INPhINIT Benefits: Salary, Research Budget and the Training Programme
A four-year employment contract funded at €35,800 a year, a ring-fenced research budget, tuition fees and a mandatory training programme the Foundation pays for.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
3 min read
Updated Oct 6, 2026
INPhINIT pays through your host, not to you directly. The rules set exactly how the money is split, a floor for your salary, and a training programme the Foundation runs alongside your PhD. Figures from section 2 of the 2026 Incoming and Retaining rules, which are identical on money.
The annual breakdown
| Item | Amount | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Labour costs | €35,800 a year | Your gross salary plus employer social security and any other compulsory contract costs |
| Minimum gross salary | €25,000 a year | The floor the host must offer you, within the labour-cost envelope |
| Research costs | €3,500 a year | Conferences, courses, research stays, consumables, equipment, IP charges |
| Tuition | Full | Fees of the official doctoral programme you enrol in |
| Duration | Up to 4 years | Renewed on annual progress reports |
If the real cost of employing you exceeds €35,800, the host pays the difference. In Portugal the same conditions apply whether you hold an employment contract or a fellowship contract under Portuguese law.
The Foundation’s 2026 Retaining results sheet puts the average cost per fellowship over four years at €161,200.
Gross is not net
The €25,000 figure is a gross annual minimum. Your take-home pay depends on Spanish or Portuguese income tax, your own social security contributions and how many payments a year the host uses. The rules do not publish a net figure, and we do not estimate one. Ask the host’s HR office for a net-pay simulation once you have an offer.
Using the €3,500 research budget
The research allowance is managed by the host “for the benefit of the fellow” and must be justified separately from salary. Typical uses named in the rules are conference fees, courses, research stays, consumables and equipment. Agree early with your supervisor how you will spend it; unspent and unjustified money is not a bonus.
The complementary training programme
Official →On top of what your host offers, fellows join a mixed face-to-face and online programme on transferable skills. The rules specify three residential sessions over the fellowship, each lasting 3 to 5 days. Attendance is mandatory, and the Foundation pays the costs, travel and accommodation.
The What we offer page groups the content into three blocks:
Science communication, writing and presenting papers, the research system, critical thinking.
Mental health, self-confidence, decision-making, time management, open science.
Careers in and out of academia, funding, leadership, teamwork.
An optional mentor, outreach activities, and membership of the “la Caixa” Fellows network.
What you owe in return
- Annual progress reports against a career development plan. The Foundation can cancel for insufficient performance.
- Full-time, in-person research at the host.
- No other paid work, grant or aid unless the Foundation expressly authorises it.
- Responsible research: gender equality, open access, research integrity and the Foundation’s integrity policy.
- Finish the PhD and send the Foundation a copy of your doctoral degree.
Breaking the rules can lead to repayment and exclusion from future “la Caixa” programmes.
How it compares
Most doctoral grants in Spain and Portugal are also employment contracts, so the useful comparison is the extras: a ring-fenced research budget, tuition covered, and a funded cross-disciplinary training programme. For EU-wide PhD positions with a different structure, see our MSCA guide.