The Valencian Community concentrates its strengths in Alicante to position the city as the headquarters for the Spanish Artificial Intelligence Supervision Agency. The challenge is significant, yet Alicante’s assets are solid, with the Generalitat Valenciana backing the candidacy as the primary promoter. Ten essential elements underpin this effort.
SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT
Renowned advisors shape the nomination
Alicante’s bid to host the AI Supervision Agency is backed by an advisory group of distinguished artificial intelligence experts. The Ministry of Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society coordinates efforts to unite research teams across AI, approaching the topic from social, legal, ethical and technological angles. This week, Laura Olcina, executive director of the Technological Informatics Institute and technology commissioner at Inndromeda; Ricard Martínez, professor in the Department of Constitutional Law, Political Science and UV Management; Adela Cortina, professor of Ethics and Law at UV; and Aurelia Bustos, oncologist and computer engineer with a PhD in AI, joined the team. They join Vicen Botti, director of VRAIN: UPV’s University Research Institute in Artificial Intelligence; Manolo Desantes, Professor of Private International Law at UA; Nuria Oliver, scientific director and co-founder of the Ellis Alicante Foundation; and Andrés Torrubia, telecommunications engineer and AI entrepreneur. The group will grow with additional experts as the Ministry, led by Josefina Bueno, advances the nomination. Source: Ministry announcements
TALENT KEEPING
Preparing for demand-driven roles
Universities and the Valencian Administration have developed a skilled workforce ready for the new professions society seeks. The Ministry has facilitated the inclusion of more than 160 researchers in the GenT excellence program, created by the Valencian Government in 2017, aiming to attract, retain and consolidate international researchers across three methodological paths. The Valencian system now includes five public universities with science parks that nurture an innovative ecosystem built on AI, leveraging top university departments such as the University of Alicante’s Scientific Business Innovation Unit or VRAIN. The UPV focuses on technological innovation and complements the Consell’s Graduate School and the Artificial Intelligence Research Centers Network (ValgrAI), supports the Ellis Node in the UA Science Park, and contributes to the Center for Aging. In addition, the Ministry launched the Talent Zone project to train 15,000 professionals in three years through the Digital Zone. Source: Valencian Government updates
ELLIS
Tied to a major European node from Alicante
Fundación Unidad Ellis Alicante directs human-centered AI research, emphasizing modeling human behavior for social good, including pandemic responses and the evaluation of AI decision-making systems. The Alicante center, named the Humanity-focused Artificial Intelligence Institute, is the only non-profit in the country dedicated exclusively to basic research in human-centered AI. Ellis operates with 29 other Ellis units across 14 European countries and Israel, located at prestigious centers such as the Universities of Alicante, Cambridge and Oxford, ETH Zurich, and the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen. The Alicante unit is the first Spanish partner in this research alliance and stands out as a startup-minded scientific hub. Source: Ellis Alicante
AI IN MANAGEMENT
A commitment to progress in sustainable and efficient systems
The Generalitat’s aim is to spark a Public Administration that enhances citizens’ lives through AI-powered public services, moving toward more sustainable, effective and efficient management in health, transport, urban development, education, energy and planetary sustainability. The Generalitat funds UPV’s Head of Artificial Intelligence for Public Administration, supporting prototypes and improvements in administrative procedures. The Ministry’s Innovative Regions program is highlighted for empowering municipalities and regions with resources to advance innovation and digital transformation. Source: Generalitat communications
DIGITAL ZONE
Outstanding pioneer as a technology hub
The Digital District is presented as more than a plan to host companies, startups and talent. With headquarters at Ciudad de la Luz, it stands as a driver of technological transformation and the digital economy, reflecting the Consell’s strong commitment to Alicante in this term. Its core goal is to reshape the economic model by building a robust digital ecosystem for sector firms to grow. The service catalog of the technology center emphasizes a personalized welcome plan, ongoing professional training for established firms and market-focused technology events. Creating synergies between companies is another major advantage of this innovation center, which seeks to position the Valencian Community as a diverse, global tech ecosystem. A new headquarters at the Port of Alicante is planned, with nearly a hundred companies already operating from this center and about a thousand employees, with facilities continuing to expand. Source: Generalitat Valenciana
EUIPO
Three decades of operation in the provincial capital
Alicante meets the prerequisites to host corporate centers, highlighted by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which has operated from the capital for thirty years. EUIPO was created as a decentralized EU agency to protect intellectual property for companies and innovators, a function connected to the evolving needs of AI applications across sectors. Source: EUIPO
TRANSFER INFORMATION
Programs to build a research community
Valencian scientific strategy rests on three axes: talent, knowledge transfer and organizing the region through science and innovation. The Valencian Research Foundation for Excellence (ValER) works to implement tools that help build a large research community, advancing careers through rigorous and sustained work in pioneering AI research. ValgrAI represents the Community’s Network of Graduate Schools and Research Centers in Artificial Intelligence, aiming to create a vast community of researchers, faculty, students and alumni who generate social value through advanced AI research and education. ValgrAI seeks to train the next generation of AI experts through international programs guided by top research teams. The Center for Research on Aging in Elche aims to become an international benchmark, fostering regional cohesion on the path to economic development. The project originated from a desire to conduct excellent science with international support, ensuring research has broad societal impact. Activities include cutting-edge work in molecular biology, genetics of aging, computational biology and AI systems. Source: ValER and ValgrAI announcements
SUPPORT FOR INDUSTRIAL FABRIC
Facilitating innovation through public-private partnerships
The Valencia Innovation Agency (AVI) acts as an innovation facilitator for Valencian companies, strengthening links within the regional innovation system to translate knowledge into new technologies. Despite past debates about resource distribution among universities, the region hosts a broad alliance called Inndromeda, which connects competence centers with the business fabric; it provides infrastructures and spaces for demonstration and experimentation to test disruptive technologies like AI in production and to run pilots before market release. The future depends on new technologies and sustained R&D+i, and Alicante stands among the leaders in this effort. Source: AVI and Inndromeda reports
LINKS
The fourth airport in the country, the AVE and the future Mediterranean Corridor
Alicante-Elche airport is a strategic hub, ranking as the fourth busiest in the country and linking to more than twenty countries. The capital city is connected to Madrid by the AVE and is positioned to benefit from the forthcoming Mediterranean Corridor. A port also supports this connectivity. Source: Transport authorities
REGIONAL COMPLIANCE
Decentralized ministry with an AI strategy
Innovation leads the Valencian ministry driving regional structure and promoting the AI strategy, first presented in 2019. The document outlines the administration’s plan to realign the production model by embedding AI across society, with progress tracked in an accompanying application highlighting advances and strategic actions. The plan emphasizes three areas: building a dynamic, inclusive innovation ecosystem; preparing that ecosystem for socioeconomic shifts; and integrating AI into public administration. The Generalitat notes that the Valencian region is becoming a national benchmark for using resources to enable policy execution and AI adoption across society, aiming for a competitive digital economy that centers human needs. Source: Generalitat strategy document