The Ministry of Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Canary Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI), allocates 4,827,490 euros to the predoctoral training programs of the University of La Laguna (ULL), the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Canary Foundation Institute for Health Research of the Canary Islands (FCIISC).
The funding will allow for a total of 184 predoctoral contracts during 2026. Of these, 94 correspond to new hires and 90 to the second year of contracts awarded in 2025. In addition, it includes funding for research stays at national and international centers and for expenses associated with the management and auditing of the programs.
The Minister of Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture, Migdalia Machín, highlighted that "research needs stability and continuity. That is why we continue to increase the resources allocated to the predoctoral stage, which constitutes the foundation of a scientific career."
The distribution of funds includes a contribution of 2.17 million euros for the ULL and another 2.17 million for the ULPGC, which will develop 83 predoctoral contracts each. For their part, the CSIC and the FCIISC will receive 237,276 euros respectively to finance nine contracts in each entity.
Machín emphasized that these programs "offer real opportunities for more people to develop their doctoral thesis in the Canary Islands, while contributing to strengthening the scientific capabilities of our universities and research centers."
The call for applications continues the new management model launched by the regional government, through which universities and research organizations directly manage their predoctoral programs.
"With this model, we seek to streamline administrative procedures so that contracts and resources reach research staff as soon as possible," said the minister.
The regional official also recalled the evolution of this program in recent years. "When we came into government, 60 contracts were financed, and today we are reaching 94 new predoctoral contracts for 2026, which demonstrates our commitment to expanding training and specialization opportunities for research staff in the Canary Islands," she stated.
The funded programs include predoctoral contracts linked to doctoral studies at Canarian universities, as well as grants to carry out short stays at reference research centers inside and outside of Spain. These actions favor the acquisition of new skills, collaboration with other scientific teams, and the advancement of doctoral theses.