The Tenerife-based academic institution will receive funds for R&D initiatives in key areas such as health, water, climate change, energy transition, and digitalization. These projects, to be carried out between 2026 and 2028, will cover up to 100% of their budgets, enabling personnel hiring, acquisition of specialized equipment, and experimental trials. The goal is to generate transferable results that benefit the social and economic environment of the Canary Islands.
A significant research focus is on health. Funded initiatives will address improving women's brain health during perimenopause, developing therapies for amoebic eye infections, identifying genes in early embryonic development and their role in embryo quality, analyzing factors determining type 2 diabetes mellitus incidence in the Canary Islands, and studying cellular mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases.
Other selected projects include developing new materials for monitoring emerging contaminants in Canary Islands aquifers and enhancing environmental risk assessments. Research will also analyze the effects of climate change on the ecophysiological response of invasive species. In the technological field, supported actions involve creating new luminescent materials for applications in energy and security sectors.
The call operates within the priority areas defined by the Canary Islands Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS3 extended) and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). These actions aim to strengthen the Archipelago's scientific and technological system, fostering knowledge generation and transfer to the productive sector and promoting the creation and consolidation of highly qualified research employment in strategic sectors for the sustainable development of the Canary Islands.
