• José Luis Escrivá, who held a working meeting with the research staff, noted the “excellence of the center” and reviewed its innovation and research projects “that connect with the capabilities that can be developed for AI to have a positive impact on citizens”.
• The head of Digital Transformation and Civil Service highlighted the “exemplary” work of the center and the University of A Coruña in the transfer of knowledge and work with companies.
• The director of CITIC, Manuel González Penedo, highlighted the center’s leadership in AI and data science projects applied to biomedicine, inclusion or sustainability.

The Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, José Luis Escrivá Belmonte, paid a working visit this morning to the Center for Research in Information and Communication Technologies (CITIC) of the University of A Coruña.  In this meeting, the minister was able to learn about the main lines of research being carried out at the center, which leads important projects in Artificial Intelligence applied to biomedicine, inclusion, astronomy, industry 4.0, sustainability or statistics. This was highlighted by José Luis Escrivá, who described as “extraordinary the projects and initiatives that are being developed there, both in terms of research and knowledge transfer and work with companies”.  “These are proposals that connect very well with the priorities of the Ministry and with the capabilities that can be developed so that new technologies and, in particular, Artificial Intelligence can have a positive impact on citizens and help to improve people’s lives”.

For his part, the director of CITIC, Manuel González Penedo stressed that “one of our main objectives as a center is transfer, making the results of research available to society, as evidenced by the fact that we are a reference in the care of people with disabilities through pioneering programs, such as Inclusive Talents or the use of AI to improve prediction and response in cross-border emergencies”.

Along the same lines, the vice-rector for Research and Transfer of the UDC, Jerónimo Puertas Agudo, stressed that “the University and the city of A Coruña have the capabilities and tools to organize the entire AI architecture. We have the centers and the companies, many of which are startups that have been conceived in the UDC itself. In fact, the University of A Coruña is committed to collaboration with ICT companies from its research centers, such as CITIC, to promote the effective transfer of knowledge. All this means that the ICT City, which is already a reality, can become the future hub of AI”.

During the visit, the Minister of Digital Transformation had the opportunity to meet with a group of researchers from the center who are leading cutting-edge projects, including Amparo Alonso, Minia Manteiga, Verónica Bolón, Nieves Brisaboa, Thais Pousada, Carlos Gómez and José A. Iglesias, together with the director, Manuel González Penedo and the deputy director, Javier Pereira, as well as members of the CITIC Governing Council. After the meeting, José Luis Escrivá toured the facilities of the research center, visiting the technology demonstrator, a unique space where he could see two of the projects in which the research staff of the center is currently working, as well as the virtual reality scenarios.

AESIA

Another of the issues addressed during the visit was the role of the State Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA), which will have its headquarters in A Coruña. José Luis Escrivá highlighted the role of CITIC and the UDC in the agency “which first has to become a ‘think tank’, an analysis center that generates knowledge so that citizens can learn about the opportunities that AI generates”.