Aragón grants ten million to research groups for 2026-2028

The Director General for Science and Research, María Pilar Gayán Sanz, has recognized the research groups of the Administration of the Autonomous Community of Aragon for the 2026-2028 period and has resolved the call for grants aimed at promoting their research activity, for a total amount of 9,999,998.74 euros. The measure is formalized in the Resolution of October 1, 2026, and is published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 201, of October 16, 2026, within section III, “Other Provisions and Agreements” (official reference BOA20261016019).

The call derives from Order EMC/563/2026, of April 13, published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 76, of April 22, 2026, which establishes the procedure for the recognition of research groups, approves the regulatory bases for the grants, and proceeds with the call for the 2026-2028 period. This line is part of the Strategic Grant Plan of the former Department of Employment, Science, and Universities for 2024-2027, and is processed under a competitive bidding regime through a simplified procedure, in accordance with the consolidated text of the Aragon Grants Law.

The procedure was conducted through the R&D&i Promotion and Planning Service, which forwarded the documentation to the Technical Evaluation Commission, designated by Resolution of July 22, 2026. The final evaluation report is contained in the minutes of the session of September 17, 2026, and on September 18, 2026, the instructing body formulated the proposal for recognition and the granting of aid.

Recognition of groups and budget allocation

The resolution recognizes the research groups listed in Annex I and approves their complete and detailed composition. The maximum global amount of the call amounts to ten million euros (€10,000,000), charged to the Expenditure Budget of the Autonomous Community of Aragon for the 2026, 2027, and 2028 fiscal years.

The final distribution of credits was modified by the Resolution of September 21, 2026, of the Director General for Science and Research, due to the legal nature of the final beneficiary organizations:

Application 5423/440030/91002: 2,783,359.13 euros in 2026; 3,247,252.32 in 2027; 3,247,252.37 in 2028; total 9,277,863.82 euros.
Application 5423/480072/91002: 216,640.87 euros in 2026; 252,747.68 in 2027; 252,747.63 in 2028; total 722,136.18 euros.
Totals per year: 3,000,000.00 euros in 2026; 3,500,000.00 in 2027; 3,500,000.00 in 2028.

The resolution declares the non-existence of inadmissible applications or withdrawn applications, as all those submitted met the requirements of the call.

The fifteen beneficiary centers

Grants are awarded to research centers or bodies, public or private, and to universities, public or private, that have recognized groups attached to them. The global amounts per beneficiary for the three-year period are as follows:

University of Zaragoza (UZ): 6,794,347.67 euros.
Health Research Institute Foundation (IISA): 935,635.68 euros.
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC): 875,981.04 euros.
San Jorge University Foundation (USJ): 521,193.03 euros.
Agro-Food Research and Technology Center of Aragon (CITA): 172,684.43 euros.
Technological Institute of Aragon (ITA): 163,265.28 euros.
Aragonese Institute of Health Sciences (IACS): 141,287.27 euros.
Energy Resources and Consumption Research Center Foundation (CIRCE): 128,728.40 euros.
Plastics Industry Injection Workshop Research Association (AITIIP): 50,235.47 euros.
Center for Cosmic Physics Studies of Aragon (CEFCA): 50,235.47 euros.
Polytechnic University School of La Almunia (EUPLA): 50,235.47 euros.
Zaragoza Logistics Center (ZLC): 50,235.47 euros.
Teruel Paleontological Ensemble Foundation (DINOPOLIS): 25,117.74 euros.
Hydrogen Foundation (FHIDROG): 21,978.02 euros.
Canfranc Underground Laboratory: 18,838.30 euros.

Deadlines, advances, and justification

Payment is conditional upon the beneficiary centers expressly accepting the grant within ten days from the day following the publication of the resolution in the Official Gazette of Aragon, using the standardized form in Annex III and through the Electronic Office, under procedure number 11238. Failure to accept or submission after the deadline implies waiver and loss of effectiveness of the grant.

The justification period begins on the day of acceptance and ends on October 31, 2028. Additionally, it is agreed to make advances for an amount equivalent to the 2026 annual payment for each beneficiary center, according to Annex V. An administrative appeal may be filed against the resolution, which does not end the administrative process, before the Minister of Education, Science, and Universities within one month.

The impact of this resolution is direct for the Aragonese R&D&i system: it consolidates the funding of recognized groups for three years and distributes nearly ten million euros among universities and research centers, with the University of Zaragoza as the main recipient, concentrating nearly 68% of the total granted.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 201, of October 16, 2026, section III “Other Provisions and Agreements” (official reference: BOA20261016019).