Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence and María de Maeztu Units of Excellence (Centros de Excelencia Severo Ochoa y Unidades María de Maeztu)

The Centros de Excelencia Severo Ochoa y Unidades María de Maeztu programme is AEI's flagship excellence accreditation for Spain's strongest research centres and units. It sits inside the national plan for scientific, technical, and experimental research, and the 2026 call carries an 80 million euro budget. The award is built for public-sector centres and private non-profit research institutions that can show internationally recognised scientific leadership and broad impact. The scheme combines accreditation with grant funding for a four-year strategic plan. It is a competitive subsidy, offered annually, and the current round also includes support for further predoctoral training. Successful organisations receive a recognition that remains valid for up to six years, which makes the programme as much a signalling mechanism as a financing route. Applications are submitted in Spanish. That structure makes CEX a good fit for research organisations already operating at the front of their fields, especially those able to turn reputation into a concrete growth plan. AEI uses it to consolidate institutional leadership, strengthen research capacity, and keep high-performing Spanish centres visible in the European research landscape. The programme rewards depth of track record, but the real test is whether a centre can pair that record with a credible four-year plan.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.