A series of Ni-based perovskite-type oxides LaNiO(3), La(0.8)Ca(0.2)NiO(3) and La(0.8)Ca(0.2)Ni(0.6)Co(0.4)O(3), were synthesized as catalyst precursors both bulk and built-in a highly ordered mesoporous SBA-15 silica-host with the aim of using them as heterogeneous catalysts in syngas production by the methane dry reforming with CO(2). The solids were characterized by means of FT-IR, XRD, BET surface area and TPR techniques. All synthesized oxides showed a perovskite-type structure. Incorporation of the oxides into the mesoporous silica-host generates a higher metal-support interaction increasing the Ni reduction temperature. A decrease in CH(4) and CO(2) conversion was observed when a second cation in A- and/or B-site was added to the bulk perovskite. The built-in of these solids in the SBA-15 mesoporous silica-host allows working at lower temperature with an increase in conversions and selectivity towards syngas which represent an attractive perspective for industrial application. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.