Purpose
The purpose of this call for applications is to award individual grants to researchers and cultural creators at a mid-career stage, between the ages of 30 and 45 (inclusive), for the development of a distinctly personal and innovative project in their respective fields of scientific, technological, or cultural specialization.
The specific purpose of the grant is entirely at the discretion of each applicant, with the sole requirement being that the use of the requested funding be clearly related to the development of the proposed project.
It is expected that, during the development period of the project for which the grant is being requested, the recipient will give priority to this project over other research or creative projects.
The areas covered by the call for proposals are as follows:
- Physics and Chemistry
- Medicine (Clinical and Translational)
- Biology and Biomedicine
- Environmental Sciences
- Engineering Firms
- Mathematics, Statistics, and Data Science
- Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science
- Economics and Social Sciences
- Linguistics, Philosophy, History, and Literature
- Music and Opera. Visual Arts
- Creative Writing and Performing Arts
Funding
The total budget for this call for proposals is set at 2,750,000 euros.
At least 55 scholarships will be awarded, each with a maximum gross amount of 50,000 euros.
All scholarships will be subject to the withholdings and taxes stipulated by current law, which will be deducted from the corresponding grant amount.
Under no circumstances are these scholarships intended as awards or grants for projects that have already been completed.
If a scholarship recipient is affiliated with a university, a public research center, a private (nonprofit) research center, or a hospital, the aforementioned financial award will be disbursed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Deadline
The projects submitted must be completed within 12 to 18 months from the date the grant acceptance agreement is signed. The project for which the grant is requested must be completed by the end of this period.
Applicants
Applicants must be individuals, researchers, or cultural creators who are Spanish nationals residing in Spain, or nationals of other countries residing in Spain, in accordance with the terms set forth in these guidelines; they must demonstrate compliance with the residency requirement by submitting the documentation specified in Section 5.
Applicants must be between the ages of 30 and 45 (inclusive) at the time of application.
Legal entities of any kind, associations, joint ownership entities, or groups of applicants organized under any other form of association are not eligible to apply for this call for proposals.
If the proposed project were to be carried out at a university, a public research center, a private (nonprofit) research center, or a hospital, the applicant must be affiliated with that institution at the time the acceptance agreement is signed.
Applying for this call for applications is incompatible with having been a recipient of a BBVA Foundation Leonardo Scholarship in previous years.
The grant applied for must be the primary—and preferably sole—source of funding for the project submitted under this call for proposals. If you have applied for or been awarded one or more other sources of funding for the project submitted, this information must be expressly stated in the application, clearly identifying the source, amount, and intended use of the funding requested or awarded.
Documentation
Each applicant may submit only one application for this call for applications. In general, all submitted documentation must be completed in Spanish or English.
All applications must be submitted exclusively through the digital form available on the BBVA Foundation’s website.
For more information: click here
Application Deadline
Application submission period: from January 20, 2026, to March 20, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. mainland Spain time. The application must be completed no later than the date and time specified above.
Complete Rules
The complete terms and conditions of the call for applications can be downloaded by Click here