but I did not need any help 8,6 No, but I could have used some help 2,1 Yes, University s Department of Human Resources 14,4 Yes, the Director of my Research Centre 5,9 Yes, my colleagues 8,6 Yes, others 5,3
Job starting date Before 2007 13,4 Jan-Mar 2007 1,6 Apr-Jun 2007 3,2 Jul-Sep 2007 0,5 Nov-Dez 2007 6,4 Jan-Mar 2008 28,9 Apr-Jun 2008 20,9 Jul-Sep 2008 8,6 Nov-Dez 2008 11,8 Jan-Mar 2009 4,8 What were your main motives to apply for this position? To further advance your career 72,2 Good opportunity to return to Portugal 6,4 Good chance to live and work in Portugal 11,2 No other job alternatives 4,3 Other 5,9 How are your work activities defined? There was already a project defined before I started 27,3 I wrote my own project 42,2 I do not work for a specific project 18,7 Other 11,8 How do you carry out your activities? In a team of researchers 65,8 I mainly work on my own 25,7 Other 8,6
Your office space is: An individual office 23 A shared office with more researchers 72,2 No office space yet 4,8 Do you consider your office space adequate? Yes 73,8 No 26,2 Do you consider your lab space adequate? Yes 70,1 No 29,9 What facilities do you need to carry out your research activities? An office 19,4 A laboratory or laboratory space 20,8 Materials/Reagents/Consumables 29 I already have all I need 18,4 Other 12,4 Do you have an individual budget? No 54 Yes, less than 2000 per year 12,8 Yes, from 2001-3000 per year 13,9 Yes, from 3001-4000 per year 4,8 Yes, from 4001-5000 per year 5,9 Yes, from 5001-6000 per year 1,1 Yes, from 6001-10000 per year 2,1 Yes, above 10001 per year 5,3
Are you the official supervisor of Master students? No 62,6 Yes, just one student 21,4 Yes, two students 8 Yes, more than two students 8 Are you the official supervisor of PhD students? No 67,9 Yes, just one student 19,8 Yes, two students 7,5 Yes, more than two students 4,8 Would you like to supervise Master students? Yes 96,3 No 3,7 Would you like to supervise PhD students? Yes 96,3 No 3,7 Do you have any research fellow (bolseiro) working for you? No 61,5 Yes, just one fellow 19,3 Yes, two fellows 10,2 Yes, more than two fellows 9,1
Are you teaching? No 66,3 Yes, less than 2 hours per week 20,3 Yes, up to 4 hours a week 10,7 Yes, more than 4 hours a week 2,7 What career prespectives do you have at your current position? I don t know 64,7 I might have a permanent position 11,2 I can have a temporary position 8 I will have to leave 7,5 Other 8,6 What would be your prefered situation after your contract ends? I would like to stay on as a researcher at the Centre/Institution/Associated Lab I am working at now 81,8 I would like to be a researcher at another research centre in Portugal 8 I will leave Portugal after the end of my contract 4,8 I would like to be a researcher in industry 0 I m considering leaving my job before the contract ends 5,3 What obstacles do you face carrying out high quality research at your current position? Lack of available funding 33,9 Available funding is not adequate to carry out high quality research 21,9 Lack of infrastructures to carry out research 18,3 Other 25,9
What are your most serious worries with regard to your career perspectives? There is not an general acknowledgment inside the university / institute of the research careers per se 38,4 Difficult access to some professorship-orientated programs (such as supervising PhD students) 23,5 Difficult access to management bodies of the university / institute 15,7 Other 22,4 What are the most satisfying aspects of your position/your research activities? Possibility of independent research; 57,8 Management autonomy 25,5 There are not major satisfying aspects so far 6 Other 10,8