PRIM2026: up to 84,000 lei for young doctorate holders employed in universities and institutes

The National Authority for Research has put the information package for the "First job in the national R&D&I system" competition (PRIM2026), administered by UEFISCDI, out for public consultation. Universities, Romanian Academy institutes and national research and development institutes (INCD) can obtain up to 84,000 lei, for a maximum of 24 months, for each young doctor employed in a first permanent post; funding is estimated for no more than 300 young researchers. Comments on the document must be sent by 1 November 2026, and the launch date of the competition has not yet been announced.

In brief

• Programme: PNCDI IV, Programme 5.2 Human resources, Start in research subprogramme — competition PN-IV-RU-SC-PRIM-2026-1
• Authority: Ministry of Education and Research, through UEFISCDI
• Beneficiaries: public-law research organisations in Romania (universities, Romanian Academy institutes, INCD), together with an employed young researcher
• Value: maximum 84,000 lei per young researcher, for an additional contract of 20 hours per month, at 175 lei per hour
• Duration: maximum 24 months
• Estimated number of grants: no more than 300 young researchers
• Submission: continuous, until the budget is exhausted, after the competition is launched
• Status: information package in public consultation until 1 November 2026

Who can apply?

The application is submitted by the host institution — a public-law research organisation — together with a young researcher. The institution must not be insolvent, must not have blocked bank accounts, must have its obligations to the state budget paid and must not be subject to a recovery order for state aid.

The young researcher must meet, cumulatively, the conditions in the information package:

• holds a doctorate in science, with the first doctoral title obtained no more than 8 years before submission (parental leave is not counted);
• is employed full-time, on a permanent contract, in a post of scientific researcher (CS or CS III), university teaching assistant, university lecturer or senior lecturer (șef de lucrări), with a contract that came into force in 2025 or later;
• this is their first permanent employment contract in the national higher education and research system;
• those declared "admitted" in 2026 to a competition for one of these posts are also eligible, provided that the contract is signed at the latest when the funding is contracted;
• they can receive the funding only once and cannot combine it with the "Institutional grants for awarding postdoctoral research scholarships" competition.

The maximum number of grants for an institution is calculated according to the posts of this type held by doctors employed on permanent contracts since 2025.

What is funded?

The only eligible costs are staff costs: the young researcher concludes with the institution an additional individual employment contract for 20 hours per month, paid at 175 lei per hour. The maximum funding of 84,000 lei is proportional to the implementation period. The package specifies that the funding is not considered a research project, and the young researcher does not have the status of project director.

Applications can be submitted in 13 fields: mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, engineering sciences, materials science, earth and atmospheric sciences, biology, medicine, biotechnology, social sciences, economic sciences and humanities.

How do you apply and how are applications assessed?

1. The host institution sends UEFISCDI the list of young researchers potentially eligible for funding (Annex 1).
2. For each researcher, UEFISCDI creates an account on the uefiscdi-direct.ro platform, where they write the funding application in Romanian, including a narrative CV.
3. UEFISCDI checks eligibility administratively; appeals must be submitted within 3 working days.
4. Each application is assessed by two experts appointed by the host institution, with a maximum score of 30; applications scoring below 20 points cannot be funded.
5. Assessment is carried out periodically, for applications received within a 3-month interval; the funding is assessed internally and again in the 12th month.

What this means for your institution

Our recommendation for universities and institutes: use the consultation period to draw up now an inventory of the young doctors employed since 2025 and those admitted in the 2026 competitions. Because submission will be continuous, until the budget is exhausted, institutions that have the list and the internal assessment procedure ready from the launch have a practical advantage.

Beware of two pitfalls: the condition of a "first permanent contract" in the system (a researcher transferred from another university does not qualify) and the institution's obligation to notify UEFISCDI of any change to the employment contract, which can lead to the funding ending automatically. If you have comments — for example on the hourly rate or the formula for allocation per institution — they can be sent now, while the document is not final.

Frequently asked questions

Can private companies apply to PRIM2026?

No. According to the information package, the competition is open exclusively to public-law research organisations in Romania: universities, Romanian Academy institutes and national research and development institutes.

How much does a young researcher receive through PRIM2026?

An additional employment contract of 20 hours per month, at 175 lei per hour, for a maximum of 24 months. The total funding is no more than 84,000 lei, proportional to the implementation period.

When can applications be submitted?

The launch date has not yet been announced. The information package is in public consultation until 1 November 2026; after the launch, submission will be continuous, until the allocated budget is exhausted.

How do I send comments on the guide?

Proposals and comments on the information package must be sent by 1 November 2026 to PRIM@uefiscdi.ro.

Can anything change before the launch?

Yes. The document is in public consultation, so the conditions, amounts and timetable may be modified in the final version.

Official sources

• UEFISCDI — First job in the national R&D&I system (PRIM)
• UEFISCDI — PRIM2026 information package, in public consultation
• EU Opportunities (MIPE) — PRIM2026 public consultation

Information checked on 2 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.