ATRAE Program — Established Talent Recruitment (Incorporación de Talento Consolidado)
Backs research teams and institutions for Programa ATRAE Incorporación de Talento Consolidado in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and climate technology.
⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
Programa ATRAE 2026 (Incorporación de Talento Consolidado) is a competitive grant call administered by Spain's Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU). Its purpose is to enable Spanish universities and public research organisations (OPIs) to hire senior researchers who hold internationally recognised careers and have recently completed a significant period of professional activity abroad. The program forms part of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2024–2027, specifically the Human Resources subprogram focused on training, attracting, and retaining research talent.
The total budget for the 2026 call is €40,000,000, allocated competitively across qualifying hiring proposals. The applicant in each case is the Spanish institution rather than the researcher being hired; the institution must propose a defined position and research activity for the incoming talent. Per-award amounts for individual hires are not stated in the published call summary and will appear in the full resolution document. The call opened on April 23, 2026 and closes at 14:00 Spanish peninsular time on June 4, 2026. Special merit recognition is given to proposals that incorporate researchers transferring from institutions based in the United States.
Only Spanish universities and OPIs may apply; for-profit companies, nonprofits, and individual researchers cannot submit directly. The competitive review is conducted by AEI's Subdirección de Procedimientos de Concesión. Applications are submitted through the AEI portal at aei.gob.es. Institutions should prepare documentation demonstrating the researcher's international track record and the strategic value of the hire to the institution's research programme. The program covers all scientific and technical disciplines with no sector restriction.
Funding for Spanish universities and public research organisations to hire senior researchers with internationally recognised careers who have recently worked abroad, across all scientific domains.
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