“la Caixa” Postdoctoral Junior Leader Fellowships 2026

“la Caixa” Foundation grants 20 postdoctoral fellowships for researchers of any nationality to carry out a research project in a STEM discipline at universities and research centres of accredited excellence.

Key points

20 fellowships to carry out a postdoctoral research project at Spanish centres accredited as excellent by the Severo Ochoa, María de Maeztu or Carlos III Health Institute seals of excellence, or at Portuguese centres accredited as excellent by the Fundação de Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT).
STEM disciplines (life sciences, experimental sciences, physics, chemistry, engineering, technology and mathematics).
Maximum duration: 3 years.
Maximum amount: €320,100.
Programme of training in multidisciplinary skills.

Requirements of the call

Researchers of any nationality are eligible for the Incoming modality of the Postdoctoral Junior Leader fellowships.

To be eligible for admission, candidates must meet the following requirements:

Experience: to have been awarded a PhD between two and seven years prior to the closing date of the call. The date of obtaining the PhD will be understood as the date the doctoral thesis is defended. Special deadlines apply for candidates with interrupted research careers.
Mobility:For candidates interested in Spanish centres or units: candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the three years immediately preceding the closing date of the call.For candidates interested in Portuguese units: candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Portugal for more than 12 months in the three years immediately preceding the closing date of the call. Short stays, such as vacations, will not be taken into account.Special deadlines will apply for candidates with interrupted research careers and for those who’ve gone through the process to obtain refugee status under the Geneva Convention.
Complete application: only candidates whose application meets all the requirements of the call may be admitted.

Centres of Excellence

Researchers in the Incoming modality must carry out their research project at one of the Spanish research centres that have obtained the Severo Ochoa or María de Maeztu accreditation of excellence from the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, a Carlos III Health Research Institute or a Portuguese R&D unit classified as “excellent” by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia. These are centres and units that stand out for their impact and scientific leadership at an international level and that actively collaborate with their social and business environment.

This includes the following research centres and centres of excellence:

Selection Process

The selection process is made up of three consecutive phases:

Phase 1 – Eligibility
- All applications are reviewed provided they meet the eligibility requirements described in the programme guidelines.
Phase 2 – Preselection
- Excellence of the CV (50 %): the professional CV will be evaluated in line with the stage of the candidate’s career. The relevance and contributions made by the candidate in articles published in scientific journals (citations, impact indexes,…), books or chapters in scientific and technical books, papers presented at conferences, patents granted or licensed and, in general, any other contribution that helps to evaluate different aspects of the research will be taken into account.
- Motivation and Research Proposal (35 %): the originality, innovation and potential impact of the proposed project will be evaluated, as well as the appropriateness of the research centre and/or line of research chosen.
- Reference letters (15 %): letters of recommendation supporting the application will be evaluated taking into account the specificity of their content with respect to the candidate, as well as the profile of the people recommending the applicant.
Phase 3 – Selection interviews
- Academic and professional career (50 %): contributions made to the field chosen for the research project presented will be evaluated, as well as the coherence of the candidate’s academic background and CV.
- Candidate’s potential (30 %): the candidate’s potential will be evaluated, paying particular attention to multidimensional skills such as their clarity and consistency of speech and how they express ideas, their ability to present complex reasoning, teamwork, capacity for independent reasoning, originality, entrepreneurship and leadership.
- Motivation and impact of the proposal (20 %): the conceptual and methodological innovation of the presented proposal will be evaluated, as well as its impact on the candidate’s research career and its impact on society and knowledge.

Key dates

Status: Open

End: 25 September 2025, at 2 pm Peninsular Spain

Pre-selection results and call for interviews: 12 January 2026

Selection interviews: from 24 to 26 February 2026

Publication of results: 10 March 2026

Find out more and apply.