X Research pitches contest 2026
The aim of this contest is to promote and recognise the research work undertaken in the Compostela Group of Universities (CGU) member universities.
CGU researchers are invited to present their work through research pitches. A pitch is a short presentation that aims to convince someone of the value of something, usually with the objective of selling a product or obtaining funding for a project. The idea is that CGU researchers have the opportunity to disseminate their work at their university and beyond, to:
- Find funding.
- Contact other research groups that carry out similar research works.
- Attract other researchers and doctoral students who wish to develop the same type of research.
- Disseminate research results to the academic community and society in general.
This contest will reward the pitches submitted by the researchers from our member universities that best reach the general public and transmit the relevance of the project, as well as its contribution to society.
Objetives
Give visibility to the research carried out by the CGU member universities
Promote the dissemination of the results of their research teams
Participantes
Researchers from the CGU member universities can participate in the contest. For this purpose, such researchers are understood to be those who meet at least one of the following requirements:
- To be part of a research group in a CGU member university.
- To be enrolled in a doctoral programme from a CGU member university.
- To be granted a university research scholarship by a CGU member university during the present call.
Premios
Three prizes will be awarded in this edition:
- First prize: 1500 euros gross and a diploma of recognition for the first finalist.
- Second prize: 1000 euros gross and a diploma of recognition for the second finalist.
- Third price: 500 euros gross and a diploma of recognition for the third finalist.
The monetary prize will be transferred directly to the natural person who is the author of the finalist pitch, in a single and indivisible payment by bank transfer.
The prize is subject to withholding taxes. The CGU reserves the right to apply those withholding taxes in accordance with Spanish Law.
The diploma of recognition will be awarded to the natural person who is the author of the finalist pitch, through the representative of their CGU home university, during the official presentation ceremony of the contest at the annual CGU General Assembly.
Guidelines
Researchers interested in participating are advised to read the guidelines of the call carefully.
Timeline and deadlines
- January 2026 – Launching of call 2026 of the contest.
- February 2026 – Designation, where appropriate, of a representative for the signature of letters of support by the member universities.
- 31 March 2026 (12:00 PM – noon, Peninsular Spanish Time) – Deadline for the submission of applications.
- June 2026 – Jury deliberation and announcement of the finalist pitches.
- September 2026 – Official presentation of the finalist pitches during the annual Compostela Group of Universities General Assembly.
Registration form
The form to submit the applications must be compulsorily filled in online and in English for the application to be accepted. In addition, the documentation requested in the guidelines of the call has to be included.
Modelos de documentación
The Compostela Group of Universities makes available to researchers the templates for the letter of support and the declaration of responsibility.
Template for the letter of support 2026 in PDF format.
Template for the letter of support 2026 in Word format.
Template for the declaration of responsibility 2026 in PDF format.
Template for the declaration of responsibility 2026 in Word format.
Logo of the network
On the corporate image and visual identity section of our website, you will find the CGU’s logo in different file formats.
A ‘layer’ with the CGU logo in the correct layout is provided, for use throughout the video recording.
Jury
The jury is composed of the CGU president and two members from the member universities of the network. Moreover, the executive secretary of the CGU acts as secretary of this body.
Contacts for the letters of support
The details of the responsible person designated by your home university to sign the letter of support will be published in this section.
If your university is not on the list, please contact the contest co-ordination at grupo.compostela@usc.es.
University of Monterrey
Julieta Alejandra Yáñez Vega
Director of Internationalisation
alejandra.yanez@udem.edu.mx
jose.carranza@udem.edu.mx
Karlstad University
Patrik Larsson
Pro Vice-Chancellor
patrik.larsson@kau.se
Anáhuac Veracruz University
Nayeli Escobar Tapia
International Office Manager
nayeli.escobarta@anahuac.mx
Phone: +52 228-819-1515 ext. 3105
University of Vigo
Belén Rubio Armesto
Vice-Rector for Research, Transfer and Innovation
Correo electrónico: internacional@uvigo.gal.
Award gallery of the research pitches contest
Don’t know where to start? Need to find inspiration? Perhaps discovering the acknowledged presentations of the past editions of the research pitches contest. may help you. We invite you to visit the gallery where you can watch the 27 winning pitches winning pitches from the nine editions of the competition.
