Xunta de Galicia - Predoctoral Support Fellowships

What you get

You will be offered a paid research contract for around 1,833 EUR per month to carry out your PhD at a university or public research centre in Galicia, in north-western Spain. The contract has a duration of up to 4 years. It begins with a minimum term of 1 years and may be extended. Once you have completed your PhD, you may add a postdoctoral period of up to 12 months under the same contract. If you spend up to 3 months conducting research abroad during the contract period, you may apply for an additional travel allowance: 2,000 EUR for Portugal or Andorra, 4,000 EUR for the rest of Europe, Africa and most of the Americas, and 6,000 EUR for the USA, Canada, Asia and Oceania. The programme is funded by the Regional Government of Galicia (Xunta de Galicia) through its innovation agency GAIN and co-funded by the European Social Fund.

Who can apply

• Degree level: You are just starting your PhD and do not yet hold a doctoral degree.
• Where you study: You are enrolled as a full-time student on an official PhD programme at a Galician university or a public research institution in Galicia.
• Field of study: Open to all subjects.
• Recent graduate: You completed your qualifying qualification on or after 1 January 2022. In exceptional circumstances, such as parental leave, a disability of 33% or more, or a serious illness, a later date is permitted.
• Grades: Your degree average is at least 7.5, or 7.0 for engineering and architecture. With a disability of 33% or more, 6.5 is enough.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply. EU citizens are automatically eligible. Non-EU citizens must hold a valid residence permit in order to sign the contract.
• No double funding: You may not receive another national or regional PhD scholarship (such as FPU or FPI) at the same time.

How to apply

Your university or research centre will submit the application on your behalf online via the Xunta de Galicia portal. For the 2026 round, the deadline is 27 February 2026. Selection is based on a points-based assessment of your application documents; there will be no interview.

How realistic are your chances?

The decision on the award of this scholarship is based solely on your application documents and is assessed in comparison with other applicants; therefore, your grades and the quality of your research proposal play an important role. The eligibility criteria are strictly defined: you must already be enrolled at a Galician higher education institution, have recently graduated, and have achieved the required grade threshold. This limits the pool of applicants to the region. If you clearly meet these conditions and have a supervisor who supports you, your prospects are good.