The State Research Agency announces the 2026 Ramón y Cajal grants

The State Research Agency has opened the 2026 call for the Ramón y Cajal grants, aimed at incorporating and retaining research personnel in universities and R&D centers. The extract of the resolution, signed on September 25, 2026, by the president of the organization, Juan Cruz Cigudosa García, is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) no. 238, of September 26, 2026, section V-B, page 50649, with reference BOE-B-2026-31264.

The call is based on Order CNU/671/2026, of June 29, which approves the regulatory bases for several programs and subprograms of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2024-2027, the management of which corresponds to the State Research Agency. The extract is disseminated in accordance with articles 17.3.b and 20.8.a of the General Subsidies Law 38/2003, of November 17, and its full text is available in the National Subsidies Database with the identifier 918641.

Object and purpose of the grants

The program seeks to promote the incorporation and retention, within organizations of the Spanish System of Science, Technology and Innovation, of Spanish and foreign research personnel with outstanding trajectories. The objective is for the beneficiaries to acquire the necessary skills and capacities to obtain a stable position in a research organization.

To this end, the call finances an original R&D+i project, facilitates the start of a line of research, and incentivizes the creation of permanent positions in the affiliated institutions. Furthermore, it aims to stimulate the participation of beneficiaries in the calls of the European Research Council, through an increase in the hiring grant and through the financing of the Europe Excellence project call.

Beneficiary entities

The following may apply for the grants, in the general track and in the specific track for persons with disabilities:

• Public research organizations.
• Public universities and their university institutes, and private universities.
• Public and private non-profit health entities and institutions.
• Accredited health research institutes.
• Technological centers and technological innovation support centers.
• Other R&D+i centers, public and private non-profit.

In the specific track for research personnel in public agricultural and food research centers, only centers dependent on the autonomous communities integrated into the INIA (CSIC)-CCAA system and the Spanish National Research Council, through the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, may apply.

Amount, deadlines and evaluation criteria

The maximum total amount amounts to 240,000,000.00 euros, charged to budget application 28.303.463B.750 of the General State Budgets for the 2028 financial year and subsequent years, or equivalents that replace them, depending on budget availability.

The application period, for both entities and candidates, will begin on November 10 and end on December 10, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. (Spanish peninsular time). Completion and electronic submission must be carried out exclusively through the electronic means enabled on the website of the State Research Agency.

Applications will be evaluated according to five criteria:

• Scientific-technical contributions of the candidate.
• Quality and novelty of the research project proposal.
• Expected scientific, economic, and social impact of the results.
• Degree of independence and leadership.
• Feasibility of the project proposal.

The description of the criteria, their assessment, and their thresholds are detailed in Annex I of the call.

The call arrives at a time of renewal for the major talent attraction programs of the public R&D system, as the 2026 call for Juan de la Cierva grants (BOE-B-2026-31265) is also published on the same day. For researchers seeking stability and for universities and centers competing to attract talent, the established calendar—with barely a one-month window and a closing date in December—sets the roadmap for the next scientific hiring season.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 238, of September 26, 2026, section V-B, page 50649 (official reference: BOE-B-2026-31264).