Purpose
The purpose of this call for proposals is to promote research focused on health outcomes by coordinating the research community around concrete, well-defined objectives that are relevant to specific diseases. The grant aims to promote research among emerging research groups from different autonomous communities, organized into a networked research project, by directing their research activities toward common objectives that will yield results applicable to the general population.
Research Groups
This call for proposals is aimed at networked research projects comprising at least three research groups, led by principal investigators born in 1981 or later, whose scientific output indicates they have the potential to become highly competitive groups; these groups must submit a single proposal outlining a distinctive and innovative approach.
Research groups must be organized into a network coordinated by one of the participating principal investigators and must include groups from at least three different autonomous communities. The principal investigators of the participating research groups, including the coordinator, may submit only one proposal for a network project.
Structure:
A network coordinator, who will serve as the point of contact with the AstraZeneca Foundation and will be responsible for the research group (principal investigator) leading the research project, as well as for coordinating among the various participating research groups to ensure the scientific program is carried out.
– One person responsible for each research group, who will serve as the group’s principal investigator and act as its representative, and who will be responsible for ensuring that the work packages assigned to the group are completed.
– Research groups. Defined as a group of researchers who work under the direction of the principal investigator, publish jointly in their field of study, and coordinate their efforts in the development and implementation of the work packages assigned to them within the framework of the network project.
Requirements:
a) Establish a specific objective around which to structure the scientific project within the chosen subject area.
b) Have a scientific project geared toward the objective that defines the network, organizing the participation of the various research groups, as well as appropriate performance indicators to assess the project’s progress.
c) Be composed of at least three research groups belonging to public or private healthcare or university institutions, public research organizations, or other research centers throughout the country and from at least three different autonomous communities. There is no limit on the number of groups that may form the network, provided th
, each group meets the requirements defined in these Guidelines.
d) The principal investigators in charge of the participating research groups must have been born in 1981 or later, and one of them must serve as the network project coordinator
(Full details are available in the call for proposals)
Requirements for Project Proposals
Proposals submitted under this call for proposals may only pertain to research projects conducted within the national territory and with a maximum duration
of 24 months. This period will begin once the grant funds have been disbursed.
Projects must fall within one of the research lines included in the following thematic areas:
1) Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolic Disorders
• Chronic Kidney Disease and Hyperkalemia
• Heart Failure
• Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
• Transthyretin Amyloidosis (ATTR)
2) Oncology, Precision Medicine, and Immuno-Oncology
• Lung Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Ovarian Cancer
• Gastrointestinal Cancer
• Onco-hematology
3) Respiratory and Immunology
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Asthma
• Lupus
• Eosinophilic Inflammatory Diseases
• Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyposis
4) Infectious and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
• Pediatric Influenza
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
• Metapneumovirus
• Clostridium difficile
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Funding
The 10th edition of the AstraZeneca Foundation’s Young Researchers Awards has a total budget of nine hundred fifty thousand euros (€950,000), to fund both collaborative projects and the Honorary Award for Excellence in Scientific Career and Outstanding Contribution to Public Health.
It is anticipated that up to four network research projects will be funded—one for each eligible subject area, as specified in Rule 4 of this call for proposals—provided they meet the requirements and conditions described in these guidelines. A total of two hundred twenty-five thousand euros (€225,000) will be allocated , in a single payment, for each of the networked research projects, which will include, where applicable, indirect costs (overheads) for administrative management.
The award granted as part of the Honorary Award for Excellence in Scientific Career and Outstanding Contribution to Public Health will be in the amount of fifty thousand euros (50,000 €).
Submission of Applications and Deadline
In the case of grants for networked research projects, interested parties may submit their applications along with the corresponding attachments electronically, via file attachments
(PDF), exclusively via the email address jovenes.investigadores@astrazeneca.com, and they may download the application form, which they must complete in order to
Announcement of the call for applications on the AstraZeneca Foundation’s website www.fundacionastrazeneca.es
Applications must be submitted in Spanish; projects submitted in any other language will not be evaluated. The application must include the name and other identifying information
of the coordinator and the heads of the participating research groups.
The principal investigators in charge of the participating research groups, including the coordinator, may submit only one proposal for a network project. For its part, a coordinating entity may submit a maximum of two projects for each of the defined thematic areas, which will be accepted in strict order of submission.
The application period will run from the date of publication of this call for applicationsuntil 12:00 a.m. on June 16, 2026. The AstraZeneca Foundation will only accept
those applications that are properly completed and have been submitted online within the specified period.