- The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) has published the provisional resolution of the 2024 call for grants to Knowledge Generation Projects, the largest call of the MICIU.
- The Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, has assured that “in this edition a historical endowment has been reached, being the largest budget to date”
- To the Institutes and Universities of Madrid 761 grants for the development of their research projects.
The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), through the State Research Agency (AEI), has published the provisional resolution of the call 2024 for aid to Knowledge Generation Projects. This is the largest call for applications from MICIU, which annually provides competitive funding for the best research projects developed in Spain. In addition, since 2022, grants for pre-doctoral contracts for the training of doctors have been included in this call, with the aim of speeding up the hiring of young researchers within the framework of these research projects.
In total, 667 million euros have been pre-granted, 2% more than the previous year and 34% more than in 2018. Of this amount, EUR 512.9 million goes to 3,252 research projects and EUR 154.2 million to 1,149 pre-doctoral contracts. The aid is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund Plus.
The Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, has assured that “this edition has reached an historic endowment, being the largest budget to date, which will allow us to continue advancing knowledge and respond to social, economic and technological problems, as well as offering strong support to the training of new doctors”.
Record in requests
In the call for applications of 2024, 7,190 applications were submitted, 8.68% more than those received in the previous year (6,566 applications) and 13.14% more than in 2022 (6,245 applications), reflecting the growing interest of the scientific community for this call.
Territorial distribution of aid
In terms of territorial distribution, aid has been granted to projects that will be developed in all the autonomous communities, highlighting Catalonia with 773 aid (24%), followed by the Community of Madrid, with 761 aid (23%) and Andalusia with 493 aid (15%).
Among these grants for different research agencies and universities, projects for new technologies, as well as medical and environmental studies stand out. In fact, the Faculty of Science of the Autonomous University of Madrid has obtained 33 grants; also important are the grants for medical research in Madrid such as those received by the Center for Molecular Biology SEVERO OCHOA with 18 projects, as well as the food that through the National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Technology will research in 21 projects.
However, the Ministry has taken into account all areas of knowledge and science in Madrid from robotics, law, history or new environmental challenges.
Highlight the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid that already prepares 16 projects or the Hospital Foundation of Alcorcón that will receive 162,500 euros for its project.
Diversity of research projects
Of the 3,252 projects approved, there is a majority of consolidated researchers, with 2,866 projects (88%). On the other hand, the projects of young researchers total a total of 386 approved proposals (12%).
This year, as a novelty, a new type of projects developed within the framework of an international bilateral collaborative action sponsored, for the foreign part, by the German Foundation for Research (DFG) or by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) of Brazil have been incorporated. It is proposed to finance 16 projects of this type subject to financing by the corresponding international agency.
Age and sex distribution
The average age of the main researchers is 49.9 years. 50.2% of the approved projects have at least one woman as principal investigator while 72.8% of the projects involve at least one man as principal investigator.
Distribution by research area
By area of research, 254 million euros (49.5% of the total) are allocated for projects in Life Sciences; 194.3 million euros (37.9%) for Mathematical Sciences, Engineering, Physics and Chemistry; and 64.6 million euros (12.6%) for Social Sciences and Humanities.