The “la Caixa” Foundation has opened a new edition of its Junior Leader postdoctoral scholarship program, an initiative aimed at attracting and consolidating excellent researchers in Spain and Portugal. The call, published on July 31 in the Official State Bulletin (BOE), will offer 40 grants to develop research projects in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
The program is aimed at researchers of any nationality who have obtained their doctorate between two and seven years before the closing of the call and wish to continue their scientific career in the Iberian Peninsula. Each grant can reach 320,100 euros over three years and includes funding for the researcher’s salary and for the development of their scientific project.
The call is divided into two modalities. The first, called Incoming, includes 20 scholarships for researchers who have resided in Spain or Portugal for less than twelve months during the previous three years and wish to join centers of excellence in research. The second, Retaining, offers another 20 grants for researchers who are already active in either of the two countries and seek to consolidate their scientific career in Spanish or Portuguese universities or research centers.
In the case of the Incoming modality, projects must be developed in accredited centers with the Severo Ochoa or María de Maeztu distinctions, awarded by the Ministry of Science for the quality and international impact of their research. The call also includes accredited health research institutes by the Carlos III Health Institute, the main Spanish public body for biomedical research, or in Portuguese centers evaluated as excellent by the Foundation for Science and Technology, the public agency responsible for funding and evaluating research in Portugal.
In addition to funding, the program includes training in professional skills such as leadership, project management, and career development for researchers.
The application submission period will remain open until September 23, 2026 and the final resolution will be announced in March 2027.
Junior Leader is one of the main postdoctoral scholarship programs promoted by a private entity in Spain and Portugal. With this call, the Foundation seeks to facilitate the incorporation of researchers into universities and research centers in both countries and promote the international mobility of scientific personnel.