ANII, the Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación, is Uruguay’s national agency for funding scientific research, technological development, and innovation. For research administrators and investigators working with Uruguayan partners, or for researchers considering Uruguay-based funding or collaboration opportunities, ANII is the primary public funding channel to understand — comparable in role, though not in scale or structure, to Chile’s ANID or Brazil’s CNPq. This guide covers what ANII is, how it is organized, its main funding lines, the researcher registry system it administers, and how to apply.
What Is ANII?
ANII was created by Uruguayan Law No. 18.084, enacted on December 28, 2006, as a “persona pública no estatal” — a non-state public legal entity. This structure gives ANII more operational and administrative flexibility than a standard government ministry or department while keeping it publicly funded and accountable to the state. Its mandate is to promote research and the application of new knowledge by financing research projects, postgraduate scholarships (both within Uruguay and abroad), and programs that encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in both the private and public sectors.
ANII operates within Uruguay’s broader national science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy system. Its Board of Directors approves the agency’s programs and calls for proposals, doing so in consultation with the Consejo Nacional de Innovación, Ciencia y Tecnología (CONICYT) — the interinstitutional body responsible for setting national STI strategy and priority areas, with representation from the executive branch, public research and education institutions, the productive sector, and other stakeholders. ANII is the funding and implementation arm; CONICYT is the policy-setting body it coordinates with.
Main Funding Areas
ANII organizes its support (“apoyos”) into four broad categories, each covering several individual programs and calls that open and close on their own schedules:
- Research (Investigación) — competitive research grants, ranging from open, discipline-general basic-science funds to applied and sector-specific funds (for example, in energy or Antarctic research).
- Training (Formación) — scholarships and fellowships for postgraduate study, both for Uruguayans studying domestically or abroad and, in some calls, for connecting Uruguayan research groups with visiting foreign experts.
- Innovation (Innovación) — support for public-sector innovation challenges and for private companies implementing innovation projects, typically as non-reimbursable co-financing paired with a matching contribution from the recipient.
- Entrepreneurship (Emprendimientos) — programs aimed at early-stage and innovative ventures, including co-investment and “catalyst”-style support for startups.
Research administrators should treat these as four separate application ecosystems rather than a single unified grants program: each has its own eligibility rules, forms, and calendar of open calls, published on ANII’s own site.
Key Research Funds
Within the research category, two named funds account for a large share of ANII’s competitive, discipline-general research funding:
- Fondo Clemente Estable — ANII’s longest-running basic-science fund, open across disciplines and named for the Uruguayan neurophysiologist Clemente Estable. It supports fundamental research projects without a required applied or commercial orientation.
- Fondo María Viñas — oriented toward applied research, typically requiring projects to demonstrate potential production, economic, or social impact, often in partnership with a non-academic counterpart such as a company or public institution.
Alongside these two flagship funds, ANII periodically opens sector-specific research calls tied to national priority areas identified through the CONICYT process — these vary from cycle to cycle, so administrators should check ANII’s current call listings (“convocatorias abiertas”) rather than assume a given sectoral fund is permanently open.
Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI)
ANII also administers the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI), Uruguay’s national researcher registry and evaluation system. Researchers based in Uruguay can apply to be categorized within the SNI (as candidate researcher or at successive researcher levels) based on peer review of their scientific production. Categorization brings a periodic stipend and, in practice, functions as a national quality signal that is often referenced in institutional hiring, promotion, and grant-eligibility decisions within Uruguay. This is a distinct mechanism from ANII’s project grants: SNI evaluates and recognizes individual researchers on an ongoing basis, rather than funding a specific bounded project.
The SNI is broadly analogous in function — though not identical in design — to national researcher-classification systems elsewhere in the region, such as Mexico’s Sistema Nacional de Investigadores administered by SECIHTI (the successor to CONACYT) or Argentina’s CONICET researcher career. Administrators supporting Uruguay-based staff or collaborators should be aware that SNI status can be a relevant factor in a researcher’s funding eligibility and institutional standing, independent of any specific ANII project award.
Scholarships and Postgraduate Funding
ANII’s training programs fund postgraduate study (master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral) both at Uruguayan institutions and abroad. Scholarships for study outside Uruguay are generally intended to build capacity that ultimately benefits Uruguay’s research and innovation system, and may carry return-to-Uruguay or continued-engagement expectations depending on the specific call. Institutions hosting incoming ANII-funded students or partnering on joint postgraduate programs should check the specific scholarship line’s terms directly, since eligibility, funding levels, and residency or return obligations vary by program and are updated with each call.
