Fundamentos Research Program 2024

The global amount of funding under this call has been set at 3,000,000 euros.

A maximum of 4 grants will be awarded in each area for a gross amount of up to 250,000 euros per project.

The maximum term for the execution of awardee projects will be 3 years.

The call is open to researchers from public or private universities, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and other public research organizations, and hospitals, as well as to the research staff of private non-profit organizations.

Researchers applying under this call may submit one project only, and principal investigators may not currently be in receipt of any other funding (for teams or individuals) granted by the BBVA Foundation.

The principal investigator of the applicant organization, who will also serve as project coordinator, must meet the following conditions:

• Spanish national or resident in Spain in the terms envisaged in these call conditions.
• In possession of a PhD at the time of submitting the application.
• Maintain a public service or contractual employment relationship with a university institution or public or private non-profit organization engaging in research, in all cases headquartered in Spain. This relationship must persist through the period envisaged for the implementation of the project. Any transfer of the approved project to a different center due to a move by the principal investigator will require the express permission of the BBVA Foundation.

The project may have one additional principal investigator, who will be jointly responsible for the organization and execution of project activities and must meet the following conditions:

• In possession of a PhD at the time of submitting the application.
• Maintain a public service or contractual employment relationship with a university institution or public or private non-profit organization engaging in research, headquartered in any country. This relationship must persist through the period envisaged for the implementation of the project. Any transfer of the approved project to a different center due to a move by the principal investigator will require the express permission of the BBVA Foundation.

Remaining research team members may belong to universities or public or private non-profit research centers in any country.

A maximum of 20% of all research team members may have their residence abroad.

Projects must be original, unpublished and clearly innovative in their approach. The project narrative should expressly state the advance and/or innovation it hopes to deliver to the corresponding research topic or field.

If other grants have been sought or obtained for the same project, this should be expressly stated, along with the amount and nature of the funding.

Applications should be submitted by the project coordinator, with the prior permission of the university or research organization to which they are attached, using the online form available on the BBVA Foundation website: www.fbbva.es.

Applications may be written in Spanish or English.

Besides the general details of the project, the coordinator must provide the following documentation via the online application form:

• Copy of the ID document or passport of the project’s principal investigators.
• If the project coordinator is a national of a non-European Union country, they should give proof of long-term residence in Spain by furnishing a copy of a current foreign national’s identity card.
• If the project coordinator is a national of another European Union member state, they should give proof of having been resident in Spain for at least three years on the date of submitting the application, furnishing their registration certificate of Union citizen and a municipal certificate of residence attesting to their residence in Spain over the last three years.
• Project narrative, with format at the applicant’s discretion but including all of the following headings:
  1. Background and objectives.
  2. Research methodology.
  3. Experience and suitability of the research group.
  4. In the case of multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary projects, a reasoned explanation of the envisaged contribution of each discipline.
  5. Work plan, calendar and percentage breakdown of expenditure between the participating centers.
  6. Results dissemination and utilization plan.
• Short curriculum vitae (5 pages max.) of all research team members.
• Projects involving research in humans, use of samples of human origin, use of cells and tissues of human embryonic origin or cell lines derived therefrom, as well as projects involving clinical trials, animal experimentation, use of biological agents, acquisition or exchange of genetic material or that carry out studies using surveys or the capture of personal data, must comply with the provisions of the applicable regulations in force in each case. Beneficiaries and, subsidiarily, the centers to which they are attached will be responsible for ensuring that all such provisions are complied with in full.
• In the budget section, please note that only the following cost items will be admissible:
  1. Inventoriable scientific and technical equipment required for the project, with reasoned arguments for its acquisition.
  2. Research staff:
     • Contracts of postdoctoral researchers (Spanish or foreign nationals).
     • Predoctoral grants or contracts (Spanish or foreign nationals).
     • Stays of foreign researchers (research team members) in Spain and/or Spanish researchers (research team members) abroad.
  3. Travel (of research team members and fellows or researchers hired for the project).
  4. Consumables specific to the project.
  5. Other expenses necessary for project completion.
  6. Value added tax (VAT), where applicable.
     Other, indirect costs associated with the project may also be charged to the budget by reference to the cost allocation policy of each institution.

Note that any centers outside Spain participating in the project may only be allocated up to 20% maximum of the submitted budget.

On submitting their application via the online form, applicants will receive a confirmation message from the BBVA Foundation with a reference number that they should quote in any subsequent correspondence.

The submission period will run from December 30, 2024 to March 31, 2025 at 12 noon, Spanish standard time.

The completed application must have been received in full no later than the above date and time.

