Every year, around this time, the same routine returns: the companies and technology centres I work with start asking whether they will apply this year, when the calls open, what they should already be preparing. Summer momentum works against you; by the time people try to react in September, it is usually too late to reach the deadline in good shape.
The Spanish State Research Agency (Agencia Estatal de Investigación, AEI) — the public agency under Spain's Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades) responsible for funding R&D — has just confirmed the 2026 calendar for two of the most established calls used by Spanish industry to bring doctoral talent into their R&D structure: Doctorados Industriales 2026 and Torres Quevedo 2026. Both are part of the State Subprogramme for Researcher Training, Attraction and Retention of Talent, within the Spanish State Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research 2024-2027.
Confirmed dates:
- Doctorados Industriales 2026 — opens 30 September 2026, closes 26 October 2026.
- Torres Quevedo 2026 — opens 8 October 2026, closes 29 October 2026.
Doctorados Industriales: PhD theses developed in companies, in partnership with a university
The Doctorados Industriales programme funds predoctoral contracts for researchers who will develop their PhD thesis within a company, framed by an industrial research or experimental development project. Its dual aim is to facilitate early-career placement of researchers in industry and to strengthen the transfer of knowledge between universities and the productive sector.
Duration: 4 years.
Eligible applicants. Companies (including spin-offs and Young Innovative Companies, JEIs), private non-profit entities, and public administrations that do not have R&D as their statutory purpose. All must be validly constituted, have fiscal residence or a permanent establishment in Spain, and capacity to enter into employment contracts. Most public sector entities and undertakings in difficulty are excluded.
What is funded (reference figures from the 2025 edition, pending official confirmation for 2026):
- Contracting cost: up to €32,900 per year per contract, with a minimum gross annual salary of €24,400.
- Mobility allowance: €5,500 per contracted person (one-off), to fund research stays at R&D entities other than the host.
- Other project execution costs: up to €40,000 per project.
- PhD tuition fees: €1,500 per contracted person, co-funded at 100%, covering academic supervision and training credits.
The project may be executed entirely at the applicant entity or in collaboration with another public or private entity. The 2025 edition had a total budget of €8 million, with €359,000 reserved for applicants with a disability of 33% or higher.
Torres Quevedo: bringing established PhDs into industrial projects
The Torres Quevedo (PTQ) programme co-funds the hiring of PhD holders to carry out industrial research, experimental development or technical feasibility studies in companies and other entities of the productive sector. Unlike Doctorados Industriales, here the entity hires a researcher who already holds a PhD, to strengthen its R&D capacity.
Duration: 3 years.
Eligible applicants. Companies (including spin-offs and JEIs), technology centres, innovation support centres, business associations and science and technology parks.
What is funded (2025 reference):
The grant co-funds the salary and employer's social security contribution of the contracted person. The aid intensity is calculated as a percentage of the cost of the incentivised activity, in accordance with Article 25 of the General Block Exemption Regulation (EU Regulation 651/2014). The amounts for the second and third year cannot exceed those of the first, provided the conditions for the original grant decision are maintained.
A key requirement: the funded activities must be additional to the entity's regular R&D activity, and the application must justify both the need and the incentivising effect of the grant. The position must be physically located in Spain.
The 2025 edition mobilised a total budget of €20.1 million, with €400,000 reserved for applicants with a disability of 33% or higher.
Comparing the two calls
| Doctorados Industriales | Torres Quevedo | |
|---|---|---|
| Contracted profile | Predoctoral (PhD in progress) | PhD holder |
| Contract duration | 4 years | 3 years |
| University partnership | Required (thesis supervision) | Not required |
| Type of activity | R&D project framing the thesis | Additional R&D activity |
| Award regime | Competitive (grant) | Competitive (grant) |
Aid intensity: how much of the cost is actually covered
This is the question CFOs ask first when they consider whether to apply: what percentage of the cost will the grant actually cover? The answer is different for each programme and, within each one, depends on the type of project and the type of entity. These are the maximum gross aid intensities, in accordance with Article 25 of the General Block Exemption Regulation (EU Regulation 651/2014):
Doctorados Industriales
| Type of project | Small company | Medium-sized company | Large company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial research project | 70% | 60% | 50% |
| Experimental development project | 45% | 35% | 25% |
Special case — public administrations and private non-profit entities:
- If the project is linked to economic activities: the same intensity as large companies applies (50% for industrial research, 25% for experimental development).
