Ten million for Aragonese research groups

The Department of Education, Science and Universities of the Government of Aragon has established the final distribution of the 10,000,000 euros allocated to subsidize the research activity of research groups recognized by the regional Administration for the 2026-2028 period. The decision is detailed in the Resolution of August 17, 2026, signed by the Director General of Science and Research, María Pilar Gayán Sanz, and published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 172, of September 4, 2026 (reference BOA20260904009).

The resolution executes the call opened by Order EMC/563/2026, of April 13, which establishes the procedure for the recognition of research groups and approves the regulatory bases for these grants. The regulatory framework is based on Law 17/2018, of December 4, on Research and Innovation of Aragon, which defines recognized groups as organized structures of researchers with a joint, coherent, and quality trajectory, and configures them as an instrument to execute the Regional Plans for Research, Development, Knowledge Transfer and Innovation.

Reallocation of funds between centers

Following the evaluation of the applications and the report from the Technical Valuation Commission, it was found that the initial distribution of funds did not correspond to the legal nature of the centers that are expected to be beneficiaries. Therefore, the global amount is redistributed between the two affected budget applications, without altering the total amount.

Application 15100/5423/440030/91002: changes from 9,500,000 to 9,278,317.88 €.
Application 15100/5423/480072/91002: changes from 500,000 to 721,682.12 €.
Total: 10,000,000.00 €.

Calendar of annual payments

The credit is divided over three fiscal years, with a progressive increase starting from the first year:

2026: 3,000,000.00 €.
2027: 3,500,000.00 €.
2028: 3,500,000.00 €.

The resolution clarifies that these modifications do not imply the opening of a new period for submitting applications nor the start of a new time limit for resolution. Likewise, the resolution will be forwarded to the Department of Finance, Interior and Public Administration for its information, in compliance with Article 15 of Law 17/2023, of December 22, on the Budgets of the Autonomous Community of Aragon, extended until the approval of the 2026 budgets.

Impact on the Aragonese R&D&i system

The final distribution guarantees stable funding for recognized research groups, a key component of the Aragonese R&D&i System that Law 17/2018 aims to clarify and organize. With this reallocation, the Executive adjusts the funds to the reality of the beneficiary centers and ensures that the 10 million reach those who carry out research activities in the community, reinforcing the commitment to the new knowledge economy.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 172, September 4, 2026, section III. Other Provisions and Agreements (official reference: BOA20260904009).