Purpose
The Ramón Areces Foundation’s primary objective is to promote excellence in scientific and technical research in Spain through research grants and the training of young researchers, as well as to disseminate, promote, and develop scientific education and culture in general.
In line with these objectives, the Foundation seeks to support the training of individuals beginning their careers as scientific researchers by funding contracts for doctoral dissertations in doctoral programs at Spanish universities and other research centers, with the goal of earning a Ph.D. beginning in January 2026.
This call for proposals focuses on the following priority areas:
• Rare Diseases
• Biomedicine
• Physics and Mathematics
• Chemistry
• Biosphere Conservation
Candidate Requirements
- Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree, engineering degree, architecture degree, or other university degree, with a total of at least 240 ECTS credits at the time of application. In this call for applications, preference will be given to candidates who obtained these degrees between 2021 and 2025.
- Be enrolled or admitted to an on-campus doctoral program at a university or research center headquartered in Spain; or, if not enrolled or admitted to the aforementioned doctoral program at the time of submitting the application, be eligible for admission prior to the date on which the grant agreement is formalized.
- Applicants must not hold a doctoral degree or have previously held a pre-doctoral contract lasting longer than 6 months.
- Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average on their academic transcript for their bachelor’s degree, graduate degree, or equivalent higher degree of more than 7.5 on a 0–10 scale.
Terms and Conditions
- The recipients of the grants will fully acquire beneficiary status once the regulatory agreement governing the disbursement of the grant funds has been formalized, provided they have signed the Declaration of Acceptance.
- The recipient of the grant will sign a contract with the university or research center where he or she will conduct his or her doctoral dissertation.
- The title of these contracts will explicitly refer to the Ramón Areces Foundation and will be named “Ramón Areces Foundation Contract for the Training of Researchers for the Preparation of Their Doctoral Theses.”
- The Foundation will enter into an agreement with the relevant university or research center to govern the disbursement of the grant, which must be formalized by February 13, 2026.
Duration
The duration of the grant will be one year, extendable by calendar year until a maximum duration of four years is reached, subject to the Foundation’s favorable evaluation of the annual progress report on the doctoral dissertation.
Funding
The total annual grant amount will be 35,000 euros gross, which will be used to cover the cost of the successful applicant’s contract for the duration of the grant, as well as the social security contributions payable by the university or research center, and any other mandatory additional expenses applicable under current regulations, including seniority increments and the final termination of the contract.
In addition to the above allocation, two other earmarked contributions will be added:
1. A grant for stays at internationally renowned research centers, upon request from the institution where the doctoral thesis is being conducted and based on an invitation from the host university or center, in the amount of 4,000 euros per stay. A maximum of two stays will be funded over the duration of the grant. Each stay must last at least three months.
2. A grant of 2,000 euros per year, to be used to cover tuition, conference registration fees (and living and travel expenses directly associated with the conference), databases, software, computer equipment, and other expenses, provided they are directly related to the research.
Documentation
The required documentation can be found at the following link, in Section III.
You can also view the complete terms and conditions of the call for applications at this same link, at the bottom of the page.
Where and When to Submit Applications
All documentation, duly completed, must be submitted electronically via the Foundation’s website (www.fundacionareces.es) from September 2 through October 2, 2025.