Purpose and Objectives of the Call for Proposals
The purpose of this call for proposals is for the Scientific Foundation of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (hereinafter, the Foundation) to support multicenter clinical studies—not sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry—that accelerate the translation of research findings for the benefit of patients and the development of innovative research that can change clinical practice.
This call for proposals involves the AECC Patient Advocacy Program, which is made up of cancer patients and their caregivers.
All aspects of the call for proposals will be managed through the Foundation’s grant management platform (Grant Management System, hereinafter the GMS platform), where you can find the relevant documentation.
Requirements
In the research project, the role of principal investigator must rest exclusively and solely with the managing entity of the applicant/coordinating institution (hereinafter, the Center) and must address a clinical issue in the following areas:
- Analysis of predictive biomarkers or other strategies for early diagnosis and/or prevention.
- Innovative, non-commercial clinical trials sponsored by researchers or academic societies.
- Innovative multidisciplinary clinical trials that evaluate a multimodal therapeutic/diagnostic strategy.
- Clinical studies of new surgical strategies, new technologies, and palliative care, including comparisons of different therapeutic approaches.
- Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials, including approved drugs.
- Studies aimed at addressing recurrence and metastasis.
Research projects must be multidisciplinary (clinical and translational research) and multicenter, conducted in accordance with a single protocol. The successful applicant groups must be composed of personnel from different collaborating centers, although they may consist of personnel from a single center in duly justified cases. Each participating center must demonstrate that it has prior clinical research experience in the field of cancer diagnosis and treatment, preferably in the context of the subject of the project, and that the center’s research staff is certified to conduct clinical research (in accordance with Good Clinical Practice). The group leader from the Center will act as the scientific coordinator of the research program and will be responsible for submitting the research proposal in response to this call for proposals. The Foundation will sign the framework agreement and the specific grant annex for financial support of the activities with the center to which the scientific coordinator is contractually affiliated; the scientific coordinator will be responsible for scientific direction and communication with the Foundation.
The scientific coordinator may submit an application for the financial grant described in this call for proposals, provided that the research is conducted at healthcare institutions, public research organizations, or other nonprofit research centers in Spain. Collaborations with international groups may be included, but such groups may not receive direct funding under this call.
Any member of the research team(s) must have a formal civil service, statutory, or employment relationship with the entities eligible to submit applications or to carry out the research for at least the entire period between the application deadline and the final decision on the award.
In addition, the group leader or scientific coordinator must have a proven track record in research and have completed a doctoral dissertation. Collaborating groups are defined as those centers that are necessary for the proper execution of the project and that may have an associated budget or serve solely as patient recruiters (without an associated budget). Collaborating groups may only receive funding from one proposal.
Features of the Grant
Duration
The grant will have a maximum duration of 5 years from the signing of the specific annex to the framework agreement governing the specific terms and conditions of the grant awarded.
However, at the end of the initial three-year period, the Foundation will conduct an interim review; failure to pass this review may result in the early termination of the grant, at the Foundation’s sole discretion.
Financial Assistance
The Foundation will award a grant totaling a maximum of 1,000,000 euros gross, distributed over 5 annual installments at a maximum of 200,000 euros gross per year. The eligible expense categories are detailed in the Annex “Eligibility and Expense Justification Guide,” available in the documentation section of the call for proposals.
All budget items must be detailed in the 5-year financial plan. Gradually increasing budgets will be accepted, with a maximum deviation of 40,000 euros per year, provided that the budget after three years is equivalent to three-fifths of the total grant amount.
The Foundation offers an additional 3,000 euros on top of the total grant amount to cover any project-related expenses associated with protecting the research results. This includes patent registration and applications, technical reports on patentability, drafting of business plans, reports to third parties regarding the proper execution of the project, regulatory roadmaps, licensing agreements, etc.
Submission of Applications
Applicants must register on the GMS platform at https://grants-fundacioncientifica-aecc.smartsimple.ie/s_Login.jsp
. Documentation will only be accepted through this channel; documentation submitted through any other channel will not be accepted.
Deadline for submitting applications
The application period begins on November 13, 2025, and ends on January 29, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. (mainland Spain time).
The system will not accept submissions after the application deadline, and only those applications submitted within the application period will be evaluated.