The Government grants 16 million in aid to 22 universities to create chairs linked to AI

MADRID/VALENCIA, 24 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service has published the provisional resolution of the so-called ‘ENIA Chairs’, a public subsidy program with which 16 million euros in aid will be distributed to 22 Spanish universities for research linked to the application of artificial intelligence (AI). Among them are the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), which will receive almost 500,000 euros, and the Universitat d’Alacant (UA), with almost 240,000.

The universities of Salamanca, Córdoba and Granada are the academic entities that will receive the most funds within the framework of this program with a subsidy of 1.2 million euros each, closely followed by the University of Zaragoza (1.19 million euros ).

Other universities that will benefit from these funds will be the universities of Seville (823,278 euros), Oviedo (332,831 euros), the Polytechnic of Catalonia (668,303 euros), Málaga (499,373 euros), Murcia (590,276 euros) and the Basque Country (600,000 euros). ).

Added to these are the Autonomous University of Barcelona (598,640 euros), the Polytechnic of Valencia (499,374 euros), the University of Alcalá (883,584 euros), the Carlos III of Madrid (899,968 euros), the University of Alicante (239,999 euros), the Autonomous University of Madrid (363,545 euros), Pompeu I Fabra (900,000 euros), Rey Juan Carlos (374,999 euros), Girona (899,999 euros) and Santiago de Compostela (899,081 euros).

The University of A Coruña (899,968 euros) and the San Pablo-CEU will also receive aid, for which three applications have been approved for a total amount of 233,038 euros.

“The chairs will promote the promotion of professional and university training offerings aimed at the development of this technology – in reference to artificial intelligence -, reinforcing research and knowledge transfer capabilities in the fields in which they will be applied,” has pointed out the portfolio headed by José Luis Escrivá.

To establish the criteria and requirements for selecting the chairs, the Government launched an expression of interest in 2022 and in which information was collected on potential lines of research and typology of research projects.

In this sense, the thematic areas of the eligible chairs covered topics linked to aeronautics and the aerospace sector, agriculture, the data economy, language technologies, robotics, green algorithms, law, responsible and ethical AI, geopolitics, music and arts, sustainable development, public sector, health sciences and the demographic challenge.

“In addition to connecting AI with the different referenced topics, the chairs placed special emphasis on public-private collaboration and its sustainability,” highlighted the Ministry for Digital Transformation.

The proposed resolution for granting the call for the ‘ENIA Chairs’ is still provisional, so the process is open to possible allegations.