The Basque Government will allocate 3,600,000 euros to advanced university research centers

The Department of Science, Universities and Innovation of the Basque Government has approved the regulatory bases and the call for grants aimed at advanced university research centers for the 2026-2028 period. The order signed by Minister Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias on September 15 has a budget of 3,600,000 euros, and was published in issue number 187 of the BOPV official gazette, on September 30, 2026, with reference 2026/4052. The objective of the grants is to strengthen the scientific production of these centers and improve their ability to obtain competitive funding.

The call is aligned with the scientific policy of the Basque Country and the R&D&i strategies of the universities, and the text explicitly links it to the priorities of the PCTI Euskadi 2030 plan, the European Research Area, and the Horizon Europe program. Likewise, it mentions Decree 109/2015, which regulates the composition of the Basque Network of Science, Technology and Innovation, and specifies that public funding will be directed towards verifiable objectives and the monitoring of results.

The budget will be distributed in three installments: 1,200,000 euros in 2026, 1,200,000 euros in 2027, and 1,200,000 euros in 2028. The grants are intended to finance the non-economic activity of the centers, and they carry the reference code IKAUNI_2026_1 on the application form.

Who is the call aimed at

The beneficiaries are universities based in the Basque Autonomous Community, provided they are verified in the RVCTI network under the category of University Research Structures and the advanced centers of the call are attached to them. Applicants must meet these conditions until the full grant is collected:

• The center must have been formally established before 2023 and the applying university must be recognized.
• At least 75% of the staff attached to or contracted by the center must have been part of excellence groups verified as “A” or “B” for the 2026-2029 period.
• The center must have at least 2 research groups verified and funded in the mentioned call.
• The Department must participate in the center’s governing body; applications that do not meet this have a period of 6 months to fulfill this condition.
• The center must have a scientific director linked to the beneficiary entity.

Evaluation and selection

The Ikerbasque foundation will be in charge of managing the evaluation, as a supporting entity, and its Scientific Advisory Committee will produce the scientific-technical report for each application, potentially with the advice of external experts. The evaluation will follow the principles of the Leiden Manifesto, using quantitative and qualitative metrics in a responsible manner.

Centers can obtain a maximum of 100 points. To be eligible, a total of at least 50 points must be obtained, and at least 33 points in block B, that is, regarding scientific excellence and research quality. The Selection Committee will be chaired by Amaia Esquisabel Alegría, Director of Scientific Policy; Maialen Agirre Pinedo, Director of Innovation, and Eneko Galletebeitia Laka will be members as secretary. The resolution will be issued by the Undersecretary of Science and Innovation within a maximum period of six months.

Deadlines and payment

• Applications must be submitted within one month starting from the day after publication, via the euskadi.eus electronic office.
• The 2026 event will be paid in a single payment after the resolution.
• For the 2027 and 2028 events, an advance of 80% will be given before the end of the first six months of each year.
• The first justification must be submitted before January 15, 2028; the final justification, meanwhile, before January 15, 2029.
• The final scientific evaluation will be carried out in the first quarter of 2029, and the result must be notified before March 31, 2029.
• If the advances exceed 180,000 euros, guarantees must be established, according to Decree 698/1991.

Eligible expenses

• Hiring of research staff, both doctoral and researchers in training, and research assistants.
• Purchase and expansion of small and medium scientific equipment.
• Expenses linked to research activity, such as consumable materials and internationalization activities, up to a maximum of 10% of the grant.
• Salaries of permanent staff, building rentals, and general supplies will not be eligible.

The calls provide three years of financial stability to advanced university research centers, and will measure their international positioning and ability to achieve competitive funding through an evaluation based on results. The impact, therefore, is not only in the amount of money: centers will have to prove their scientific production and transfer capacity, for the benefit of the excellence of the science system in the Basque Country.

Fuente: BOPV, n.º 187, 30 de septiembre de 2026, Otras Disposiciones (referencia oficial: 2026/4052).