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 award grants to high-quality cancer research projects—whether basic or translational—conducted under the supervision of a principal investigator. These projects must be carried out entirely in Spain and must be of interest to the Spanish Association Against Cancer (hereinafter, the Association) and cancer patients.
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
The group leader (proposal leader) applying for this call must:
• Hold a Ph.D.
• Be contractually affiliated with a public or private nonprofit organization in Spain that is qualified to conduct scientific research. The research project must be carried out at that organization, which must be specified in the application.
• Applicants must have at least two research articles published or accepted for publication as the last author or corresponding author in a peer-reviewed, first-quartile international scientific journal at the time of application. Publications dated
after the application date will not be accepted. Only original research articles will be considered; therefore, reviews, book chapters, or patents will not be counted.
• Emerging groups are encouraged to review the AECC Lab call for proposals
Features of the Proposal
This call for proposals will include two categories:
— Individual: a category in which collaborations with an associated budget are not permitted. Only the proposal’s lead author will be listed in the proposal. If a proposal includes the participation of occasional collaborators without a budget, it must be submitted under this category,
— Collaborative: a category in which up to three collaborators with an associated budget who conduct their research at Spanish institutions may participate, with the applicant serving as the proposal leader. In all cases, a description must be provided explaining why this project is of interest to the Association and to cancer patients.
Features of the Grant
Duration
The grant will have a duration of 4 years from the start date indicated in the specific annex to the framework agreement governing the specific conditions of the grant awarded.
However, at the end of the initial two-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 total amount of this aid varies depending on the type of aid:
– General individual projects: The grant will be a maximum of 400,000 euros gross over 4 years, at a rate of up to 100,000 euros gross per year
– General collaborative projects: Funding will be a maximum of 600,000 euros gross over 4 years, at a rate of up to 150,000 euros gross per year for the implementation of the project.
In both cases, the eligible expense categories are detailed in the Annex “Guide to Eligibility and Justification of Expenses,” available in the documentation section of the call for proposals at
. 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.
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 December 11, 2025, 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.