Summer Grants ‘Verão Com Ciência’, From Foundation for Science and Technology, in Portugal: Experience and Achievements

Abstract

Abstract Following up the call for research projects launched by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) after the first pandemic event in Portugal, and bearing in mind the positive results obtained, during the summer of 2021, a new call was launched with a shorter duration. During one month just before starting the university academic year, undergraduate students could join a research team in a research lab, and by applying a “learning by doing” approach, students experienced a research atmosphere and got involved with the main activities being developed by the research group. For engineering students, this is an opportunity to bring theory to practice, get experience, and ingress into research teamwork. This paper presents and discusses the main achievements of this initiative, in particular, the research experience of three undergraduate students and their host research teams, from the Algoritmi center, from the School of Engineering of the University of Minho, Portugal. The students’ opinions on the developed projects were quite satisfactory and they recognized that joining this type of scholarship opens horizons, promotes an inquiring spirit, teaches research strategies and, above all, students can see their knowledge applied to engineering research and on the advancement of science.