Contentious-Administrative Division Fourth Division High Court of Justice of the Commonwealth of Valencia (TSJ) has become the arena for a dispute over a government aid file tied to the Ellis Foundation. The central issue revolves around a direct subsidy valued at 58,643 euros, with the Foundation contesting the amount and the conditions tied to the funding. The involved parties contend over whether the aid followed proper administrative procedure and whether the Foundation met the required criteria for basic research in artificial intelligence aimed at combatting covid-19.
The matter recalls the events of December 4, 2020, when the presidency approved support for basic AI research to fight covid-19. Department sources led by Josefina Bueno maintain that the dispute remains anchored in an administrative framework, and that the Foundation has already reimbursed part of the funds due to perceived noncompliance with established principles. The sides argue about whether the funding decision was legitimate and whether the subsequent audit findings justify the demand for repayment.
HE DOGV published the document trail on Monday, including the Undersecretariat’s instruction dated 7 November 2022 and a decision dated 12 July 2022 that cites a request for partial payment because justification was deemed insufficient. The gap between the criteria used in the subsidy audit and those applied by the Generalitat has been noted, and questions were raised about how those criteria were interpreted at the time. The Ministry had already initiated an official response by then.
Two pivotal points shape the dispute. The first concerns Carolina Pascual, who chaired the council that approved the direct assistance, and the second concerns the role of the current district manager who is pursuing the claim. These dynamics underline how governance and administrative oversight intersect in research funding programs and how accountability is handled when expectations about grant fulfillment diverge.
dissemination of the work
The research led by engineer Nuria Oliver has achieved broad visibility among the public and is viewed as a tool to inform decision making by the Generalitat Valenciana. Early efforts centered on a single questionnaire designed to understand how people behaved during the pandemic. The team intended to capture real time responses that could shape policy decisions and resource allocation. The project expanded into a series of surveys that provided a window into how communities were adapting to lockdowns and other restrictions.
Alongside the main results, researchers sought to gauge how the pandemic was managed across different social groups. Media coverage, including reports from this publication, highlighted more than 18,000 completed responses across 23 questions. The questions examined factors such as whether respondents lived with at risk relatives and the degree of social isolation. In successive iterations, the surveys added items about emotional well being. The data revealed that a notable share of participants reported increased anxiety at home and heightened stress among younger adults aged 18 to 20.
Stable relationship with Oliver’s team
Since the unit’s establishment, the collaboration with Oliver’s team has remained consistent. An annual agreement dated 24 October 2019 laid the groundwork for a long term partnership, with a 1.5 million euro commitment spread over five years. The agreement formed part of the broader Valencia AI Strategy and set out three major research pillars. These pillars focus on modeling human behavior, advancing interactive intelligent systems, and addressing the challenges and limitations involved when artificial intelligence frameworks are used to support decision making. The arrangement reflects an explicit strategy to harness AI for public policy while maintaining rigorous oversight and accountability in funded research.