MAP-i has been the sole Computer Science PhD programme to be awarded this title in the 2013 national call conducted by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation.

This title corresponds also to funding enough to offer 6 PhD grants each year for four years to Portuguese students, starting in 2013/2014.

There were 238 applications (90 in Exact Sciences and Engineering) from which 51 were approved (22). Four MAP programmes are among the latter.