The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism announced a surprising move on Thursday, revealing an agreement to establish the Spanish Laboratory Network for Autonomous and Connected Vehicles. The signing photo featured Minister Reyes Maroto alongside Luis Moreno, the director of the Galicia Automotive Technology Center, CTAG. At the time, the focus was on creating test and research centers to validate new products and research and development activities, with the capacity to test and pre-approve them.
What looked like a simple agreement carried a major novelty: Vigo’s long-planned high-speed track would join the venture. According to Moreno, the ultimate goal is to design, build, and commission this network of labs or testing circuits and validation tests. He added that the circuit proposed will be included and that his center could not stay on the sidelines.
CTAG’s headquarters in O Porriño houses a small runway used by engineers to perform key verifications on vehicle developments. Over the years the center has outlined plans for a high-speed track with six lanes and essential facilities, aiming to remain a reference in the industry and broaden the services offered.
To finance the effort, CTAG leveraged opportunities provided by Next Generation funds. The project, initially planned for the Plisan industrial zone in Salvaterra-As Neves and later moved to A Cañiza, faced the same funding challenge as the Balaídos factory: support for Perte VEC (Electric and Connected Vehicle) led by the Automotive Industry made it difficult for the Vigo circuit to benefit from these aids.
Today, Moreno explains, the situation has shifted. The Thursday protocol states that the Spanish Network of Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Laboratories will receive European funds outside Perte but will be part of the Next Generation program. He notes that the project will involve European funds, state-owned funds, and private contribution. Although the budget has not been finalized, preliminary estimates place the figure between 300 and 400 million euros.
Coordination and Roles
The industry press release positions CTAG as the coordinator of a major national project, with the Galician center acting as an interlocutor between public administrations and the inter-ministerial commission that engages with the private sector. Industry associations for technology and research centers, manufacturers’ groups such as Anfac, suppliers like Sernauto, and leading companies are all part of the ecosystem. One notable participant is Catalan Cellnex, which is collaborating with Zona Franca, the City Council, and CTAG on a tractor project that includes the circuit.
The plan envisions the most established automotive regions as primary beneficiaries. Moreno emphasizes that to foster the complementarity of all facilities, each one will host laboratories and pathways for specific uses under CTAG’s coordination. Naturally, every arrangement will incorporate the proposed circuit, with governance models to be defined in due course.
From Moreno’s perspective, the long-term vision is for the initiative to become a reality by 2027, or at least reach an advanced stage. The Vigo circuit, alongside plans for Plisan or A Cañiza, remains under consideration, with the precise configuration yet to be defined. Initial financial expectations hovered around a notable investment, underscoring the scale and ambition of the project.