If the application contains errors that can be corrected, the BBVA Foundation will inform the applicant to this effect, giving a non-extendible period of 10 calendar days as of this notification in which to rectify the information, so the entry may be accepted for consideration.

The submissions received will undergo a selection process in the charge of evaluation committees specific to each area appointed by the BBVA Foundation and made up of experts of acknowledged prestige. These committees will act with complete independence, relying on the best metrics of the specialist field and with safeguards in place to prevent conflicts of interest.

The committees’ work of evaluation and selection will proceed in two stages:

1. Individual assessment by each member of the evaluation committee.
2. Collegiate assessment by the evaluation committee, which will assign a final score to each project and establish the corresponding rank order.

The evaluation process will take into account the originality, significance and feasibility of the project, as well as the suitability of the CV profiles of PI(s) and remaining team members.

All deliberations will be kept confidential.

The resolution of the call will be publicly announced no later than July 31, 2025. The call may be declared wholly or partially vacant and the award decision will not be open to appeal.

The resolution will be posted on the BBVA Foundation website, www.fbbva.es, disclosing both the awardee projects and the membership of the specialist committees.

There will be no further correspondence or communication with applicants whose projects were not among those selected.

No itemized or individual information will be provided on the submissions received or the subsequent deliberations.

The organization of the coordinator of the selected project will sign an acceptance statement with the BBVA Foundation setting out the conditions of the funding, which will cover at least the following points:

• Amount of funding and form of payment.
• Cost items admitted and means of accounting for the same.
• Presentation of progress reports on project milestones and final outcomes.
• Utilization, dissemination and publication rights in respect of project results.
• Arrangements for cases of non-compliance.

The signing of this statement will be a nonnegotiable pre-condition for release of the funding.

Selected projects must have their starting date no later than October 1, 2025.

The coordinators of the selected projects must provide the BBVA Foundation with an annual report on the project’s scientific implementation and budgetary execution using the template provided for this purpose.

At the end of the project, the coordinator will submit a final report following the template provided by the BBVA Foundation. The report should cover both the strictly scientific dimension and a statement of total expenditures, signed off by the organization to which the project coordinator is attached.

Annual and final reports on the project will be assessed by experts appointed by the BBVA Foundation. This panel may request written clarifications and, where appropriate, call the project coordinator and/or other team members to meetings to further the performance of its review.

Any significant change to the approved project must be notified to and expressly authorized by the BBVA Foundation.

The funding awarded will be paid to the account of the organization to which the project coordinator is attached in various instalments, according to the needs and milestones of the research project. Ten percent of the total funding will be paid after the delivery and evaluation of the research project’s final report.

Results of the research projects will be in the public domain and will be assured the widest possible dissemination to the scientific community through specialist publications, lectures, conference communications and scientific meetings.

Projects should include a communication plan for sharing results with society through a range of media (digital, print, talks).

Entering this call implies, in the case of the selected projects, a commitment by researchers to make express reference to the funding support of the BBVA Foundation in any publication derived from the project, and to collaborate with the BBVA Foundation in any communication and/or dissemination action linked to the project and this call. The support received should figure as follows: “Title of project – BBVA Foundation Fundamentos Program 2024.”

The BBVA Foundation may request the collaboration of researchers in activities to disseminate the project’s results. Schedules in such cases will be arranged by mutual consent.

The act of participating in this call signifies the acceptance of its conditions and resolution, which will not be open to appeal, and the renunciation of any claim in its respect.

Exceptionally, the BBVA Foundation reserves the right to make changes in the wording of these conditions, for duly justified reasons, for the sole purpose of clarifying their content, without such changes in any case implying a substantial or arbitrary alteration of the same. The text of the conditions and the associated FAQs, whose reading we recommend, will be available for the duration of this call on the BBVA Foundation website: www.fbbva.es.

To begin a submission under this call, you must first enter a valid email address. You will be sent a message to this account with a form access password, which you will need to complete the form in various sessions, saving partially each time.

This registration email, which is linked to the person filling in the form, can be changed at any point in the process and does not have to coincide with the email address of any of the principal investigators.

Before moving on to select the grant area you are entering for, you must accept the call conditions and the Personal Data Processing terms.

Select the grant area you are applying for:
a) Physics, Chemistry
b) Biology and Biomedicine
c) Engineering

Select one or more of the following sub-areas:
– Physics
– Chemistry
– Biomedicine
– Biology
– Engineering

Add a short reference to the specific specialist field of the project being submitted.

The following data are required:

A. Principal investigator details: Provide the personal details of each principal investigator, including name, surname, national identity document, date of birth, professional category, academic qualifications, employment status, organization, phone number and email address.

