• The visit integrates into the Spanish Artificial Intelligence Supervisory Agency’s ongoing engagement tour with leading technology-based organizations.

A Coruña, 12 November 2025. On Monday, Ignasi Belda, Director of the Spanish Artificial Intelligence Supervisory Agency (AESIA), headquartered in A Coruña, visited the facilities and learned about the projects currently underway at the Centre for Research in Information and Communication Technologies (CITIC) of the University of A Coruña. He was welcomed by UDC Rector, Ricardo Cao, together with the center’s Director, Manuel González Penedo, and Deputy Director, Javier Pereira Loureiro.

During the meeting, González Penedo outlined the center’s main capabilities and trajectory in research, knowledge transfer, and scientific outreach. He highlighted the work carried out by the research staff, one of the key factors that has positioned CITIC as a reference in artificial intelligence. Researchers Amparo Alonso and Francisco Bellas also presented their lines of work on responsible AI and its application in educational settings, respectively.

On his side, AESIA Director Ignasi Belda emphasized that “from A Coruña, the governance of AI in Europe is being shaped. The Agency actively participates in around twenty European Commission working groups analysing the implementation of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and its impact.”

Belda also explained that the Agency is developing an ambitious awareness and training plan to “promote an AI culture in Spain and ensure technological democratization so that no one is left behind.” In this regard, Manuel González Penedo noted that, given CITIC’s experience in projects involving young people, older adults, and SMEs—groups particularly relevant for fostering responsible AI adoption—the center and AESIA could explore future avenues of collaboration in public outreach and awareness-raising around this technology.

The visit was also attended by the Spanish Government’s Deputy Delegate in A Coruña, Julio Abalde, who highlighted that “this has been a highly productive exchange between the Agency’s functions and the research groups’ experience at the Center—the largest university research center in AI in Galicia—creating synergies that will enable Spain and Galicia to take on prominent roles in AI development in Europe.”

Abalde recalled that this visit represents “another step in the Spanish Government’s commitment to supporting Galicia’s leadership in AI, following the decision to establish Europe’s first AI agency in A Coruña, the majority funding of the new CESGA center, and the €24 million investment in the new European AI factory.”

The visit is part of AESIA’s broader engagement tour with the main technology-based institutions nationwide.

AESIA, headquartered in A Coruña, is the first artificial intelligence supervisory agency in Europe. It reports to the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Civil Service and works to promote the development of ethical, sustainable, and trustworthy artificial intelligence.

Among its key functions are raising awareness and providing training in AI, supervising implementation of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, and developing an AI regulatory sandbox—a controlled testing environment that enables companies to test their AI systems before they enter the market.