New rules for the Awards of the Institute of Self-Government Studies

The Department of the Presidency has approved the new regulatory bases for the Institute of Self-Government Studies (IEA) Awards, through Order PRE/153/2026, of September 9, published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) no. 9751, of September 15, 2026. The regulation, signed by Minister Albert Dalmau Miranda, renews the framework governing these research awards on the territorial organization of power and repeals the previous order.

The IEA, a body dependent on the Department of the Presidency according to Decree 105/2025, of May 27, has granted these awards since 2019 to provide public recognition to academic research on the territorial distribution of power. Six years after the approval of Order PRE/95/2021 (DOGC no. 8406, of 10.5.2021), the institute has considered it necessary to introduce substantial changes to adjust the bases to the methodological differences of the competing areas of knowledge.

Four categories and two new distinctions

The main novelty is the splitting of the best academic article category into two separate distinctions, in order to promote academic diversity. The awards are granted in four categories:

• Published book.
• Article in the field of political science published in an academic journal.
• Article in the field of public law published in an academic journal.
• Unpublished doctoral thesis.

The two article categories have the same financial endowment, which is determined in each call. The works must deal with objects of study related to the territorial distribution of power and align with the priority research areas set by the IEA Annual Action Plan, approved by the Governing Council, to ensure transparency in the determination of priority topics.

Calls, requirements, and evaluation

The call is annual for the article categories and biennial (in odd-numbered years) for the book and doctoral thesis categories. Works may be submitted in Catalan, Spanish, or English, and authors may apply individually or through co-authorship. The works are evaluated by three evaluation commissions—one for each article field and one joint commission for books and theses—chaired by the management of the IEA and composed of three university professors from the field of social sciences, with equal gender representation.

The granting procedure is based on competitive bidding, and the receipt of the award is compatible with other grants for the same purpose. Applications are submitted electronically through Tràmits Gencat, and resolutions are notified via the Generalitat’s electronic notice board. Award-winning works must state in their publications that they have received an Award from the Institute of Self-Government Studies.

Impact for the academic community

With this renewal, the IEA aims to recognize and disseminate the scientific study of the territorial organization of power, a subject that affects researchers and academics throughout the State. The splitting of the article category allows for the evaluation of public law and political science using their own methodological criteria, and reinforces the diversity of the awards. The rules come into effect the day after their publication in the DOGC.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya, no. 9751, of September 15, 2026, General Provisions section (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26253032-2026).