The University of Cantabria announces 19 permanent positions for scientific-technical staff

The University of Cantabria has announced an open competitive examination for the indefinite hiring of personnel destined for scientific-technical and innovation activities, with a total of 19 contracts. The decision corresponds to the Rectorate and is formalized in the Rectoral Resolution (R.R. 1346/2026), signed in Santander on October 20, 2026, by the rector María Concepción López Fernández. The full text is published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, within section 2.2 of courses, competitive examinations, and contests, with the official reference CVE-2026-8321 starting on page 54996.

Regulatory framework and scope of the call

The bases are supported by articles 23 bis and 32 bis of Law 14/2011, of June 1, on Science, Technology and Innovation, and the competencies that article 50 of Organic Law 2/2023, of March 22, on the University System attributes to the Rectorate, together with the institution’s Statutes approved by Decree 26/2012, of May 10.

The process consists of two eliminatory phases: the merit competition provides 60% of the score (up to 100 points, with a minimum of 25 to pass) and the examination the remaining 40% (up to 40 points). Remuneration is adjusted to article 66 of the execution bases of the university budget, and the contracts are subject to Law 53/1984 on incompatibilities.

The 19 contracts are divided into three professional categories:

• Doctoral Researcher: contracts 289/2026 to 294/2026, six positions.
• University Graduate Researcher (non-Doctoral): contracts 295/2026 to 305/2026, eleven positions.
• Higher Vocational Training Technician: contracts 306/2026 and 307/2026, two positions.

Research groups and profiles

The destinations cover very different areas of university R&D. Among the doctoral positions are the GER (Green Engineering and Resources) group, with a line on the valorization of lignocellulosic waste; GIDAI, specialized in fire safety, with two contracts; Mechanical Engineering, linked to the modeling of planetary transmissions; Sustainable Mobility and Railway Engineering (SUM LAB); and a group on bacterial Type IV secretion systems.

The university graduate positions are distributed among MicroBioPain, focused on the gut microbiome and chronic pain; Software and Real-Time Engineering; Photonic Engineering; Materials Chemistry; Advanced Separation Processes; Algorithmic Mathematics And Cryptography, with two contracts; and PALEO, dedicated to prehistoric technology. The two technician positions are assigned to LADICIM, for mortar and concrete testing, and to the Functional Genomics and Transcriptomics of Tumor Development group.

Most contracts require full-time dedication of 37.5 hours per week, during morning hours or both morning and afternoon. Two positions, contracts 296/2026 and 305/2026, are part-time, with 20 hours per week.

Deadline, application, and process development

The deadline for submitting applications is ten business days starting from the day following the publication in the Official Gazette of Cantabria. Processing is electronic, through the Electronic Office of the University of Cantabria, using the procedure “Calls for Indefinite Research Personnel,” via electronic certificate or the cl@ve system.

Applicants must pay an examination fee of 12.63 euros and submit an application for each contract they apply for, along with a standardized curriculum vitae and supporting documentation of merits. Exemptions apply, among others, to those who are unemployed, persons with a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33 percent, victims of terrorism and gender-based violence, and members of large families.

Each contract has its own selection committee, consisting of five permanent members and five substitutes. Sonia Samperio Ríos serves as the secretary for the permanent committees and María del Carmen Sainz Vega for the substitute committees. The order of appearance for the candidates will begin with those whose first surname starts with the letter “B”. The probationary period following hiring is two months, and formalization must occur in the month following the award resolution.

Provisional lists of admitted and excluded candidates will be published on the website of the Personnel Service for Administration and Services of the University of Cantabria, with a period of five business days to correct any defects.

Impact

The call represents one of the largest labor stabilization offers in R&D at the University of Cantabria this year: it converts 19 positions, previously linked to specific projects and groups, into permanent ones, ranging from industrial engineering and biomedicine to archaeology and cryptography. For doctoral researchers, higher degree holders, and vocational training technicians, the process offers a pathway to public employment with scales that prioritize publications, patents, projects, and previous experience, with the warning that some contracts remain conditional upon the final acquisition of funding.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 206, October 27, 2026, section 2.2 Courses, competitive exams and contests, page 54996 (official reference: CVE-2026-8321).