La Caixa Foundation Doctoral INPhINIT Fellowships

What the INPhINIT fellowship gives you

A fellowship is a funded position that lets you do research. You get a paid PhD position in Spain or Portugal for up to 4 years. You earn a salary of 35,800 EUR per year on an employment contract under Spanish or Portuguese law. On top you get 3,500 EUR per year for research costs such as conference fees, courses, stays, materials and equipment. The fellowship also pays your doctoral tuition fees. You get a thesis supervisor, annual training in soft skills, wellbeing and career planning, and mentoring (guidance from an experienced person) for your arrival and later career. You also join the 'la Caixa' Foundation alumni network. The Spanish 'la Caixa' Foundation awards 60 of these fellowships each year.

Who can apply

There are two separate calls with different rules on subject and where you have lived:

• Where you study: You do your PhD at a research centre or university in Spain or Portugal.
• Incoming call (30 fellowships): You apply here if you have NOT lived or worked in Spain or Portugal for more than 12 months in the last 3 years. It covers STEM fields: technology, engineering, physics, chemistry, maths, and health and life sciences. You must go to a Spanish centre with a Severo Ochoa or Maria de Maeztu excellence seal, a Carlos III health institute, or a Portuguese centre rated "excellent" by the FCT.
• Retaining call (30 fellowships): You apply here if you HAVE lived or worked in Spain or Portugal for more than 12 months in the last 3 years. It is open to all subjects and any Spanish or Portuguese university or research centre. Your PhD must be at a different university from where you did your bachelor's.
• Research experience: You have no more than 4 years of research activity by the application deadline.
• Study stage: You meet the requirements to enrol in an official PhD in Spain or Portugal but have not yet started doctoral studies.
• English: You can prove the required level of English with one of the accepted certificates.
• Nationality: Any nationality can apply.

How to apply

You apply through the 'la Caixa' Foundation fellowships online portal. The 2026 deadlines were 28 January (Incoming) and 18 February (Retaining). The 2027 dates are not yet announced. First a remote review checks your CV, motivation letter and reference letters. Shortlisted candidates are then invited to an interview before a multidisciplinary committee.

How realistic are your chances?

This is one of Europe's best-known and most generous PhD fellowships, so with only 60 places a year the competition is strong. Selection rests heavily on your academic record, a convincing statement of purpose and, at interview, your potential and originality. Your prospects improve if you fit one call cleanly (STEM through an excellence centre for Incoming, or an existing local track record for Retaining) and can show a standout research profile.