- If only non-economic activities are funded: intensity rises to 100%, with the obligation to reinvest any income derived from the grant into the entity's non-economic activities.
Torres Quevedo
| Type of project | Small company | Medium-sized company | Large company, technology centre, innovation support centre, business association, science and technology park |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial research project | 70% | 60% | 50% |
| Feasibility study | 70% | 60% | 50% |
| Experimental development project | 45% | 35% | 25% |
Three things to bear in mind when planning the application
- How the project is classified makes a big difference. The gap between industrial research and experimental development can be 25 percentage points. When I sit down with a company to define the project, this is one of the first conversations we have: if the activity generates new knowledge applicable to products or processes, it fits as industrial research; if it focuses on prototypes close to market, it will be experimental development. The classification is not chosen, it is argued — but it helps to know where you stand before drafting.
- Being an SME changes things. Small companies receive up to 20 percentage points more than large companies or technology centres. If your entity meets the SME definition (EU Recommendation 2003/361/EC), make sure it is correctly reflected in the application, supported by the appropriate documentation.
- No guarantees required. Article 10 of the regulating bases expressly waives the need to submit financial guarantees, which considerably simplifies the financial process for the applicant entity.
What to start preparing now
Speaking from experience: the proposals prepared with time are not only better written, they reach the deadline with the confidence that the whole ecosystem — project, candidate, university (where applicable), administrative documentation — is aligned and nothing is loose. The ones put together in a rush usually carry visible seams that the evaluation spots straight away.
If your organisation is considering applying, these are the elements worth working on already:
- R&D project definition: technical description, objectives, methodology, expected results. The core of the proposal and the most heavily weighted criterion. In Doctorados Industriales it must frame a PhD thesis; in Torres Quevedo it must be R&D activity additional to the entity's regular operations, with a justifiable incentivising effect.
- Nominal identification of the candidate: in both programmes, the application is not submitted in the abstract — the candidate must be identified by name in the application, and their profile must fit solidly with the proposed R&D project (and, in Doctorados Industriales, with the thesis supervision). This means that the search and selection of the candidate, whether jointly with the partner university or directly by the entity, must begin several months before the deadline, not in the final weeks.
- Formal agreements: in Doctorados Industriales, the company–university collaboration agreement is a mandatory requirement. Starting those conversations early prevents last-minute issues and allows for a better thesis–project fit.
- Administrative and financial documentation: company certificates, financial statements, declarations, budget structure. Particular attention to demonstrating that the entity is not in difficulty and to compliance with the requirements of Article 13 of the Spanish General Subsidies Law.
- Co-funding and aid compatibility plan: maximum aid intensity depends on the type of entity (SME, large company, technology centre…) and the type of activity (industrial research, experimental development, feasibility studies). Important to define from the start the company's contribution and how it interacts with other active or planned aid.
- Justification of incentivising effect (especially relevant for Torres Quevedo): the proposal must demonstrate that the aid enables R&D activities that would not have been carried out without it. This is evaluated rigorously.
If I can help
For calls under the Spanish State Research Plan I work in collaboration with Soros Gabinete, a technical consultancy specialised in R&D project management with which I work as an external consultant. From there we support companies and technology centres with an end-to-end approach: structuring the proposal, technical and impact narrative, budget, administrative documentation, and post-award monitoring.
If you are considering applying for Doctorados Industriales 2026 or Torres Quevedo 2026 and would like to talk the project through calmly before September arrives, write to me at contacto@alamosinnovacion.com. The earlier we see it, the better we can plan it.
Note: the financial figures (eligible costs, total budget) mentioned in this article correspond to the 2025 edition and may change in 2026. The maximum aid intensities, however, are set by Article 25 of EU Regulation 651/2014 and remain stable. I will update this article when the official 2026 call is published.