AVI funds and regional equity in Valencian subsidies: Alicante under the spotlight
Juan de Dios Navarro, Vice President of Innovation and Digital Agenda, criticized what he described as a new boycott by the Generalitat Valenciana against Alicante in the distribution of subsidies managed by the Valencia Innovation Agency (AVI). He asserted that Ximo Puig continues to undervalue Alicante and Castellón by maintaining a centralized, Valencia-focused system. Navarro called for an end to the old centralism linked to Puig and his nationalist allies in the Consell. He emphasized that the Valencian Community is built by all its provinces and cannot be divided or isolated, a point he underscored in discussing policy impact on regional development.
The Strategic Subsidy Plan 2023-2025 was published in DOGV this week. Navarro noted that the plan repeats the discriminatory pattern seen with the three-year 2021 program: no Alicante-based organization receives support through its own allocation. The plan’s budget stands at €197 million, but aside from two new clauses favoring Valencia, subsidies largely mirror the previous year, which Navarro labels as continuing an established pattern of ignoring and disadvantaging Alicante within the tripartite government structure of Generalitat Valenciana.
AVI redirects more funds toward Valencia
Navarro warned that while such tensions escalate, the top priority of the Generalitat Presidency appears to be relocating to a new office building in central Alicante, a purchase formerly held by the Post Office. He observed that the Consell is moving offices into the Plaza de Gabriel Miró building, while Alicante researchers remain without AVI grants and are deprived of critical resources needed to compete effectively.
Navarro called for a transparent public explanation from the Alicante Provincial Assembly after the direct allocation of concessions to the same beneficiaries as in the prior edition. He pointed out that although aid to Alicante is conspicuously lacking, certain direct allocations include support for University of Valencia students on the campus and an injection to the Technological Institutes Network, which already receives substantial assistance to align projects, with another organization also based in Valencia receiving direct subsidies.
New setback for Alicante: direct aid reduced under AVI
Navarro recalled that in 2021 AVI distributed €52.3 million in subsidies to universities and companies throughout the Community, but Alicante received just €8.8 million. He noted that while 16.8% of total resources supported Alicante projects, 83.2% went to other parts of the Community, totaling more than €43 million. He argued that both central government and the Consell are constraining Alicante and endangering key sectors essential to the region’s economic growth, including water management through the Tagus-Segura transfer, public works, and investment in innovation.
The statements reflected a broader concern that regional development plans must balance investment and opportunity across provinces, ensuring that innovation ecosystems outside of the central hubs receive sustained support for long-term growth. The discussion highlights ongoing debates about how subsidies are allocated, who receives the most benefit, and how to structure governance to promote inclusive progress across the Valencian Community. (Fuente: reports from regional policymakers and advocacy groups following AVI grant announcements)