The Ministry of Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands presents a budget of 424.5 million euros for 2026. These accounts consolidate a development model based on knowledge, creativity, and innovation as drivers of economic progress and social cohesion.
Councilor Migdalia Machín highlighted that “the budget we present today is not just a set of figures, but the expression of a political will that focuses on higher education, promoting science and research, protecting and promoting culture, and strengthening the innovation system in the Canary Islands”.
With these accounts, the Canary Islands are moving towards a production model based on knowledge and innovation, capable of generating qualified employment, added value, and territorial cohesion, prioritizing investment in talent, technology, and creativity, "the three engines that will allow us to transform our present and guarantee a sustainable future for future generations," he pointed out.
"In a context of global transformation and economic, social, and technological challenges, the Government of the Canary Islands reiterates with these accounts institutional stability, efficiency in management, and intelligent investment in human capital."
Almost 300 million for the public universities of the Canary Islands
The Universities area reaches nearly 300 million euros, the highest figure in its history, with an increase of 10 million euros compared to the previous year, with each of the public universities, La Laguna and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, receiving more than 5 million euros in addition, which guarantees financial stability and allows for continued progress in teaching quality, digitalization, and research.
Machín stressed that "betting on our universities is investing in equal opportunities, strengthening their stability and their role as generators of knowledge, social drivers, and progress." He added that "universities are spaces of the future, where the Canary Islands research, think, and transform, contributing not only to the development of our land but also to facing global challenges."
In this area, the increase in the budgetary allocation for student travel grants stands out, going from 700,000 euros in 2025 to one million euros for 2026, the highest allocation to date, making the Canary Islands fairer and more equal in terms of university training opportunities.
The Canary Islands Government maintains its commitment to an open, modern university connected to its surroundings, one that drives applied research, knowledge transfer, and the training of qualified professionals, ensuring that our universities continue to be engines of equity and progress, not just centers of learning, but spaces of the future where the Canary Islands think, research, and transform.
Science and Innovation: Structural Boost
The Canary Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI) experiences the greatest growth of the entire Ministry, with an increase of 28.16% to reach 65.48 million euros, the largest budget with its own funds in its history.
The additional resources will allow for the expansion of R&D&I calls, strengthening of technological transfer, and fostering of collaboration between universities, research centers, and companies. The Canary Islands Technological Institute (ITC) also increases its allocation by five million euros, with projects focused on biotechnology, clean energy, circular economy, and sustainability.
"Investment in science and innovation consolidates a productive model based on knowledge and the ability to generate value from the Canary Islands to the world," the minister pointed out
Migdalia Machín highlighted the substantial increase in predoctoral contracts, which are increasing by 35 positions, 58% more than the initial figure in 2023, which was 60 contracts, reaching a total of 95 contracts planned for the next fiscal year, thus increasing opportunities for Canary Islands research talent, in addition to a new model implemented this year with direct subsidies to universities and research centers, as a way to streamline administrative procedures and benefit research personnel.
Also noteworthy is the new Talent Retention Program, whose budget has increased from 400,000 euros to one million euros. "Our goal is that, after training, scientific careers can be developed in the Canary Islands. Betting on talent retention is betting on a better future for our land and for our people," Machín added.
Culture and Heritage: Identity and Cohesion
The Department of Culture and Cultural Heritage will have 46.79 million euros, representing a 12.76% increase compared to 2025. This growth is, at the same time, a statement of principles: recognizing culture as an element of cohesion and an economic driver capable of generating employment and collective pride.
This increase reinforces the work of the Canary Institute for Cultural Development (ICDC) and guarantees the continuity of programs such as the Canary Islands International Music Festival, the Canary Islands Youth Orchestra, or the Canary Plan for the Promotion of Reading, in addition to expanding support for historical heritage and cultural and creative industries.
For the head of the Ministry, "culture is a strategic asset that generates employment, coheses, and strengthens our identity. Investing in culture is investing in self-esteem, in identity, and in social cohesion, and this budget reaffirms that the Canary Islands are betting on its culture as a strategic, transformative asset that generates the future," states Machín.
Likewise, Machín highlighted that, with the creation of the **new Directorate General for Cultural Innovation** and Creative Industries of the Canary Islands, support for the **video game sector** is also being incorporated, an expanding field that will receive 900,000 euros for its promotion and development
Real Growth and Public Planning
For Migdalia Machín, "in times when everything seems volatile, we have bet on what endures: higher education, research, creativity, and cooperation, because we know that only a society that invests in what it thinks, in what it creates, and in what it learns, can move forward with dignity and hope".
“These budgets express a coherent public policy, which reinforces the essential and looks forward with confidence in the ability of the Canary Islands to transform their own future. It is not limited to sustaining the present, but to projecting the future, based on people, talent, and the power of knowledge,” the minister added.
“The 2026 budget reaffirms a clear direction: to grow without depending on circumstances, to innovate without losing our roots, and to consolidate a model of human, sustainable, and just development”.
And she added that "this budget is not just an accounting exercise; it is a declaration of confidence in the Canary Islands. Confidence in its people, in its talent, in its capacity to build its own future from knowledge, culture, and innovation," the minister concluded.