B. Proof of residence or nationality (project coordinator only):

European Union citizens

1/ Spanish:

• Copy of DNI (both sides) or current passport

2/Nationals of other European Union countries, member states of the European Economic Area or Switzerland, or family members of the same:

• Copy of current passport
• Registration certificate of Union citizen or EU citizen family member residence card (both sides)
• Up-to-date municipal certificate of residence or official employment history attesting to his/her residence in Spain over the past three years

Nationals of non-European Union countries

• Copy of current passport
• Valid foreign national’s identity card (both sides) proving long-term residence

Documents should be attached in .pdf, .jpg or .png format and be no larger than 2MB.

C. Short curriculum vitae (5 pages max.)

D. Personal Data Processing terms accepted, dated and signed by the principal investigators. The corresponding form can be downloaded at this link and should be no larger than 2MB.

Please provide specific information and documentation on the project submitted in this call:

A. Title of the research project, acronym and key words.

B. Project summary. This should be brief and to the point, setting out only the key aspects of the project and the goals sought in clear, concise language. Maximum of 2,000 characters.

C. Project duration, to be stated in months. The maximum term for project execution is set at 3 years.

D. Project narrative. To be presented in the format of applicants’ choice and covering all the following sections.

1/ Background and objectives.

2/ Research methodology.

3/ Experience and suitability of the research group.

4/ In the case of multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary projects, a reasoned explanation of the projected contribution of each discipline.

5/ Work plan, calendar and percentage breakdown of expenditure between participating centers.

6/ Results dissemination and utilization plan.

The file should be attached in .pdf format and be no larger than 2MB.

E. Ethics Committee report

Projects involving research on humans, use of samples of human origin, use of cells and tissues of human embryonic origin or cell lines derived therefrom, as well as projects that involve clinical trials, animal experimentation, use of biological agents, acquisition or exchange of genetic material or that conduct studies through surveys or the capture of personal data, must comply with the provisions of the applicable regulations in force in each case, and the beneficiaries and, subsidiarily, the centers to which they are attached must ensure that such compliance is complete.

Applicants are invited to attach any relevant documentation and remarks relating to this issue, though note that failure to do so will not harm their application.

A. Budget. Remember that only the following cost items will be admissible. Please fill in all items one by one for each of the principal investigators in the project identified as PI1 and PI2, as appropriate.

a/ Inventoriable scientific and technical equipment required for the project, with reasoned arguments for its acquisition.

b/ Research staff:

–         Contracts of postdoctoral researchers (Spanish or foreign nationals).

–         Predoctoral grants or contracts (Spanish or foreign nationals).

–         Stays of foreign researchers (research team members) in Spain and/or Spanish researchers (research team members) abroad.

c/ Travel (of research team members and fellows or researchers hired for the project).

d/ Consumables specific to the project.

e/ Other expenses necessary for project completion.

f/ Value added tax (VAT), where applicable.

Other, indirect costs associated to the project may also be charged to the budget by reference to the cost allocation policy of each institution.

Note that any centers outside Spain participating in the project may only be allocated up to 20% of the submitted budget.

B. Budget justification. Applicants should justify the reasonableness of budgeted amounts by reference to the work plan set out in the project narrative, as well as the nature and amount of other funding sought or obtained for the project. This text should be no longer than 1,100 characters.

C. Other funding sources. If other grants have been sought or obtained for the execution of the project proposed in this call, this should be expressly stated, specifying the amount of funds sought or obtained from each source

Provide information on all members of the team to form part of the research project, including:

A. Researcher details: Personal details of each researcher including name, surname, national identity document, date of birth, professional category, academic qualifications, employment situation and organization. You should also specify which principal investigator each team member will report to.

B. Short curriculum vitae (5 pages max.) of each research team member.

C. Personal Data Processing terms accepted, dated and signed by each member of the team. The corresponding form can be downloaded from this link and should be no larger than 2MB.

A maximum of 20% of research team members may reside outside Spain.

A. Provide basic details of the organization with which the principal investigator is affiliated, including its tax identification number and the contact data (name, position, email, phone no., etc.) of its legal representative, who will be the Rector or Vice-Rector in the case of universities and Director, Vice-President or President in the case of public research organizations.

B. Personal Data Processing terms accepted, signed, dated and stamped by the organization’s legal representative. The corresponding form can be downloaded from this link and should be no larger than 2MB.

Before sending the submission and finalizing the process, you can check that the data entered in the various sections are correct by directly accessing the steps of the form through the corresponding tabs.

You can submit the completed entry by clicking on the “Send” button on the bottom right of the form.

The person completing the form and the principal investigator will then receive an automated email with the summary and key details of their application.

I made an application in a previous edition of the BBVA Foundation Grants, can I re-use the application I submitted then?

