The Research State Agency of Spain has published the resolution of the 2025 call for the ATRAE Programme, allocating €38.9 million to the recruitment of 37 leading researchers (31 men and 6 women) with a strong global scientific impact in their respective fields. Of these, 56.7% come from research institutions in the United States.
The aim of this call is to facilitate the incorporation of consolidated researchers with recognised international prestige, who have recently carried out a significant part of their professional activity abroad, in order to strengthen a more competitive Spanish R&D&I system at both the national and international levels.
For the first time in its three editions, the ATRAE Programme has attracted more foreign than national talent, with international researchers representing 83% of the awardees. Notably, 32% (12) are from the United States, compared to 16% (5) in 2024 and none in 2023.
It should be noted that this latest call introduced additional funding for the incorporation of researchers currently working in the United States, providing an extra €200,000 for each project.
The programme’s funding represents nearly a 30% increase compared with the previous edition, which allocated €30 million, and a 20% increase in the attraction of talent, having funded 31 researchers in 2024.
An average of one million euros for research
Each researcher will receive an average of one million euros to establish and develop their research activity and group at a Spanish research centre or university. On this occasion, more than 50% of the ATRAE researchers will receive €1.1 million.
The strategic areas in which they will work include Health; Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture, Climate and Environment; Digitalisation and Telecommunications; Advanced Materials and New Manufacturing Techniques; Culture, Creativity and an Inclusive Society; and Space Sciences and Technologies.
Regarding host institutions, 29.7% of the researchers will join the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 48.6% will be hosted by universities, and the remaining 21.6% by other R&D&I centres.
Commitment to tenure after ATRAE funding
These centres and universities have committed to offer stable employment positions once the three- or four-year period funded by the ATRAE Programme ends.
The appointed researchers will be able to train predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers, thereby contributing to the growth of critical research mass in their host institutions. They will also act as catalysts for talent and for attracting additional national and international funding.
In terms of regional allocation, 35.1% of the funding will go to institutions in Catalonia, 29.7% to Madrid, 10.8% to Murcia, 8.1% to Galicia and the Basque Country, 5.4% to the Valencian Community, and 2.7% to Andalusia.
In this edition, a total of 254 applications were evaluated, of which 73.2% were from men and 26.8% from women, with an average age of 49 years. Of all applications, 33.5% came from researchers based in the United States, followed by 11% from the United Kingdom and 5.1% from Germany.