2025 Call

The Aragón Agency for Research and Development Foundation (ARAID) launches the 2025 Call for applications to hire up to 9 full-time researchers in research centers and institutions in Aragón.

This call prioritizes the following areas:

• Medical technologies and advanced therapies
• Industrial decarbonization and energy transition
• Biotechnology and agri-food technologies
• Quantum technologies, photonic technologies, and microelectronics
• Computing, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity * 
• Space and matter technologies  

(*) In the area of Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Cybersecurity, a minimum of 2 years of postdoctoral experience is required.

Applications must be submitted through the ARAID website between January 2 and 14:00 on March 14, 2025.

The call is open to candidates of any nationality who meet the academic training and research experience requirements. The final number of contracts will depend on the quality of the applications and the strategic interest of the proposed research lines. A maximum of 2 applications per entity and/or research center will be accepted. Entities applying for an ARAID researcher must have or sign a collaboration agreement with ARAID before the researcher joins.

If the maximum number established is exceeded, all applications submitted by that entity and/or center will be excluded. Each candidate may only submit their application using one host center/institution where they will carry out their research. Each research supervisor may support applications through the expression of interest form for only one host center/institution. Failure to comply with any of the above rules will invalidate the applications submitted by the candidate, the research supervisor, or the host center/institution.

The research proposals submitted may mention the strategic technologies, missions, and societal challenges of the EU Framework Programme with which they are aligned and must estimate the progression of technological readiness (in initial–final TRLs) of the proposal to be developed during the first 3 years in case of obtaining a contract with ARAID. If the applicant submits a letter of support from an industrial or private entity for the research proposal, it will be taken into account during the interview.

Up to a maximum of 9 researchers are expected to be hired through permanent full-time employment contracts, carrying out their work in research institutions/centers located in Aragon. ARAID researchers must substantially strengthen or help create new research teams in their centers, as well as participate in and promote science and technology in Aragon.

The final salary offer will depend on experience and will be in line with that of professionals with the same level of responsibility in the research center and in accordance with regional legislation on the remuneration of public sector staff in the regional government of Aragon and its dependent entities. Salary progression is linked to periodic evaluations of research performance and the recognition of the development of the research career. As an indicative measure, the entry level as an ARAID R3.1 researcher corresponds to A.26 of the salary scale for civil servants of the Government of Aragon (DGA).

Up to €30,000 will be granted as initial support for expenses directly related to the launch and execution of research activities during the first year at ARAID. Likewise, up to an additional €3,500 will be granted as a relocation support payment for researchers residing outside Aragon.

ARAID is committed to assisting foreign researchers as much as possible with visa and work permit procedures. The contract will only become effective when the selected candidates are able to work legally in Spain.

Applicants must have 6 or more years of postdoctoral experience (by the end of the application submission deadline), with at least 2 years of stay in centers of recognized national and international prestige, outside of Aragon.

As a new feature in 2025, and in order to increase the number of applications, the panel of Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity will accept applications that meet at least 2 or more years of postdoctoral experience (by the end of the application submission deadline), with at least 1 year of stay in centers of recognized national and international prestige, outside of Aragon.

Applicants who, prior to 01/01/2024, are part of the permanent staff assigned to the center requesting the position may not submit an application. Exceptionally, if the candidate has a permanent contract at the Center, started before 01/02/2024, which depends on temporary funding, this situation must be clarified in the Expression of Interest detailing the type and (in)stability of the funds to which said contract is linked.

Only complete applications will be evaluated, which include before the deadline:

• Curriculum Vitae of the applicant (in the abbreviated AEI format).
• Description of the project and research areas to be developed. 
• Support/reference letters (about the candidate and/or project). 
• Expression of Interest form from the center signed by the scientific manager and the center/institution.
   

All application documents must be completed in English.

Candidates who have received a Starting or Consolidator grant from the European Research Council to fund their project, and have not yet started it, must indicate this in their application. These applications will go directly to the interview stage and may receive an offer without waiting for the final decision if approved by the ARAID Board of Trustees.

The curriculum vitae, research proposal, and support letters must be uploaded by the candidate to the online application platform of the call. In addition, candidates must indicate the center through which they are submitting the application and an email address of the research manager supporting the proposal. Each institution/center assigned to the ARAID program has an identified address and/or contact person to channel the applications it receives directly or through ARAID. For more information about the Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I) agents in Aragon, you can visit the website: http://www.aragoninvestiga.es/que-hacemos-idi/.

The Expression of Interest form is provided by the Head of Research/Scientific Director or by the candidate’s immediate superior at the Host Institution/Center. Before the deadline for closing the call, it must be uploaded to the online application platform of the call by the Director of Research or sent by email to convocatorias@araid.es, electronically signed by the Head of Research, the Director of the Institution/Host Center, and the Legal Representative of the Center. Given the electronic signatures contained in the Expression of Interest, it is recommended to start this process in the Host Institution with sufficient advance time in order to have enough time to upload the complete document to the platform.

Applications will be evaluated by an external expert committee from the ACPUA evaluator pool and from other national evaluation agencies, selected according to the applications received in each field of knowledge. These experts will assess the candidate’s scientific excellence (60%) and the originality, impact, and feasibility of the research proposal (40%) in order to rank the applications by consensus, from which the top-ranked candidate will proceed to the interview stage. Host Centers and candidates who do not advance to the interview will receive the consensus form, but not the scores obtained or their position in the jury. The result of the interview phase is a ranked list for each panel that is submitted to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, which is the final body that decides on the offers and the positions reserved per panel. Host Centers and their candidates will be informed if they are not selected for an offer or reserve position, but the final ranking in the panel is not public. Candidates who receive the offer will have 48 hours to accept it or decline it.

Interviews are expected to take place between May and June, and the call is expected to be resolved between June and July 2025. Visa and work permit application procedures may begin as soon as possible after accepting the offer. Selected candidates must begin their contract at ARAID and join their host center within six months of the resolution, with an exceptional maximum extension of up to 1 year. The final resolution of the call will be published on the ARAID website.