The Science Agency grants 697,751 euros to ten networked R&D&i projects

The Asturian Agency for Science, Business Competitiveness and Innovation (AGENCIA) has resolved the call for grants for the implementation of networked R&D&i projects by research organizations in collaboration with entities from the Principality of Asturias. The resolution distributes 697,750.99 euros among ten approved projects and leaves four applications rejected. The agreement is published in the Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias (BOPA) no. 209, dated October 28, 2026, with reference Code 2026-08542.

The call was approved by Resolution of March 31, 2026, of the AGENCIA, a body dependent on the Regional Ministry of Science, Industry and Employment, and is based on the regulatory bases established by the Resolution of July 2, 2024. The maximum planned amount was 700,000 euros, an amount authorized by Resolution of the President of the Agency on February 27, 2026, charged to the body’s own budget and European Union funds through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The regulation also provided for an exceptional additional amount of up to 350,000 euros, which was not necessary to activate.

The Evaluation Commission met on October 2, 2026, to assess the applications and submitted the resolution proposal, signed in Llanera on October 16, 2026, by Javier Cueli Llera replacing the Presidency of the Agency due to abstention. The criteria applied are those of the sixteenth regulatory base and the eleventh resolution of the call.

Ten projects approved for 697,750.99 euros

The selected projects total 905,352.46 euros in submitted expenditure, 867,879.02 euros in eligible expenditure, and 170,128.03 euros in contributions committed by the co-participating entities. The approved distribution is as follows:

• IDE/2026/000313 — University of Oviedo: intelligent system for socioeconomic analysis and prediction of blood donations and transfers (HemoData-AI), 84,297.24 euros.
• IDE/2026/000314 — University of Oviedo: validation of inorganic nanocarriers as biological vectors for the controlled and chronic release of advanced therapies in the central nervous system, 71,460.00 euros.
• IDE/2026/000317 — University of Oviedo: in vitro development of therapeutic strategies to reduce the generation of subcapsular opacity after the implantation of a ciliary surface-supported lens, 56,477.20 euros.
• IDE/2026/000318 — University of Oviedo: user experience and testing in transport through an experimental neuromarketing approach for inclusive and sustainable mobility services, 68,048.47 euros.
• IDE/2026/000319 — University of Oviedo: valorization of dunite extraction by-products for the design of sustainable materials (DUN2MAT), 67,946.88 euros.
• IDE/2026/000324 — State Agency Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC): synthesis of high-purity and homogeneity ALON materials for the manufacture of transparent ceramic protection elements in the VIS/IR range, 69,125.00 euros.
• IDE/2026/000329 — University of Oviedo: analysis and experimental design of ultra-high performance concrete with recycled aggregates and steel mill waste (HOMARECA), 42,150.38 euros.
• IDE/2026/000330 — CSIC: valorization of dunite mineral waste for agricultural and environmental applications through circular economy and carbon capture (CIRCUNITA), 92,245.82 euros.
• IDE/2026/000333 — University of Oviedo: advanced validation of anti-miR-29 antisense oligonucleotides for dermal remodeling, 78,500.00 euros.
• IDE/2026/000370 — Regional Research and Development Service of the Principality of Asturias (SERIDA): intelligent data space and agri-food modeling of the Asturian cider apple (POMAR), 67,500.00 euros.

University majority and mandatory collaboration with Asturian companies

Seven of the ten approved projects are led by the University of Oviedo, two by the CSIC, and one by SERIDA, which act as the responsible research organizations. The call requires that each project be executed in a network with a co-participating entity with its registered office or production center in Asturias, so that public funding is supplemented by the monetary contribution that these entities must prove in the justification.

The four rejected applications are listed in Annex II: IDE/2026/000305 and IDE/2026/000315, from the University of Oviedo, and IDE/2026/000331 and IDE/2026/000332, from the Foundation for Biosanitary Research and Innovation in the Principality of Asturias. The reasons recorded are failing to reach the minimum score of 50 points for the total project evaluation and non-compliance with the call requirements.

Execution, justification, and publicity deadlines

• Execution of projects until December 31, 2028, with justification in a single period of three months from that date, i.e., until March 31, 2029.
• Single payment via bank transfer, following request and certification from the competent area of the Agency, with the exceptional possibility of installment payments.
• Express acceptance of the aid (DECA) within one month of the request; failure to submit it renders the grant void.
• Prohibition of modifying approved personnel expenses and replacing the co-participating entity with another.
• Open access deposit of generated publications, within a maximum of six months for experimental sciences, medicine, and engineering, and twelve months for social sciences and humanities.
• Obligation to publicize the public nature of the funding, with logos from the Principality of Asturias, the Agency, and the European Union, and a minimum A3 size poster for projects co-financed by the ERDF.

The resolution ends the administrative process; an appeal for reversal may be filed within one month, and a contentious-administrative appeal within two months from the day following its publication in the BOPA.

The distribution consolidates regional support for network research at a time when competitive calls require private and European co-financing: of the 697,750.99 euros granted, the majority is concentrated in groups from the University of Oviedo, while the CSIC and SERIDA provide scientific capacity in materials, circular economy, and agri-food. For universities, technological centers, and innovative companies, the support of the ERDF also opens the door to future annual installments of a line endowed with up to 1,050,000 euros between ordinary credit and additional amounts.

Source: Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias, no. 209 of October 28, 2026, I. Principality of Asturias — Other Provisions (official reference: Code 2026-08542).