• A total of 75 applications have been submitted to this new call, which is part of the first program granted to a Galician institution with the support of the EU through the Horizon 2020 initiative.

• The fields of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science and Engineering have received the highest number of applications, with the majority coming from Asia, followed by Europe, America, and Asia.

The Center for Research in Information and Communication Technologies (CITIC) of the UDC is increasing its recruitment of international talent through the European project 3i-ICT. In the second edition of this program, whose application period has recently closed, the UDC center has received 75 applications from 56 applicants, of which 51 applications from 39 individuals were accepted.

The European program, the first one granted to a Galician institution with the support of the EU through Horizon 2020-MSCA-COFUND, has received a 15% increase in applications compared to the first edition. The applications come from all over the world, with a notable number of proposals received from Asia (more than half), followed by Europe, America, and Africa.

In terms of research areas, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science and Engineering (DSE) have generated the most interest, followed by High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Intelligent Services and Networks (INS).

Once the application submission process has concluded and an initial evaluation has taken place, those candidates who meet the requirements to proceed to the next selection phase have been chosen. Now, an external committee comprised of experts in each respective field will be responsible for the next stage. As the evaluation process progresses, this committee will assess the academic background and experience of each candidate. Once the selection is made, participants in this international doctoral program will have a unique opportunity to collaborate and tackle real-world challenges under the guidance of a research center that promotes advancement and excellence in applied R&D in the field of ICT.

In this regard, the director of CITIC, Manuel F. González Penedo, highlights the center’s long history of multidisciplinary research in cutting-edge areas. He states, “Our commitment to excellence in research has led us to become leaders in diverse fields such as biomedicine, Industry 4.0, natural language processing, and sustainability. The excellence of our research and the cutting-edge opportunities offered at CITIC have positioned the center as an international reference, fostering a stimulating and diverse environment that further enriches the quality of our research.”

Innovative international doctoral program.

The 3-i ICT (International, Interdisciplinary, and Intersectoral Doctoral Program in Information and Communication Technologies) is an innovative international doctoral program that offers eight fellowship grants to predoctoral researchers to pursue their doctoral studies at the Center for Information and Communication Technologies Research and Innovation (CITIC) of the

University of A Coruña. It is supported by the European Union through Horizon 2020 under a Marie Skłodowska-Curie agreement (H2020-MSCA-COFUND), which provides funding for regional, national, and international training and professional development programs through co-financing mechanisms. Additionally, the 3-i ICT program receives co-financing from the Ministry of Culture, Education, and Universities of the Xunta de Galicia.

Models for arthritis prevention, natural language processing, and wireless virtual sensors are the topics of the first theses.

At the end of last May, the first three thesis projects were presented out of the eight planned research projects in this European program, which offers comprehensive training in research and transferable skills, providing a strong competitive advantage in the professional development of the participants. The models for arthritis prevention, natural language processing, and wireless virtual sensors have been the focus of these initial works in the 3i-ICT program. 

All the information about the project is available on its website.