Authority responsible for the information
Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities
General Secretariat of Research
General Secretariat of Universities
Last update: 18-03-2026
Research in an education programme
Content
Grants given
Grants for employment contracts, intended for
- The preparation of doctoral theses or
- The incorporation of technical staff and doctoral graduates in public and private R&D enterprises, depending on the call.
Grants for the co-financing of salaries and employer social security contributions of researchers and technicians recruited, as well as additional funding for research activities granted in certain calls.
For whom are they intended?
Those applying for grants are:
- For calls for grants related to pre-doctoral and post-doctoral contracts for training PhD graduates.
The applicants are Spanish or foreign individuals who must meet the requirements for participation established in the calls.
- For the rest of the calls, the applicants are Spanish public or private non-profit R&D centres and companies with tax residence or permanently established in Spain which submit the previously-selected candidates.
The person concerned must first contact the centre in which they are interested.
In all cases, the beneficiaries of the grants are:
- Public or private non-profit R&D centres, and
- Companies that recruit candidates during the final stage of their university studies, PhD graduates (with university qualifications) or technicians (with vocational training qualifications).
Existing grants
The call for grants for knowledge-generating projects includes grants for pre-doctoral contracts (former FPIs) linked to projects proposed for funding.
For the purposes of requesting a pre-doctoral contract, the Provisional Resolution Proposal (PRP) of the call for proposals determines which projects are those proposed as beneficiaries of a pre-doctoral contract.
From the publication of this PRP, the entities that have applied for the projects for which pre-doctoral grants are proposed can begin to publish their calls for the selection of candidates for pre-doctoral contracts.
- Employment contracts lasting four years for preparing a doctoral thesis in an industrial or experimental research project carried out in a company.
- The grant is requested by the company, which submits the candidate.
- Employment contracts for PhD graduates lasting 3 years in companies, technological centres and other organisations related to the manufacturing sector.
- The grant is requested by the company, which submits the candidate.
- Grants to promote the incorporation of Spanish or foreign research staff with an excellent track record in Spanish R&D centres, so that they may acquire the skills and abilities to enable them to obtain a stable post in a research organisation in the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation System.
- The grants are requested by the centres and the researchers, who must sign an incorporation agreement before the decision to offer the grant is made.
- Employment contracts for supporting technical staff lasting three years at Spanish public or private non-profit R&D centres, for the management of equipment, facilities and other R&D infrastructure.
- The grant is requested by the R&D centre, which submits the candidate.
R+D+I Technical Staff contract grants (PTA) 2025 (aei.gob.es)
- Employment contracts lasting 2 years for young PhD graduates, to allow them to complete their post-doctoral research training in a Spanish public or private non-profit R&D centre other than the one in which they carried out their pre-doctoral training.
- The grant is requested by the R&D centre, which submits the candidate.
- Helping to establish the professional careers of research staff by encouraging the creation of permanent positions in their home institutions and facilitating the launch or reinforcement of a research line by financing researchers’ own R+D+I projects, as well as adapting and renovating areas and laboratories and improving the equipment necessary for implementing the research.
- Facilitating the recruitment of established research talents, of acknowledged international prestige, who have recently carried out a significant period of their professional activity abroad, in order to encourage progress towards a more competitive state system for science, technology and innovation (SECTI) at national and international level.
Aid to encourage the recruitment of established talent ‘ATRAE Programme’ 2025 (aei.gob.es)
- Pre-doctoral contracts for the initial training of researchers in health sciences and technologies by completing a doctoral thesis via the pathway of pre-doctoral contracts for training in health research.
- Pre-doctoral contracts aimed at the initial training of researchers in health sciences and technologies through the completion of a doctoral thesis via the pathway of health research institute-enterprise doctorates in health sciences and technologies.
- Recruitment of professionals exclusively in publicly-owned health entities offering clinical healthcare activities who have passed specialised health training for the completion of a health science and technology research training plan, which they will combine with healthcare activity in their own particular speciality.
- Recruitment of newly qualified medical staff in the field of health sciences and technologies in NHS centres for further training.
- Recruitment of medical staff with health science and technology research experience, in public NHS healthcare centres that form part of health research institutes and assistance after creating and filling the required permanent position to comply with the commitment undertaken at the time of application.
- Recruitment of doctors with a proven research track record with additional funding for implementing the research activity and assistance after creating and filling the required permanent position to comply with the commitment undertaken at the time of application.
- Awarding of aid for pre-doctoral contracts for completing doctoral theses in Spanish universities.
- This aid is intended for research training in doctoral programmes to obtain a PhD degree and acquire university lecturing skills, in any area of scientific knowledge, that will facilitate the future recruitment of such individuals into the Spanish higher education and scientific research system.
Aid for the training of university teachers (FPU) 2025- (ciencia.gob.es)
- Aid for short placements and temporary transfers is intended to finance the mobility of FPU programme beneficiaries to reinforce the internationalisation of their scientific training and technical capacity-building through their recruitment by a research centre or group of international standing that is linked to a scientific, technical or artistic field related to the content of the doctoral thesis for which the FPU aid was awarded.
Mobility aid for short stays and temporary transfers of FPU 2026 beneficiaries - (ciencia.gob.es)
- Foreign placements for university lecturers and researchers with proven experience and professional track record, as part of an action aimed at promoting mobility for the purposes of lifelong learning.
- The centres for which mobility placements are requested should be located abroad and will be highly competitive universities and research centres in the candidate’s scientific field.
Stays of teaching and/or senior research staff in foreign centers 2025 - (ciencia.gob.es)
- The purpose of this pathway is to finance placements that promote and incentivise the mobility of young doctors who have recently embarked on a lecturing and research career and maintain a contractual relationship as lecturers and researchers with their own centres.
- The centres for which mobility placements are requested should be located abroad and will be highly competitive universities and research centres in the candidate’s scientific field.
José Castillejo mobility stays abroad for young doctors 2025 - (ciencia.gob.es)
- Support for pre-doctoral training at the EUI (European University Institute in Florence) under the Training Subprogramme of the Programme for the Promotion of Talent and its Employability under the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation. The programme allows the recruitment of beneficiaries and finances their salary in partnership with the EUI while they complete a doctoral thesis for a maximum period of 4 years.
- The recipients are individuals holding a master’s degree or equivalent in the fields of law, economy and business, politics and sociology or humanities with a view to completing a doctorate in those fields.
- Grants for recruiting PhD researchers and/or teachers who are pursuing their professional careers abroad, to facilitate attracting and educating researchers as human capital, and to promote the quality and competitiveness of teaching and research staff in Spanish universities. Contracts will be given in the distinct category of researcher for a period of 4 years.
- The applicants are Spanish public universities which will present candidates of their choice, according to their suitability for the research and teaching project set out in their application.
Beatriz Galindo call for aid to attract research talent - 2025 - (ciencia.gob.es)
Relevant links
Information for each Autonomous Community
Legal and/or technical references
