Valencia’s Valencian Parliament Debates Ellis Foundation Funding and Its Impact on Alicante
The parliamentary group PSPV in the Cortes of Valencia condemned the substantial cut planned by the Generalitat to financing for the Ellis Foundation. This Alicante‑based research body, led by Nuria Oliver, focuses on artificial intelligence projects and has long operated with regional backing. In the long view of regional policy, the group urged the government to reconsider its decision, warning that the reduction could jeopardize ongoing AI initiatives and the broader regional tech ecosystem. In the 2024 budget, the Consell reduced the Ellis Foundation’s appropriation by two thirds, leaving it with 500,000 euros instead of the 1.5 million euros allocated in 2023 by the Botànic government. The reduction is seen as a direct hit to Valencia’s research capacity and the province’s role in national tech leadership. (Source: local parliamentary coverage)
Alicante’s Socialist autonomous parliamentarian José Diaz expressed clear frustration with the interruption. He warned that the foundation’s viability is at stake and urged the president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, to guarantee continuity for the Ellis Foundation. Diaz recalled the prior commitment voiced by Ximo Puig that had positioned Alicante as a focal point for innovation. He argued that the city and its surroundings must remain a central hub for the development of technology and the digital economy, a status that has attracted talent and investment. (Source: regional political reporting)
Díaz also urged Mazón to stop displaying what he described as false loyalty to Alicante. He criticized the financial squeeze as a serious reduction in support and asserted that the project belongs to the province and its people. The deputy reiterated that Alicante has become a node of artificial intelligence and acknowledged the government’s commitments to Ellis Foundation projects, while insisting that a cut of this scale risks erasing that position. (Source: committee briefings)
Beyond public criticism, Diaz outlined what the new Cortes session would examine. As the Valencian assembly resumes, a review will be conducted of the measures affecting the Ellis Foundation and the annual allocation that had previously been agreed with the former Department of Innovation. He insisted that a two‑thirds reduction in the budget is not a viable solution and called for a funding plan that preserves the foundation’s essential work and its link to the region’s innovation agenda. (Source: assembly debates)