Integrated Database Management at FCT Foundation for Science and Technology - FCT

1. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia PORTUGAL Integrated Database Management at FCTFoundation for Science and Technology - FCT João G. Crespo Vice-President, FCT

2. FCT - The Mission • To promote, fund, monitor and evaluate science and technology institutions, programmes and projects, as well as the training and qualification of human resources • To foster the development and reinforcement of infrastructures for scientific research and technological development • To enhance the diffusion and dissemination of the scientific and technological culture and knowledge, as well as the scientific and technological education

3. FCT - The Mission • This mission is mainly carried out through funding of proposals presented by institutions, research groups and individuals, on the basis of independent evaluations of merit • FCT sponsors all actors of the R&D system, from public laboratories to universities and companies • FCT covers all scientific domains

4. FCT – The Strategy • Target: Catching-up with European average (growing) • Strategy: • Strong investment in qualification and training • Setting and reinforcing institutional landscape • Member of most European and international organisations • Networking and cooperation at institutional level • Structural priorities have been preferred to thematic priorities

5. Main Funding Programmes (2005) • Scholarships for Higher Education - 76 M€ (Masters, PhD, Post-doc, Sabbatical Leaves) • R&D Projects – 80 M€ • R&D Centres and Associated Laboratories – 53 M€ • Infrastructures and Large Equipment – 44 M€

6. Evaluation Procedures in National Programmes • It relies on international panel review for the evaluation of R&D projects, Research Centres and Infrastructures • National review panels for the evaluation of scholarships • Electronic submission of applications on-line and first step of evaluation by invited experts also on-line • Selection of proposals to be funded by on-site review panels

7. FCTSIG (Integrated Database Management System) • The FCTSIG software has been developed to integrate the heterogeneous databases from all FCT divisions in one related management system • FCTSIG allows every division or department to preserve its own database structure and specifications, but assigns each one to a basic criterion rule: all the information related to individuals are managed in a single database • The system is permanently available and requires credentials to log on.

8. FCTSIG (Integrated Database Management System) • Input from individuals, academic and professional information is edited by the user himself in the CV section. Other features can be introduced to inform the user about some specific subjects (e.g. the result of a proposal evaluation) • There is a personal and unique password to log on both management and application forms. A public key must be supplied by the user to join a research team, supervise a scholarship, etc. • When a proposal is submitted the (updated) CV is collected from the FCTSIG system, copied and related to the proposal’s reference.

9. USER FCTSIG (Integrated Database Management System) Proposal for R&D Projects Principal investigator Member of research team Copies a version of CV at submission Member of evaluation panel Uses password to log on Scholarship Proposals Supplies public key Applicant Uses temporary password Supervisor Copies a version of CV at submission FCTSIG Automatic procedure Member of evaluation panel Curriculum vitae R&D Centers and Associated Labs Member of research team

10. Limitations of the FCTSIG database of CVs • Data of each CV is organized in 11 parts • Only 3 of them have specific fields to describe their contents: personal data, scientific domain and scientific discipline • All others like publications, participation in research projects, supervising experience, previous and current activities, etc. are entered as text.

11. Limitations of the FCTSIG database of CVs • No possibility of: • Automatically, building databases from the information entered as text • Relating activities to organizations • Relating publications to projects • Relating supervision to scholarships • Checking FTE totals • Establishing links with R&D projects database • Establishing links with scholarships database • Etc.

12. Solutions to enhance the FCTSIG system • Preserving the information gathered and the functionalities of FCTSIG but enabling a better use of it by • Building a new CV database or • Adopting an existing system that would keep as much as possible the information already collected and integrate FCTSIG system

13. Reasons for adopting DeGóis • Coverage and organization of the data • Tested reliability and usability in other countries • Flexibility to produce reports and indicators suitable for a range of purposes/entities • Allows for developing a system for the whole Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education through partnership with Observatório da Ciência e do Ensino Superior (OCES)

14. Reasons for adopting DeGóis • Researchers will be asked to enter their CV data only once • Involvement of a network of universities as warranty of incorporating technological progress • Compliance with international standards (OECD, ISCED, etc.) • Open software

15. How DeGóis will be used • Every researcher applying to FCT for funding will be requested to file his/her CV in the system • Links will be established between FCT administrative databases and researchers’ production allowing to relate investment and results • By mapping the information it will be possible to describe the public funded research in different perspectives, make evidence of strengths and weaknesses and draw indicators. • Researchers responding to the Survey of National Scientific and Technological Potential will be incorporated in the system thus broadening the coverage to private funded organizations.