"la Caixa" Foundation (LCF) is a Spanish private foundation with a solid tradition as an innovative institution. LCF ranks among the top 10 world foundations considering either endowment or annual budget. LCF fellowship framework programme has awarded 4,771 fellowships since 1982. Junior Leader is an existing LCF fellowship programme addressed to excellent experienced researchers of all nationalities willing to join one of the outstanding research centres in Spain or Portugal in the STEM areas (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Junior Leader aims to train a new generation of researchers to become independent leaders, oriented towards both academia and industry, that will help to develop the European knowledge economy. LCF now is seeking support from the COFUND action with the aim to strength Junior Leader programme and the professional career development of the fellows. Thanks to the COFUND support, LCF will be able to enlarge the existing programme of 44 fellowships by adding 16 more fellowships, offering fellows an outstanding, more complete training as well as more networking possibilities thanks to a new secondment scheme. Junior Leader will award 60 fellowships divided into two calls. The programme will have a duration of 60 months. Fellows will freely propose a research project to be carried out at one of the 110 Spanish and Portuguese research centres certified as excellent that collaborate with the programme. Researchers will be selected by means of an open, transparent and merit-based three-stages selection process with independent evaluators. Junior Leader fellows will be offered 3-year employment contracts with the host organisation of their choice following a bottom-up approach.