Spain: The Spanish government has promised a new call for artificial intelligence (AI) aid under the same conditions as the previous plan that was unexpectedly cancelled in December, provoking the outrage of many researchers who were eager to receive the much-awaited funds. According to the Minister of Science and Universities, Diana Morant, the new plan will also consist of €31 million, with the government aiming to deliver the funds this year. The Ministry had already promised this new call under the umbrella of the State Research Agency, but it was this month that the minister provided more details.

2023 AI aid won’t arrive

The new proposal aims to replace a previous one from 2023 that the Ministry cancelled without explanations. “There have been certain internal problems that did not allow us to resolve this call when we would have liked,” Morant explained, who attributed the issues to timing problems linked to NextGen European funds. “The delay made the call practically useless because the results could not be delivered within the recovery plan. It was no longer worth it; we would not have been able to execute it if we did it in November,” she continues. This reason differs from the “unexpected circumstances” the Ministry gave in its original cancellation letter. Morant insisted that there is no need to “look for bizarre explanations! for the cancellation. “It is not an annulment; we are going to resume it,” she clarified.

AI funds for media companies

Other than the generic AI funds, The Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service has also launched a €10 million aid program to promote the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the media sector. The grants target large and medium-sized publishing companies with national circulation in at least two autonomous communities (regions), requiring both print and digital platforms.

Eligible applicants include private editorial and information companies and business groups in the publishing sector. The funding covers 40% to 50% of eligible project costs, with grants ranging from €150,000 to €1.5 million. Projects must contribute to the broad dissemination of results and be carried out in Spain. The program supports fact-checking tools, personalized content distribution, comment moderation, content indexing, transcription services for accessibility, news summarization, and other AI-driven innovations to strengthen media business models.

Alia: the Spanish AI that will supercharge companies’ tech capabilities

In related news, the Spanish government recently released its public AI: Alia. The model is available in 35 European languages; the initiative is 100% publicly funded (costing 10.1 million euros) to provide a service of public interest and democratize access to AI for citizens, public administrations, universities, and companies. Alia’s latest model, Alia-40B, is the “most advanced public multilingual foundational model in Europe,” according to the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC).