Ramón y Cajal Program (RYC)

Ramón y Cajal is AEI's flagship postdoctoral contract programme and one of the core talent-retention tools in the Spanish research system. It supports postdoctoral researchers of any nationality and across all fields as they move into Spanish research organisations on five-year contracts. The 2026 budget starts at 240 million euros, is co-financed by the European Union, and is almost double the 2025 level. The 2026 version adds project funding for a five-year own-project line, including support for at least one predoctoral hire for four years. It also introduces an interview stage, ERC-related incentives that can raise salary co-financing by up to 30 percent, access to Europa Excelencia for ERC applicants, and a mandatory stabilisation pathway with an incentive for the host institution. The programme has run since 2001, which gives it unusual institutional weight and a long public track record. RYC now functions as more than a fellowship-style contract: it is a recruitment and stabilisation instrument for building durable research careers in Spain. The absorption of Consolidación Investigadora into the new RYC structure makes the call even more central to AEI's human-resources strategy. Applicants and hosts need to show both scientific independence and a credible route to permanence, because the programme is designed to convert a strong postdoctoral profile into a lasting position.

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