Yuste announces ten European research grants on European strategic autonomy

The European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation has announced the “European Research and Mobility Scholarships in European Studies Carlos V - Mario Draghi European Prize,” consisting of ten grants of 2,500 euros each. The announcement, signed on September 30, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette of Extremadura (DOE) no. 195, dated October 8, 2026, with reference 2026081672, and its summary appears under reference 2026081689 and code BDNS 933429.

The call is based on Decree 54/2018, of May 8, which approved the regulatory bases for these scholarships (DOE no. 92, of May 14, 2018), and on Law 6/2011, of March 23, on Subsidies of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura. The procedure is based on competitive bidding and was approved by the Foundation’s Executive Commission, following authorization from the Secretary General of the Vice Presidency and Ministry of Presidency, Coordination of Government Action, Interior and Emergencies of the Junta de Extremadura, on March 26, 2026. The Foundation is a non-profit public entity integrated into the Extremaduran public foundational sector, attached to said department in accordance with Decree 105/2026, of May 26.

The thematic origin of this edition is the award granted in the XVII edition of the Carlos V European Prize to Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank (2011-2019) and president of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy (2021-2022). The jury highlighted his leadership at the head of the ECB to preserve the strength of the euro and the autonomy of the institution, as well as his commitment to youth as a guarantor of Europe’s future.

Ten scholarships of 2,500 euros for doctoral theses

The call offers 10 scholarships with an individual grant of 2,500 euros, bringing the total amount to 25,000 euros, financed from the Foundation’s 2026 budget. The grants cover three purposes:

• The study and documentary research prior to the contributions to the Carlos V European Prize Doctoral Seminar on Multidisciplinary Studies on Contemporary Europe, which will be held at the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste (Extremadura, Spain).
• The preparation of the research papers, which will be published in a joint work by the Foundation together with a prestigious publishing house.
• The mobility of the researchers for their work, their participation in the doctoral seminar, and their attendance at the presentation of the publication.

The theme of this XVII edition is “European strategic autonomy: industrial competitiveness, economic governance, pragmatic federalism and decision-making mechanisms in the EU,” with attention to the profile and trajectory of Mario Draghi and his report on the future of European competitiveness.

Requirements and eligible countries

Beneficiaries may be individuals who, at the close of the deadline, meet the general conditions of Article 12 of Law 6/2011 and these specific requirements:

• Hold the nationality of a member state of the European Union or one of the admitted countries, or prove residence in them prior to the publication of the call.
• Be enrolled in a doctoral program at a university in the eligible countries and be in the thesis preparation phase in History, Political Science, Economics, Law, and other disciplines of the Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as other branches of science, on a topic related to the call.
• Not have previously received a scholarship from this program.
• Prove a level equal to or higher than B2 of the CEFR in English or Spanish, unless it is their native language.

The list of admitted countries covers the EU member states, the Western Balkans, the eastern neighborhood, the southern Mediterranean, Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, and Canada, and other regions such as Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, the Vatican City State, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.

Criteria, jury, and processing

Applications are evaluated up to a maximum of 100 points, divided between academic merits (degrees, average grade of the transcript, awards and scholarships, international stays, publications, professional experience, and linguistic competence) and the research project (orientation, adaptation to the theme and priorities, quality of the topic, structure, and methodology). Ties are resolved by the overall average grade of the transcript and, if it persists, by lottery.

The jury, appointed by the Managing Director of the Foundation, will consist of a president and between 8 and 14 members from the academic and university sphere or with careers linked to the European Union. Their report is binding. The resolution corresponds to the Presidency of the Executive Commission, following authorization from the Secretary General of the aforementioned regional department, and the maximum period to resolve and notify is three months from the end of the application period.

Deadlines, payments, and commitments

The submission period is 30 business days from the day following the publication of the call and its summary in the DOE. Applications are submitted electronically through the Foundation’s website and the email becas@fundacionyuste.org, or physically at the Foundation’s registry in Cuacos de Yuste (Cáceres). Correctable defects have ten business days for rectification.

Payment is split into three installments: two-fifths after the final resolution, one-fifth after the doctoral seminar, and the remaining two-fifths after the submission of the final version of the text. Beneficiaries must submit a summary of up to 8,000 characters, participate in the entirety of the seminar, submit a contribution of up to 50,000 characters, join the Euro-Ibero-American Alumni Network of Yuste, and participate in the presentation of the collective publication.

The announcement was signed in Mérida on September 30, 2026, by Abel Bautista Morán, president of the Foundation’s Executive Commission.

The call for applications strengthens the link between the European award granted by Yuste and young research: ten doctoral students from Europe, Ibero-America, and other regions will be able to fund their theses and translate their results into an open debate on the strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and economic governance of the Union. For researchers from Extremadura and other eligible countries, the one-business-month deadline opens a direct path for funding and international projection from the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste.

Source: Official Gazette of Extremadura (DOE), no. 195, of October 8, 2026, section IV (Announcements), European and Ibero-American Academy Foundation of Yuste (official reference: 2026081672; extract: 2026081689).