Santander Grants | Postdoctoral Aid
Objetives
Under the Program, the quality of higher education and the research activity of postdoctoral research staff holding a contractual, academic, or research relationship with universities and/or research centers in Spain that have an agreement with Santander and/or Fundación Banco Santander (hereinafter, the "Institution/s") will be promoted and fostered, consisting of financial aid.
Specifically, it aims to support postdoctoral research staff by promoting the development of their research career through training grants, mobility grants, supplements to postdoctoral contracts, research awards, grants for publishing in high-impact journals, or other expenses derived from research work (hereinafter, the "Grant/s").
Recipients
Postdoctoral research staff residing in Spain who have a contractual, academic, or research relationship with the University of Jaén at the time of the grant application will status as Candidates and may therefore apply to be beneficiaries of this Program.
In any case, Candidates must meet the criteria listed in the section regarding the allocation of Grants.
The Institution will be responsible for verifying compliance with the requirements to be met by the researchers based on the applicant's personal data available in the Institution's own databases.
In the event that the Institution needs to collect particularly sensitive personal data from the Candidates, including any certificate or documentation deemed necessary by the Institution, it will do so in accordance with the applicable regulations on personal data protection in force at any given time.
Under no circumstances will the Institution provide any sensitive personal data of the Candidates to Santander or any of its subsidiaries.
The Institution will not provide in any way any data and/or evidence and/or document that could allow Santander or any of its subsidiaries to deduce/infer or identify in any way which grantees hold aid for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and/or have a disability.
Grant Conditions
The amount to be awarded to the beneficiary will be €4,000, funded through the general collaboration agreements signed between Santander and the University of Jaén.
Receiving the Grant under this Program shall be compatible with other types of assistance grants of an equal or different nature, regardless of their origin (public or private), which the postdoctoral researcher may access under it.
Allocation of Grants Among Candidates
The University of Jaén will determine the list of candidates from which the beneficiary will be selected.
The deadline for the allocation of Grants by the University of Jaén will end on November 10, 2026. This allocation will be communicated to the beneficiary, who will have 7 calendar days to accept it through the Platform.
The University of Jaén will pay the Grant amount by depositing it into an account opened in the Beneficiary's name. To promote financial inclusion, Banco Santander includes a free checking account in its commercial offer, the conditions of which would be communicated, after enrollment in the Program, to those beneficiaries who consented on Santander Open Academy. The Program will close on December 31, 2026.
At the end of the Program, an event may be organized to present its results, coordinated by Santander as the driving company of the Program, which may contact the beneficiaries through any means, including electronic channels, for its organization.
Program Taxation
Grants will be subject to the applicable tax regulations in force at any given time, specifically Personal Income Tax provisions. This may sometimes lead to the application of withholdings by the Institutions and the obligation for the Beneficiary to include the corresponding amounts in their annual tax return (compliance with tax obligations is the exclusive responsibility of the Beneficiary).
Data Protection
The data protection policy applicable to this call is set out in the Privacy Statement document published on the Platform alongside these Legal Terms.
Monitoring
The University of Jaén will be responsible for conducting effective monitoring of the Program in accordance with its usual procedures and preparing a monitoring report that Santander may request at the end of the call.
Acceptance of Conditions
Applying to this Program call implies acceptance of its terms by the candidates. Banco Santander reserves the right to interpret these terms. It also reserves the right to modify or rectify any terms and conditions partially or totally at any time, or even suspend, postpone, or cancel the call for objective and duly justified reasons, aimed at preserving its intended social impact, informing candidates of any changes via the Platform.
Applicable Legislation
The Program, these terms, the accession of Participating Institutions, and its general development and execution are subject to Spanish law.
Download Program Regulatory Framework
Selection Process:
Criteria for Awarding Grants
Grants will be assigned by ranking admitted applications from highest to lowest score based on the following scale:
- A. Average Grade of Bachelor's and Master's Academic Record
- a. Bachelor's Degree (40 points): Average grade of the bachelor's transcript.
- b. Master's Degree (30 points): Master's degree title and average grade of the master's transcript.
- B. Leadership and Internationalization (Maximum 10 points) Cumulative up to the section maximum:
- a. Principal Investigator (PI) of Projects (Max. 5 points): 2.5 points per project (UJA's own plan, national, regional, European, or Art. 83/60 contracts) obtained as Principal Investigator.
- b. Postdoctoral Stays over 3 Months (Max. 5 points): 2.5 points for every full 3-month postdoctoral stay (completed after the PhD defense) at a research center or university other than the University of Jaén.
- C. Impact Scientific Production (Last 5 Years) (Maximum 20 points) Publications from the last 5 years (2020–2025) will be evaluated. Cumulative up to the section maximum:
- a. Q1 Articles (Max. 12 points): 2 points per article published in journals indexed in JCR (SCI/SSCI) in the first quartile (Q1) of its category in the year of publication.
- b. Q2 Articles (Max. 8 points): 1 point per article published in journals indexed in JCR (SCI/SSCI) in the second quartile (Q2) of its category in the year of publication.
Registration
An essential condition to become a Grant beneficiary is registering for the Program through the Platform, preferably using a University of Jaén email address. Notification of the Grant award will be sent through the management system enabled for Institutions on the Platform.
Registration must be completed between MAY 7 and OCTOBER 1, 2026.
Access Platform: https://app.santanderopenacademy.com/es/program/ayuda-economica-para-pe…
Candidates must complete and digitally sign the following document:
The signed document must be sent to sgi-convocatorias [arroba] ujaen [punto] es (sgi-convocatorias[at]ujaen[dot]es) jalong with supporting documentation for merits:
1. Award resolutions or contracts certifying ownership of grants or PI status (Section 3 B, a).
2. Official certificates from the host institution specifying the exact start and end dates of stays (Section 3 B, b).
3. Evidence of the JCR quartile in the year of publication for claimed articles (Section 3 C).
The University may require documentation amendments or perform official verification checks.
Tie-Breaking Criteria
In case of a tie in the total score, it will be resolved according to the following priority order:
1. Being a woman at risk due to violence against women.
2. Being a particularly vulnerable person due to situations of armed conflict.
3. Being in a vulnerable situation based on racial, cultural, ethnic, or religious origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity (appropriate accreditation must be provided).
4. Legal accreditation of status as a victim of violence against women under current legislation.
5. Legal accreditation of victim status due to armed conflict, racial, cultural, ethnic, or religious origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity under current legislation.
6. Legal recognition of disability status equal to or greater than 65%.
7. Certificate of vulnerability or social exclusion issued by social centers with official certification authority.
List of Alternates:
The ordered list resulting from these criteria will determine the beneficiaries and create a list of alternates with the remaining candidates, ordered by the same score, to cover potential waivers.
Contact for Inquiries
sgi-convocatorias [arroba] ujaen [punto] es