Doctoral INPhINIT fellowships

Doctoral INPhINIT fellowships ("la Caixa" Foundation)

You get a salary of 35,800 EUR per year for up to four years to do a PhD in Spain or Portugal. On top of the salary, the fellowship covers 3,500 EUR per year for research costs (conference fees, courses, materials, equipment, research stays) and your doctoral tuition fees. You also join a training programme in skills like science communication, critical thinking and career planning. You get a mentor, an experienced researcher who guides you, and you join the "la Caixa" Foundation's international network of fellows. The Spanish "la Caixa" Foundation funds 60 of these fellowships each year, split into two calls.

Who can apply

• Nationality: Any nationality can apply.
• Degree: By the time you start, you must have finished the studies that let you enrol in an official PhD programme in Spain or Portugal. You must not already hold a doctorate or have started one.
• Research experience: You have no more than four years of full-time research experience before the deadline.
• English: You can prove the required level of English with a recognised certificate.
• Field and where you go (Incoming call): STEM subjects only (technology, engineering, physics, chemistry, maths, health and life sciences), at a Spanish or Portuguese research centre with an official excellence accreditation. You must NOT have lived or worked mainly in Spain or Portugal for more than 12 months in the three years before the deadline.
• Field and where you go (Retaining call): Any field, at any university or research centre in Spain or Portugal. Here it is the opposite: you must have lived or worked mainly in Spain or Portugal for more than 12 months in those three years, and your PhD must be at a different university from the one where you did your bachelor's.
• Other funding: You cannot combine this fellowship with any other paid job, scholarship or funding.

How to apply

You apply online through the "la Caixa" Foundation Fellowships portal. You do not need a host centre to accept you beforehand. If your application passes the remote review, you are invited to an interview before a selection committee. For the 2026 round the deadlines were 28 January (Incoming) and 18 February (Retaining), both now closed. You can sign up to be notified when the next call opens.

How realistic are your chances?

With 60 places a year, an open door to all nationalities and a strong salary, this is a well-known and contested programme, so grades alone will not carry you. Selection weighs your CV, motivation and interview performance heavily, so a clear research plan and strong references matter. Check which call fits your situation first: the mobility rule sends applicants who have been in Spain or Portugal to the Retaining call and everyone else to the Incoming call.