Key data
| Regulation | Resolution of April 28, 2026, from the Carlos III Institute of Health, O.A., M.P., publishing the Amendment for modification and extension of the Agreement with the FEDER Foundation for Research |
|---|---|
| Publication | May 8, 2026 |
| Entry into force | Not specified in the resolution |
| Affected parties | Researchers and groups that have submitted applications to the ISCIII research funding call for rare diseases |
| Category | Education / Biomedical research |
| Purpose of the agreement | Evaluation of research proposals on rare diseases by the FEDER Foundation for Research |
| Type of act | Amendment for modification and extension of public-private collaboration agreement |
Researchers and research groups that have submitted applications to the funding call of the Carlos III Institute of Health (ISCIII) for projects on rare diseases now have confirmed the framework in which their projects will be evaluated. The Resolution of April 28, 2026, published in the BOE on May 8, 2026, formalizes the amendment that modifies and extends the agreement between the ISCIII and the FEDER Foundation for Research.
This extension does not introduce a new evaluation process from scratch: it consolidates and extends the existing collaboration, leveraging FEDER's specialized knowledge in the field of rare diseases. For those with an ongoing application, this means that the evaluation process continues without changes in the organization or base criteria.
What does this regulation establish?
The amendment published by the ISCIII has a specific and limited purpose: to modify and extend the collaboration agreement with the FEDER Foundation for Research so that this foundation continues to participate in the evaluation of proposals submitted to the funding call aimed at researching rare diseases.
The key elements established by the resolution are as follows:
- Parties to the agreement: Carlos III Institute of Health (ISCIII) and FEDER Foundation for Research.
- Purpose: FEDER's collaboration in the evaluation of research proposals submitted to the funding call for rare disease research.
- Type of act: Amendment for modification and extension of the original agreement.
- Justification: To ensure continuity of the evaluation process and leverage the foundation's experience and specialized knowledge in rare diseases.
- Framework: Strengthens public-private collaboration in the biomedical research ecosystem on rare diseases.
The resolution does not specify the exact date of entry into force of the amendment. To learn about specific deadlines, it is necessary to consult the full text published in the BOE (BOE-A-2026-10040).
Economic and operational impact
This resolution does not generate direct costs for researchers or for entities that have submitted applications. Its impact is fundamentally operational and procedural: it determines who evaluates the projects and under what collaboration framework.
The most relevant practical effects are:
- Continuity of the evaluation process: The extension avoids gaps or delays in the evaluation of already submitted proposals. The process is not interrupted or restarted with a new evaluator.
- Stability of evaluation criteria: By maintaining FEDER as a collaborating entity in the evaluation, the criteria and accumulated experience from previous calls are preserved. This is relevant for researchers who are already familiar with the foundation's evaluation profile.
- Strengthening of public-private collaboration: The amendment consolidates the model in which a foundation specialized in rare diseases provides technical value to the project selection process funded with public funds from the ISCIII.
- Indirect impact on project financing: Well-structured evaluation with specialized criteria influences the quality of financing decisions, which affects research groups competing for these grants.
No data has been published on the economic amount of the agreement or the total volume of the funding call in the analyzed resolution.
Who does it affect?
This resolution directly and indirectly affects the following profiles:
- Researchers and research groups that have submitted proposals to the ISCIII funding call for projects on rare diseases: they are the main affected parties, as this amendment determines the framework in which their projects will be evaluated.
- Biomedical research institutions (hospitals, universities, research centers) that participate in ISCIII calls in the field of rare diseases.
- R&D managers at centers and hospitals who coordinate the submission of applications to ISCIII calls.
- FEDER Foundation for Research, as a collaborating entity that assumes the evaluation function within the extended agreement.
- Managers of scientific policy and research financing who follow the public-private collaboration model in biomedicine.
Practical example
A research group from a university hospital has submitted a proposal to the ISCIII funding call to develop a project on early diagnosis of a rare genetic disease. The group has been waiting for weeks to learn the results of the evaluation.
With the publication of this amendment, that group has confirmation that the FEDER Foundation for Research continues to be the entity that collaborates in the evaluation of its proposal, within the framework of the extended agreement with the ISCIII. There is no change of evaluator, no restart of the process, and no uncertainty about who assesses its project.
For the group leader, this means that the process can continue without needing to adapt the proposal to new evaluation criteria or wait for a new organization to become familiar with the call. The extension guarantees that FEDER's specialized knowledge in rare diseases continues to be applied to the assessment of its application.
What should researchers do now?
- Verify the status of your application: If you have submitted a proposal to the ISCIII funding call for rare diseases, check the status of your file through the institute's usual channels. The extension of the agreement does not modify the resolution deadlines of the call.
- Consult the full text of the amendment: The resolution published in the BOE on May 8, 2026 (reference BOE-A-2026-10040) includes the complete text of the amendment. Review it to learn about the entry into force date and any specific modifications to the original agreement.
- Keep your proposal documentation updated: Ensure that all submitted documentation is complete and up to date, in case the evaluation process requires additional information.
- Follow the ISCIII communication channels: Notifications about evaluation results will be made through the official channels of the Carlos III Institute of Health. No additional action is necessary as a direct consequence of this extension.
- R&D managers: Inform researchers at your centers who have ongoing applications that the evaluation framework remains unchanged in substantial terms, avoiding unnecessary alarm.