Contact
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What do you need to know?
Grant for public and private universities of the Catalan university system, research centres, hospital foundations and Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS) to hire research staff in training
Contact: predocs.agaur@gencat.cat
Ariadna Audenis 933 194 237
Laia Domènech 932 223 747
Justification: justification forms and documents are available on ongoing calls website: convocatòries en curs.
Authority responsible
Other related authorities
These grants are intended for individuals intend to pursue a doctoral degree in Catalonia.
The following requirements must be met on the day the application is submitted:
1) Meet one of the following conditions:
- Have completed undergraduate studies within the European Higher Education Area, or
- Have completed or be currently undertaking master’s studies within the European Higher Education Area, or
- If neither of the two situations above is met, the candidate must provide proof of enrolment in a doctoral program within the Catalan university system.
2) Have completed undergraduate or equivalent studies and have a minimum grade point average of 6.50 (on a scale of 0 to 10).
If the studies were completed abroad, the grade point average of the academic transcript must be calculated according to the provisions of the Ministry of Universities.
3) Have completed the studies leading to the doctorate between January 1, 2023, and the starting date of the contract.
Only the completion date of the master’s degree that provides access to the doctoral program in which the candidate will be enrolled will be taken into consideration.
Exceptionally, this period may be extended to January 1, 2020, if after completing these studies, candidates have been in any of the following situations:
- Have worked in a job directly related to their studies for a continuous period of 12 months or more.
- Have taken maternity or paternity leave.
- Have been responsible for children under 6 years old.
- Have been responsible for persons with disabilities who require special care.
- Have suffered a serious illness or accident requiring major surgery or treatment in a hospital center causing temporary disability for a continuous period of at least 6 months. Minor surgery, outpatient surgery, and rehabilitation treatments carried out outside the hospital system are excluded.
- Have experienced any of the situations provided for in Article 1 of Organic Law 1/2004, of December 28, on comprehensive protection measures against gender violence.
- Have recognized refugee status under the 1951 Geneva Convention.
- Have obtained, between January 1, 2023, and the date of joining, the official degree in one of the health science specialties.
4) Have a duly signed declaration from the thesis supervisor confirming that they will assume supervision, mentorship, and continuous evaluation tasks of the doctoral thesis.
5) Have not received, in previous calls, any other grant for the hiring of predoctoral research staff from any of the Joan Oró FI, FI-SDUR, and FI-STEP programs convened by AGAUR.
6) Have not held any other specific contract as predoctoral research staff in training for more than 12 months.
7) Having a thesis supervisor who meets the following conditions:
- Being listed as the supervisor on only one application
- Holding a statutory or employment-based affiliation with the host institution of the grant. This affiliation must sufficiently guarantee the supervision and monitoring of the doctoral thesis of the candidate throughout the four years of the grant. For the purposes of these regulatory guidelines, staff with part-time dedication, staff on leave of absence, visiting faculty, and emeritus faculty are considered not to meet this requirement.
8) To be listed as a candidate in a single application.
9) Not hold a doctoral degree.
The deadline for submitting applications ended on January 30, 2026.
The documentation to be attached to the provisional application is as follows:
1) An annexed document that will be available on the AGAUR website during the application submission period.
This annex document can be completed in Catalan, Spanish, or English.
2) Academic transcripts of undergraduate or equivalent studies and master’s studies that provide access to the doctoral program, including the date of degree completion and the grade point average. If the master’s studies are still in progress and not completed at the time of application, an updated provisional academic transcript must be submitted.
3) In the case of studies completed outside the Spanish university system, declarations of equivalence of grade point averages calculated according to the provisions of the current resolutions from the Ministry of Universities must also be submitted.
You only need to complete and download the document. The platform is managed by the Ministry of Universities; in case of any issues, it is recommended to consult the procedure guide or contact the Ministry directly.
If the academic transcript does not include a description of the university’s grading system, documentation certifying this system must be attached, indicating the maximum and minimum grades, and the minimum passing grade.
4) If none of the studies have been completed within the European Higher Education Area, proof of enrolment in a doctoral program within the Catalan university system must be submitted.
Submitting proof of enrolment is mandatory; admission to the doctoral program alone will NOT be sufficient to be eligible for the grant.
5) A duly signed declaration by the thesis supervisor confirming that they assume or will assume the tasks of supervision, mentorship, and continuous evaluation of the doctoral thesis and the obligations established in the regulatory bases.
This document will be available on the AGAUR website during the application period and must be attached electronically signed by the thesis supervisor.
