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· 29 de June de 2026
What is FECYT’s I+P Call?
Integrating scientific evidence into public decision-making has become a priority for administrations in many countries. The growing complexity of social, economic and environmental challenges requires public policies to be designed on the basis of data, scientific knowledge and rigorous evaluation processes.
In this context, FECYT’s Call for the Promotion of a Culture of Public Innovation (I+P) has become one of Spain’s main funding instruments for encouraging collaboration between the scientific community and public administrations. Through these grants, the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology aims to ensure that knowledge generated by universities, research centres and other actors in the R&D&I system is directly applied to the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies.
The two strands of the 2026 I+P call
The 2026 edition is structured around two separate calls, each with its own objectives, eligible applicants and budget.
I+P Projects Call
Aimed at universities, research organisations, healthcare organisations, technology centres, R&D centres and other actors that promote knowledge transfer. Its objective is to fund projects that help improve public policy design through the generation of scientific evidence.
It funds three subcategories:
- A.1) Public policy pilot studies — up to €100,000
- A.2) Other scientific research projects aimed at improving the design of a public policy — up to €100,000
- B) Scientific advice programmes and activities — up to €25,000
In all cases, funding covers up to 90% of the total cost of the activity.
Application period: from 1 July to 1 October 2026.
I+P Placements Call
As the programme’s main new feature in 2026, FECYT introduces the I+P Placements Call, aimed at research staff linked to the same types of organisations. These grants fund temporary placements designed to address specific scientific-advice challenges identified by public administrations, encouraging mutual learning and direct knowledge transfer.
The maximum grant is €25,000 per application, covering up to 90% of the total cost.
Application period: from 1 July to 8 October 2026.
What types of projects can be submitted?
The call is not intended to fund basic research, but initiatives with direct applications to real needs identified by public administrations. Activities that best fit its objectives include:
- Studies and analyses aimed at improving public policy design.
- Evaluation of public programmes and instruments.
- Data processing and analysis to support decision-making.
- Foresight exercises and scenario analysis.
- Development of pilot projects (exploratory or focused on evaluating results).
- Adaptation or validation of innovative methodologies and instruments.
- Knowledge-exchange activities between researchers and public administrations.
Key considerations for preparing a competitive proposal
Experience with this type of call shows that the strongest proposals start from a specific need identified by a public administration and present a solution clearly grounded in scientific evidence. Particularly relevant aspects during preparation include:
- Identifying a clearly defined public-sector challenge.
- Involving the collaborating public administration from the earliest stages of project design.
- Clearly explaining how the results will be used to improve a public policy.
- Designing a robust, realistic and results-oriented methodology.
- Defining indicators that make it possible to measure the impact of the activities.
- Building multidisciplinary teams that combine scientific capabilities with knowledge of the field of application.
Early planning makes it easier to build partnerships, improves the technical quality of the proposal and allows more time to define the project’s expected impact.
The value of specialist support
Preparing an application for the I+P calls requires a combination of expertise in competitive funding, an understanding of how public administrations operate and the ability to design projects aligned with the programme’s criteria. Specialist support can make a significant difference by strengthening the technical quality of the proposal and maximising its chances of success.