Spain allocates 150 million euros for university assistant professors

The Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities has approved a transfer of approximately 150 million euros to Spain's autonomous communities to fund the hiring of assistant professors through the María Goyri Program.

This initiative marks the first time the central government has assumed responsibility for the salaries of university faculty within a competency transferred to the regions. The program aims to progressively incorporate 5,638 assistant professors into public universities by 2028, representing a 70% increase compared to the 2023-2024 academic year.

The central government will finance 3,400 of these positions over six years, while the remaining 2,236 positions will be funded by the autonomous communities with an additional contribution of 600 million euros. Regional allocations vary; for instance, Andalusia will receive over 21 million euros, while the University of Castilla-La Mancha will receive more than 4.2 million euros. The agreement was reached during the General Conference of University Policy with unanimous support from all communities except the Balearic Islands, which voted against it.