The Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA) has been awarded, for the first time, one of the prestigious training programmes funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) COFUND scheme, within the 2025 call. This will allow four postdoctoral researchers to join the centre and carry out their research there over the next four years. The programme, entitled J-TRAIN, has a total budget of EUR 1.9 million, of which EUR 900,000 will be provided by the European Union.

One of the key strengths of the programme is that fellows will receive training in areas such as engineering, astrophysical observation, data analytics and science communication. In addition, they will define their own research lines to be developed at CEFCA, with the sole requirement that they be wholly or partly based on data obtained at the Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory. This postdoctoral training programme adopts a multidisciplinary and intersectoral approach, with the involvement of companies and initiatives from the private sector.

The MSCA COFUND call supports and promotes regional, national and international programmes that foster scientific excellence, mobility and career development for researchers. In the 2025 call, the European Commission selected 31 projects out of the 134 proposals submitted. In addition to the CEFCA proposal, two other Spanish programmes were funded (SE4S and TALENTGAL). The programme submitted by CEFCA received the third-highest score across Europe.

Training future leaders in astrophysics

The programme presented by CEFCA, known as J-TRAIN, offers comprehensive training in astrophysics for four postdoctoral researchers. In contrast to the growing trend towards research hyper-specialisation, the automated acquisition of observational data, the emergence of institutions dedicated exclusively to data reduction and management, or highly professionalised science communication teams, this programme aims to recover a holistic view of the entire research process. These skills are considered essential for successfully leading, for example, the construction of new instruments, the management of an observatory, or the coordination of a research department.

J-TRAIN builds on the unique characteristics of CEFCA, where an international research team works alongside the in-house development and operation of infrastructures such as the Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory and the Data Processing and Archiving Unit (UPAD), which together form a Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS) of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Researchers at the centre are directly involved in data reduction and analysis, as well as in the dissemination of scientific results. This integrated view of research is the one that will be transferred to the postdoctoral fellows.

The programme will also provide opportunities to engage with the private sector and to explore different pathways for the application of scientific developments. Partner organisations include companies from the aerospace sector, firms specialising in large-scale data analysis using artificial intelligence, and private companies that are leaders in astrotourism and have a presence in the province of Teruel.

The CEFCA programme will be launched on 1 September, when the call will open to select the four postdoctoral researchers who will develop their careers in Teruel over a four-year period. Another distinctive feature is the length of the contracts, which will allow fellows to apply for national research projects and even supervise other students—an uncommon opportunity in most postdoctoral positions, which typically last around two years.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions are named after the Polish-born physicist and chemist whose achievements include pioneering studies on radioactivity and the discovery of two chemical elements, polonium and radium, and who remains the only person to have been awarded two Nobel Prizes. These fellowships support the training and career development of researchers, with a strong emphasis on working conditions, excellence and international mobility. MSCA COFUND is one of the five main funding schemes under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions promoted by the European Union.