6) If applicable, a copy of the supporting documentation corresponding to exceptional situations regarding the date of completion of the studies leading to the doctorate, as provided on the regulatory bases.
7) Additional documentation optionally required by the hosting entity of the grant.
Documents
At the time of submitting the application:
- Candidates must meet all the requirements mentioned above
At the time of joining the hosting entity,
- Candidates must be enrolled in a doctoral program at a university in the Catalan university system for the 2025-2026 academic year.
- Candidates joining from June 1, 2026, may be accepted into the corresponding doctoral program and enroll in the 2026-2027 academic year when enrollment becomes effective, according to the calendars of the different universities.
Important: This condition only applies to candidates who have completed their studies within the EHEA. All other candidates must be enrolled in the doctoral program at the time of submitting the provisional application.
- Contracts must start no later than September 1, 2026. Non-EU individuals may start up to December 1, 2026, if they can demonstrate that, as of July 1, 2026, they had already initiated all hiring and administrative procedures and that they are enrolled in or admitted to the corresponding doctoral program.
There are not taxes associated with this procedure.
Steps to follow
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1
Step one
Application form
Step one
Deadlines
From 01/14/2026 to 01/30/2026Step one
Applications must be submitted online, and all the required documents must be attached. To proceed to the second phase, the applying entities must have previously signed the corresponding agreement with AGAUR, which can be found on AGAUR’s website.
The provisional application must be submitted by the candidate for the predoctoral contract electronically through the FI 2026 application form, following the provided instructions. Each candidate and each thesis supervisor can only appear in one single application.
Questions that may arise for researchers or candidates can be found here.
This procedure must only be done online.
Submission of provisional applications: idCATMòbil or digital certificate are not needed.
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2
Step two
Confirmation or rejection by entities
Step two
Step two
Once the deadline for submitting provisional applications has passed, a new period will open for entities to access AGAUR’s aid management application (BOGA) to confirm or reject the applications submitted by candidates.
To confirm provisional applications, the applying entities must send to AGAUR, via the EACAT platform or another valid official registry, the confirmation document for the submitted applications generated by BOGA, signed by the legal representative of the entity.
Questions that may arise for entities can be found here.
Affiliated entities have until 5/15/2026, at 2 p.m. to directly enter the prioritization of applications in AGAUR’s aid application (BOGA). -
3
Step three
Receiving notice from the Administration
When is the notice from the Administration received?
When is the notice from the Administration received?
The màximum legal period for reaching a decision is six months as of the day following the date of the publication of this call for applications in the DOGC. If no express decision has been issued after this period has elapsed, the grant applied for will be understood as rejected due to administrative silence.
What is the notice received?
The resolution shall be notified on the Government of Catalonia e-noticeboard. To ensure wider dissemination, for information purpose, the content of this proceeding will be available on the web sites of the AGAUR.
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4
Step four
Grant’s acceptance
Newly awarded grants must be formally accepted using a standard model signed by the beneficiary entities’ legal representatives as well as the PhD candidate.
Newly awarded grants must be formally accepted using a standard model signed by the beneficiary entities’ legal representatives as well as the PhD candidate.
The acceptance document must be submitted in a maximum period of 2 months from the day following the first day of the candidat's contract.
Together with the document of acceptance, you must submit the documentation provided in the general terms and conditions.
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5
Step five
Recruitment
The deadline for starting a contract is 1 September 2026
The deadline for starting a contract is 1 September 2026
Non-EU individuals can start their contract until 1 Desember 2026 for reasons related to the processing of their employment contracts. This extension can only be granted if they meet the requirements outlined in the regulatory bases and the call for applications by 1 September 2026, and have started the corresponding contracting procedures.
Contracts must always begin the first day of the month.
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6
Step six
Renew the grant
Entities must submit applications and renewal proposals for all grants.
Entities must submit applications and renewal proposals for all grants.
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7
Step seven
Grant's justification
The deadline for entities to justify a grant is two months after the end of the contract. They must attach the following documents:a) A technical report signed by the hired researcher and the thesis [...]
The deadline for entities to justify a grant is two months after the end of the contract. They must attach the following documents:
a) A technical report signed by the hired researcher and the thesis supervisor.
b) A financial report justifying the cost of the contracts based on the results obtained.In addition, entities and researchers can be part of two verification processes: administrative and on-site verification. AGAUR will use sampling techniques to execute both verification processes.
Justifications documents: FI Joan Oró ongoing calls.
This programme is financed by European Social Fund Plus (ESF+)
