ValER 2026 Call for eight permanent positions of Distinguished Researcher in the Valencian Community

FOREWORD

The Valencian Foundation for Excellence in Research (ValER) was created in 2021 by Generalitat Valenciana with the aim of strengthening the Valencian System of Science and Research (SVCI) through the attraction, retention, and consolidation of high-level researchers from around the world.

ValER was registered in the Foundations Registry of the Valencian Community on September 22, 2021, and has legal personality and full capacity to act to achieve its objectives. The Foundation is assigned to the Conselleria (regional government) in charge of scientific policy, currently the Conselleria of Education, Culture and Universities. Its statutes were approved by Agreement of the Consell on July 9, 2021 (DOGV No. 9210 of 08.11.2021), with the aim of providing ValER with a flexible and autonomous operational and organizational structure to fulfill its objectives.

With this strategic purpose, ValER offers permanent contracts to researchers from all over the world to develop their professional careers in the Valencian Community. These researchers will be integrated into entities of the Valencian System of Science and Research. 

The objective is to recruit scientific and academic personnel of the highest level, thus enabling to compete with the research systems of other regions and countries.

Both the researchers and Valencian research entities will benefit from this call.

PURPOSE AND TERMS OF THE CALL

The ValER call for applications is aimed at recruiting the most promising and influential researchers in the fields of knowledge within the specified scientific areas. Its purpose is to establish the foundations of the selection process to fill eight permanent positions of distinguished researchers with high international projection and influential capacity. The selection is based on scientific excellence and leadership of the applicants.

The selected research staff will carry out their activities at one of the public or non-profit private universities, research foundations or non-profit research centers in the Valencian Community (see list at https://www.valer-f.es/host-institutions/). The selected researchers will be hired as distinguished researchers under the framework of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Law 14/2011, of june 1st (LCTI), and therefore will become employees of ValER. Throughout their careers, ValER researchers will undergo periodic evaluation processes aimed at their promotion.

To perform the proposed research activities, ValER will enter into agreements with the host institutions to formalize the collaboration framework of its personnel. The contracted personnel must conduct independent and collaborative research, in addition to being able to obtain competitive funding and lead their own research lines.

This call will ensure the principles of equality, merit, capability, publicity, and competition, in accordance with the provisions of the applicable regulations.

CONTRACT TERMS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE DISTINGUISHED RESEARCHERS

The selected researchers will be hired in the modality of Distinguished Researcher as provided for in Article 23 of the LCTI. 

The characteristics of this contract are the following: 

1. Figure: Distinguished researcher. 
2. Generic functions: 

• Development of research activities, management of working teams and participation on scientific and technological programs of excellence in their corresponding field of knowledge, within the framework of ValER’s functions and objectives.
• Any other specific requirements that may arise from the offered contract. 

1. Contract specifications: 

• The contract will be permanent. 
• ValER will establish a periodical monitoring and evaluation system of the research activity. 
• The work schedule, permits, vacations, etc., will be determined by ValER in accordance with the conditions applicable to the host institutions.
• Gross annual remuneration: 80.000 euros
• The hiring of distinguished researchers is subject to salary mass control, and their increases and/or limits will be established in the general budget of the Valencian Government.
• ValER research staff positions are not compatible with permanent positions outside the Valencian research system (not even part-time).

In addition to the contract, the following funding will be provided:

• 150,000 € as start-up research funding for research. Eligible costs include the recruitment of technical, post-doctoral and pre-doctoral staff, scientific and technical equipment, consumables, dissemination of project activities (scientific conferences, publications, etc.), travel and accommodation expenses for scientific community members, equipment maintenance and external scientific expenses such as access fees to research infrastructures. 
• 5,000 € maximum removal allowance for international transfers. 

The duties and obligations of ValER distinguished researchers will be those provided for in the LCTI and in particular:

• Identification: researchers must identify themselves as ValER staff and include the affiliation of the host Valencian Institution in all their publications. Both institutions must be acknowledged independently. Whenever researchers appear publicly at conferences or symposia, in the media, etc., they will present themselves as ValER research staff and, where applicable, also identify the Institution to which they are affiliated.
• Information: the research staff must inform ValER well in advance whenever they stay outside their usual workplace and/or undertake any work-related travel, regardless of its purpose. Stays longer than one month will require prior authorization from ValER according to the established formal procedure. Research staff must also inform their affiliated Institution.
• Submission of annual activity report: the research staff will be required to submit at least an annual report of the activities carried out within the specified timeframe. The annual report deadline will be notified in advance. This report will be used by ValER to assess research activity and if appropriate, will be considered for periodic salary reviews.
• Compliance with the Code of Good Practices: the research staff will be governed by the established codes of good practices in their research field. Research staff are expected to be successful leaders and mentors. They are also expected to plan, develop, support, and promote the academic careers of young individuals under their responsibility. Moreover, they are expected to provide guidance, perspectives, and skills, both formally and informally, to their students and disciples. Additionally, ValER's research staff are expected to integrate and actively participate in other aspects of scientific, academic, and cultural life in the Valencian Community, in support of activities within the R&D&I ecosystem.

REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS 

To participate in this call, applicants must meet the following essential requirements at the time of application:

1. PhD completed before January 1, 2016. 
2. Minimum of 10 years of proven postdoctoral experience. 
3. Not to have, at the time of application, a permanent appointment, whether as a civil servant, statutory staff member or under an indefinite employment contract, with any public or private non-profit university, research foundation or research centre in the Valencian Community. Since the purpose of this call is to strengthen the SVCI by attracting, returning and consolidating researchers, research staff who already hold a permanent appointment in any of the aforementioned Valencian institutions are not considered to fall within the scope of this call, as they are already established staff.   
4. Candidates must submit an expression of interest (EOI) from at least one host institution (see complete list at https://www.valer-f.es/host-institutions/).

The following merits and capacities will also be taken into consideration:

• Applicants should have an outstanding research record, solid professional track and international research experience.
• Candidates are required to conduct independent and collaborative research, as well as demonstrate intellectual independence, scientific maturity and leadership.
• Candidates are expected to make substantial contributions to their own research areas, and they should be capable of attracting competitive research funds and leading their own research team. 
• Applicants should be fluent in spoken and written English.
• Transfer, application and impact of the research results to industry, policies and public benefits will be valued positively.
• Applications from women are especially welcome. 

CONDITIONS AND OBLIGATIONS OF HOST INSTITUTIONS

Selected candidates will carry out their research in one of the public or private non-profit universities, research foundations or non-profit research institutions of the Valencian Community. Valencian research institutions, research groups and infrastructures can be found on the ValER website (https://www.valer-f.es/host-institutions/ ).

An expression of interest (EOI) from at least one host institution is required. Candidates must directly contact each institution that they are interested in joining and obtain an EOI.

The EOI should clearly show that the institution has a strong interest in hosting each candidate. For that purpose, institutions must provide detailed information regarding the research unit, its main research objectives and the support given to the candidate to ValER distinguished researcher (start-up funds, office and laboratory conditions, auxiliary staff, etc.).

The EOI must be signed by the legal representative of the institution (rector or vice-rector for research in the case of universities, and Chairman of the Board or Director in the case of rest of research centers).

ValER will sign agreements with the public and private non-profit institutions that have submitted expressions of interest for the selected applications. These agreements will formalize the collaboration framework between the entities for the development of the research activities proposed in the expressions of interest.

In the collaboration agreements to be signed between ValER and the Institution, the parties will determine their contributions. ValER's contributions will consist of human resources, which will provide talent and scientific knowledge and financial resources for the initial development of research activities (start-up funding). In these agreements, the distribution of responsibilities will be established, with ValER covering the remuneration of the research staff and the Institution covering the costs associated with the normal development of the ValER’s researchers’ tasks.  In addition, ValER research staff may be allowed to combine their research work with other tasks, such as university teaching at the host institution, in accordance with the provisions of the LCTI and other applicable regulations and provided they have the corresponding authorization from ValER and the Institution. In all cases, the research staff are required to comply with the specific internal regulations in force at the host Institution. Furthermore, the parties will describe the projects to be developed, as well as the system for distributing and protecting the property rights of the research results, development and innovation. 

The research results will be 50% shared property between ValER and the Institution. Notwithstanding the above, the research staff will have the right to share in the profits derived from their exploitation, in accordance with the LCTI and other applicable regulations.

APPLICATIONS AND DOCUMENTATION

Call 2026 is open to the following research areas:

1. Life and Health Sciences
2. Social and Behavioral Sciences
3. Humanities

The application will be online through the link https://call.valer-f.es/ and requires all the following items:

1. An on-line form with personal and professional data, including PhD mentoring, a statement of the research done in the last five years (2000 characters maximum) and a list of up to three of the most relevant achievements with a justification (maximum 1000 characters each) of the contribution to the advancement of knowledge supported with a maximum of three publications, patents or similar results.
2. A statement of purpose explaining the choice of institution(s), and the future research plan including the main achievements that are expected to be obtained (3000 characters maximum).
3. A single .pdf file (free format, maximum 15 pages) containing the candidate’s CV in English.
4. The contact details of four referees, of which at least two of them must submit a reference letter. The reference letters must be written in English (PDF format), signed and uploaded by the referees before 1:00 pm (Central European Time) on June 30, 2026. To that effect, the system will generate links to be distributed by the candidate to each referee.
5. An Expression of Interest (EOI) from at least one host institution. Candidates must directly contact each institution that they are interested in (public or private non -profit university, research foundation or research centre in the Valencian Community) and obtain an EOI. The EOI form must be downloaded directly by the institution(s), using the link(s) provided by the candidate to the host(s) institution(s). At the link, the institution will find instructions to download, fill in and submit the form, EOI(s) must be electronically signed by the legal representative of the institution, and must be uploaded to ValER system before 1:00 pm (Central European Time) on June 30, 2026.

Applicants can submit their applications regardless of whether the referees and host(s) institutions have uploaded their letters and EOIs. The system allows applicants to monitor file uploading by both referees and host institution(s). Incomplete applications will not be considered for evaluation. 

The entire application must be completed in English. 

DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Candidates must apply online before June 30, 2026 at 1:00 pm (Central European Time) at https://call.valer-f.es/ . Please check the User Manual of this platform beforehand. 

For any queries or technical issues, please contact us by e-mail at [email protected].

All information regarding the ValER 2026 Call is available at https://www.valer-f.es/