Postdoctoral grants

National Research Plan

  • Juan de la Cierva Grants

This scheme allows young PhDs to be hired for two years by a Spanish research organisation or R&D centre where they did not complete their PhD.

Applications for participation will be submitted by the research centres. Selection is based on a competitive process, where the candidate’s academic merits and the host research team’s scientific and technical track record will be evaluated.

The programme features two pathways:

Juan de la Cierva-Training

Participants must have obtained their PhD within the 2 years (approximately) preceding publication of the call for applications, unless they can demonstrate a cause for interruption in accordance with the conditions of the call. Information about the most recent call for applications:

Juan de la Cierva-Hiring

Participants must have obtained their PhD between 2 and 5 years (approximately) preceding publication of the call for applications, unless they can demonstrate a cause for interruption in accordance with the conditions of the call. Information about the most recent call for applications:

These grants allow R&D centres to hire Spanish and foreign researchers with an outstanding track record by providing funds for hiring and for the creation of permanent positions at these centres.

Participants must have obtained their PhD between 3 and 10 years (approximately) preceding publication of the call for applications, unless they can demonstrate a cause for interruption in accordance with the conditions of the call.

Selection is based on a competitive process, where the candidate’s academic merits, ability to lead a research project, scientific and professional experience, and track record of independent research will be evaluated.

These grants are aimed at young doctors who have obtained their doctorate in the last two years at most. The duration of the stays will be 2 or 3 years.

They must join a university or research center other than the one where they did their predoctoral training and obtained their doctorate. In the event that the stay is carried out in foreign centers, the last year of the aid must be carried out in a Spanish university.

Aimed at research personnel, Spanish or foreign, with an accumulated postdoctoral career of not less than 24 months in Spanish and/or foreign universities or R&D centers other than that of the defense of the doctoral thesis.

They will last from 1 to 3 years and will take place in Spanish universities. It will be necessary to justify the impact of their incorporation on the requalification of the host university team.

The Beatriz Galindo Grants seek to encourage recruitment, training and mobility of research staff and to increase the quality and competitiveness of teaching and research staff at Spanish universities. The aim of these grants is to attract research talent with international professional experience.

The recipients of these grants are Spanish public universities. Each university can request up to 5 grants. The funds received will be used by universities to hire staff with international teaching and research experience for a minimum period of 4 years. The status of these staff will be ‘distinguished researcher’.

The programme features two pathways:

  • Senior: at least 7 years of international teaching and research experience since obtaining their PhD.
  • Junior: less than 7 years of international teaching and research experience since obtaining their PhD..

Andalusian Research Plan

These competitive grants are to be used by universities and public research centres to hire postdoctoral research staff. They are two-year postdoctoral contracts aimed at research staff who obtained their PhD up to 5 years preceding publication of the call for applications, unless they can demonstrate a cause for interruption

EMERGIA Programme for Hiring Research Talent These competitive grants are awarded as part of the Andalusian Research Plan. The aim is to facilitate the hiring of excellent researchers of any nationality with good leadership skills for a period of 4 years, who will contribute to research development in Andalusia while developing their own research careers and enhancing research activity at the beneficiary organisations. Candidates must have obtained their PhD between 5 and 12 years preceding publication of the call for applications.

The purpose of this programme is to attract and retain research staff with an exceptional scientific track record and leadership skills within the Andalusian Knowledge System. It offers three-year work contracts, which can be extended for successive three-year periods subject to favourable evaluation of the research activity completed. Candidates must have obtained a PhD at least 5 years before applying for the programme and have established a strong international scientific profile.