All applications must be submitted using the online form available on the BBVA Foundation website: www.fbbva.es/en/.

In what language should I present my application?

Applications may be written in Spanish or English.

How can I convey the authorization of the organization with which the principal investigator is affiliated?

The legal representative of the organization with which the coordinator is affiliated should approve the application by affixing his or her signature along with the organization’s official stamp (point 6 of the call conditions).

Remember that the signature should appear in this document (click here).

I have a curriculum in the CVN format (Spanish standardized CV). Is it possible to use it here?

A short curriculum vitae (5 pages max.) should be provided for each member of the research team.

Where can I find the personal data processing forms?

These are available on the online form itself, but you can also download them at the links below:

• Personal data processing – researchers: here
• Personal data processing – organization: here

Does the project narrative have to be completed using a particular template or format?

There is no template or set format for presenting your description of the project. However, it must include the following headings and contents:

1/ Background and objectives. Specify the objectives of the project and the concrete area or issue it sets out to address. Refer also to the degree of innovation and improvement that the project will bring to its field of research, and its applicability. Provide detailed information on the project’s technical, economic and social importance, with reference to likely value added and scientific-technical contributions and, where applicable, the products and outcomes it is hoped to obtain. Describe specifically:

• The current status of the project’s focus of study. Previous research and its relationship to the bibliography consulted.
• Project objectives.
• Results deliverable.

2/ Research methodology. Explain clearly the approach needed to accomplish the project’s goals and targets.

3/ Experience and suitability of the research group. Describe how the make-up of the research team fits with the needs and goals of the project submitted.

4/ In the case of multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary projects, give a reasoned explanation of the projected contribution of each discipline.

5/ Work plan, calendar and percentage breakdown of expenditure between the participating centers. The work plan should be broken down into activities or tasks, specifying milestones for each and how researchers will individually aid in their attainment. Please provide a detailed timeline for all activities, identifying the person in charge.

6/ Results dissemination and utilization. Provide a precise description of the results deliverable, the uses and applications to which they may be put, and the potential beneficiaries. State the media and methods to be used to communicate and disseminate the results obtained and to share them with the scientific community and society at large.

What indirect costs should I include and how do I account for them?

Indirect costs associated to the execution of the project may also be charged to the budget, according to each organization’s cost allocation policy.

If your project is selected, when the time comes to provide a statement of expenditures, you should also present a certificate or report from your center stating that the percentage applied as indirect costs is aligned with its allocation policy.

How should I itemize VAT expense?

Applications should include a budget section detailing the cost items associated to the submitted project, as set out in the call conditions. This budget should state the VAT deriving from all items subject to this tax.

Payments will be made on receipt of an invoice issued by the signatory organization, which should state VAT in accordance with the tax rules currently in force. The exact treatment may be defined in greater detail in the grant acceptance statement.

What staff costs are covered by the grants? Do they pay the costs of permanent research staff or only those of pre- and postdoctoral researchers hired specifically for the project?

Only the costs of pre- and postdoctoral staff hired specifically for the project are funded in this call.

What kind of spending item can I include in the budget?

The only admissible cost items are those stated in the call conditions. Remember also that applicants’ justification of the reasonableness of the funding sought will weigh significantly in the evaluation process.

If projects involve human or animal experimentation or clinical trials with medicines for human use, must applications include a report from the corresponding ethics committee?

No, but projects involving research in humans, use of samples of human origin, use of cells and tissues of human embryonic origin or cell lines derived therefrom, as well as projects involving clinical trials, animal experimentation, use of biological agents, acquisition or exchange of genetic material or that carry out studies using surveys or the capture of personal data, must comply with the provisions of the applicable regulations in force in each case. Beneficiaries and, subsidiarily, the centers to which they are attached will be responsible for ensuring that all such provisions are complied with in full.

Once the application deadline has passed, will time be allowed for the rectification of errors?

If the application contains errors that can be corrected, the BBVA Foundation will inform the applicant to this effect, giving a non-extendible period of 10 calendar days as of this notification in which to rectify the information so the entry may be accepted for consideration.

Who owns the intellectual property rights arising from projects funded under this call?

Any intellectual and/or industrial property rights arising from project execution belong to their authors, who should nonetheless make themselves available at the BBVA Foundation’s request for activities providing outreach to the larger community.

How do I start filling in my application?

If you want to complete an application from the beginning, click on the blue “APPLY”  button on our website then access the form by clicking on “New application”.

If you wish to continue completing a previously saved application, you may use the direct link you were sent on saving the form, or else click on the blue “APPLY” button on the website. In both cases, the system will request a password sent previously to the email account you specified in the form when registering. Also, each time you return to the form, you will receive an email with a reactivation password (OTP code).

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