UPC receives 14 FI SDUR grants for 2025 and welcomes the first new researchers

The 2025 edition of the FI SDUR programme officially began this week with the incorporation of the first seven researchers, marking the start of a new cycle of academic and scientific activity at the UPC.
This year, Talenthub has been awarded a total of 14 FI SDUR grants, a result that reinforces the strong research capacity of the UPC and our continued commitment to attracting and supporting early-career researchers.

About the FI SDUR programme

The FI SDUR (Training of Research Staff) programme is an initiative of the Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Government of Catalonia aimed at funding predoctoral research contracts within Catalan universities and research centres. The purpose of these grants is to promote the research capacity of the university system, promoting and consolidating joint scientific strategies and policies between the selected departments and their universities, with the aim of developing research activities of international impact and strengthening the generation of frontier knowledge and its transfer.

FI SDUR grants typically:

• Provide funding for predoctoral research contracts,

• Encourage participation in competitive research projects

• Strengthen the scientific output of the Catalan university system.

For the 2025 call, FI SDUR grants at the UPC were open to the following departments: Materials Science and Engineering, Agri-Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Statistics and Operations Research, Physics, Architectural Technology and Signal Theory and Communications

The role of UPC Talent Hub

The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) is recognised as a leading institution in science, engineering, and technology research.
Within this framework, Talent Hub plays a key role in:

• Supporting the recruitment and integration of research talent,

• Facilitating administrative and academic processes linked to grants and doctoral programmes, and

• Accompanying new researchers throughout their professional and doctoral journey.

The 14 grants awarded this year reflect both the quality of the research proposals submitted and the UPC’s ability to provide an excellent environment for doctoral training.

Looking ahead: FI SDUR 2026

The opening date for the FI SDUR 2026 call has not yet been announced, although it is expected to open around April.
In the meantime, we welcome the first researchers joining through the 2025 scheme and look forward to continuing to strengthen our research community in the months to come.