Support for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Separately from its academic research and training lines, ANII runs programs aimed at the private sector: non-reimbursable co-financing for companies undertaking innovation projects, and support — including co-investment mechanisms — for early-stage, innovative ventures. These programs typically require the recipient (company or entrepreneur) to contribute matching funds alongside ANII’s support, with the exact cost-sharing terms, caps, and eligible expense categories set by each specific call rather than fixed agency-wide. Because these terms change between calls, administrators or entrepreneurs evaluating a specific opportunity should confirm current parameters directly on the relevant program page at ANII’s site rather than relying on a prior cycle’s terms.
Who Can Apply
Eligibility varies by program, but as a general pattern:
- Research grants (Fondo Clemente Estable, Fondo María Viñas, and sectoral funds) are generally open to researchers affiliated with an eligible Uruguayan institution acting as the grant-holding entity, though calls commonly permit or require international co-investigators and collaborating institutions on specific project types.
- SNI categorization is for individual researchers based in Uruguay.
- Postgraduate scholarships targeting study abroad are generally aimed at Uruguayan nationals or residents; international applicants seeking to study in Uruguay should check individual host-institution and program terms rather than assume direct ANII eligibility.
- Innovation and entrepreneurship support is generally restricted to companies and ventures with a Uruguayan legal presence.
Because eligibility rules are set per call rather than agency-wide, the single most reliable step for any prospective applicant — Uruguayan or international — is to read the “bases” (terms and conditions) document published with the specific open call, which will state institutional and nationality requirements explicitly.
How to Apply
ANII manages applications through its own online portal, with each program publishing its own call (“convocatoria”), timeline, required documentation, and evaluation criteria. ANII’s site (anii.org.uy) is published in Spanish, and application materials for most programs are expected in Spanish as well; international applicants or institutions supporting Uruguayan collaborators should plan for this rather than expect English-language forms. Typical steps across ANII programs are:
- Identify the relevant open call under the appropriate support category (research, training, innovation, or entrepreneurship) on ANII’s site.
- Review the call’s “bases” document for eligibility, required institutional affiliation, budget rules, and deadlines.
- Register and submit through ANII’s online application system, with supporting documentation as specified in the call.
- Await peer review or evaluation-committee assessment; timelines and evaluation criteria are set per call and published alongside it.
Because ANII runs many distinct calls rather than one continuous rolling program, deadlines are call-specific and can open and close within the same calendar year — administrators should monitor ANII’s current-calls listing directly rather than relying on a fixed annual cycle.
International Collaboration
ANII participates in bilateral and regional research-cooperation arrangements with other national funders. As one example, ANII and Brazil’s São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) have an agreement to jointly fund collaborative research projects between researchers in Uruguay and the State of São Paulo. Research offices supporting joint or cross-border projects with Uruguayan partners should ask their Uruguayan collaborator or ANII directly whether a relevant bilateral instrument exists for their specific country pairing and field, since these agreements are periodically renewed or introduced rather than being a fixed, permanent list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ANII stand for?
ANII stands for Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación — Uruguay’s National Agency for Research and Innovation.
Is ANII a government ministry?
No. ANII is a “persona pública no estatal” — a non-state public legal entity created by Law No. 18.084 (2006). It is publicly funded and coordinates with the Consejo Nacional de Innovación, Ciencia y Tecnología (CONICYT), which sets national STI policy, but it is not a ministry department.
What is the difference between the Fondo Clemente Estable and the Fondo María Viñas?
The Fondo Clemente Estable funds basic, discipline-general research without a required applied orientation. The Fondo María Viñas funds applied research expected to show potential production, economic, or social impact, often involving a non-academic partner.
Can researchers outside Uruguay apply to ANII directly?
It depends on the specific call. Many ANII research grants require a Uruguayan institution as the grant-holding entity but permit international co-investigators or collaborating institutions; scholarships and entrepreneurship support are generally restricted to Uruguayan nationals, residents, or Uruguayan-registered ventures. Always check the “bases” document of the specific call.
What is the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI)?
The SNI is Uruguay’s national researcher registry and evaluation system, administered by ANII. Researchers based in Uruguay are peer-reviewed and categorized based on scientific production, which brings a periodic stipend and functions as a recognized quality signal within the Uruguayan research system. It is distinct from ANII’s project-specific research grants.
Where can administrators find current ANII calls and deadlines?
Directly on ANII’s own site, anii.org.uy, which lists open calls (“convocatorias abiertas”) by support category. Because ANII runs many distinct, time-limited calls rather than one continuous program, this is the only reliable source for current deadlines and terms.
