Progress in Implementing the European Union Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence (Volume 1): Spain

Table of contents

• Set enabling conditions for AI development and uptake in the European Union
• Make the European Union the right place: Excellence from lab to the market
• Ensure AI technologies work for people
• Build strategic leadership in priority sectors

The European Union (EU) Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a strategic initiative by the European Commission and EU Member States to promote AI development, investment and co-operation. In 2024, the OECD conducted a survey and interviews to take stock of implementation progress made by the EU Member States in implementing the actions set in the EU Coordinated Plan on AI. Drawing on the information collected, the OECD prepared country notes for each EU Member State. This document presents the country note for Spain, which summarises key initiatives and implementation progress.

Key messages

• In May 2024, Spain updated its national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy: The updated strategy stresses the need to further strengthen the country’s high-performance computing (HPC) capacity and adapt to generative AI’s rapid development with a cross-sectoral approach.

• Monitoring, reporting and evaluation now feature more prominently in the implementation of the national strategy: The Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence (Consejo Asesor para la Inteligencia Artificial) assists Spanish authorities with defining and monitoring AI policy initiatives, and key performance indicators (KPIs) are set for each initiative launched as part of the strategy.

• Spain is the first EU member state to have set up a dedicated AI supervision agency: The mission of the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (Agencia Española de Supervisión de la Inteligencia Artificial, AESIA) will notably consist of ensuring compliance with applicable European Union (EU) law and raising awareness about the impact of AI on society.

• Spain has pioneered the use of AI regulatory sandboxes, with a view to bringing competent authorities close to companies that develop AI, help define best practices and inform the implementation of the EU AI Act.

• The territorial dimension is prominent in Spain’s approach to fostering AI excellence: The Territorial Networks of Technological Specialization (RETECH) initiative dedicated to AI, which was set up in March 2023, encompasses 13 flagship projects involving all autonomous communities and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

• Several important initiatives are developed through multi-stakeholder consortia and public-private partnerships: Knowledge and technology transfer and active participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups are key objectives in this context.

• Measures are being implemented to promote the development and adoption of AI-based solutions in several priority sectors: There is a strong focus on fostering AI uptake in the public sector as a means of favouring broader adoption. Innovative approaches are also promoted in other important areas of the Spanish economy such as tourism. Across sectors, environmental sustainability receives considerable attention.

Set enabling conditions for AI development and uptake in the European Union

Acquire, pool and share policy insights

Spain adopted its national AI strategy (Estrategia Nacional de Inteligencia Artificial, ENIA) in 2020, as part of España Digital 2026, the country’s broader digital transformation strategy. ENIA is also a core element (Component 16) of the digital axis of Spain’s national Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) (Government of Spain, 2021[1]). Recognising the need to reinforce HPC capacities and adapt to generative AI’s rapid development, and building on consultation with representatives from industry and academia, an updated strategy (Estratregia de Inteligencia Artificial 2024) (España Digital, 2024[2]) was released in May 2024.1 It is structured around three main axes:

• Strengthening key levers for AI development.

• Facilitating the expansion of AI in the public and private sectors, fostering innovation and cybersecurity.

• Developing transparent, responsible and humanistic AI.

Although the current strategy is cross-sectoral, there are specific implementation measures in the areas of healthcare, public administration, environment and industrial development. One important area of focus relates to adoption of generative AI in the public administration as a means of fostering broader adoption. In addition, dedicated initiatives (not included in the national strategy) focus on AI uptake in sectors such as agriculture and tourism.

The national strategy was defined for the period 2021-25, with a budget of EUR 500 million. As of the 2024 update, EUR 390 million had already reached beneficiaries. The remaining EUR 110 million were carried over to the new strategy together with funds from other components of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The distribution of public investment in AI-oriented measures contained in the strategy for 2024‑25 stands as follows:

• Reinforcing HPC: EUR 50 million, EUR 23.5 million of which from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

• Developing a corpus and models for a public infrastructure of language models: EUR 10 million (also including secure training infrastructure and evaluation tools).

• Promoting AI talent in AI: EUR 12 million in direct investments (excellence in AI). There are additional grants for AI and digitalisation talent development (EUR 150 million for the whole grant programme, not only AI).

• Boosting AI uptake in the public sector: EUR 21 million.

• Facilitating the expansion of AI in the private sector: EUR 17 million invested in the development of AI Factory services.

• Integrating AI in the media sector value chain: EUR 10 million.

Additional initiatives are relevant for AI development and uptake, with several funded through the RRF.

The Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence (Secretaría de Estado de Digitalización e Inteligencia Artificial, SEDIA), within the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, leads up the strategy’s implementation. Furthermore, Spain was the first EU member state to set up a dedicated AI supervision agency: the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA), whose mission will notably consist of ensuring compliance with applicable EU law and raising awareness about the impact of AI on society.

Interministerial working groups have been set up to co‑ordinate the AI strategy, as have working groups also involving regional administrations with a focus on language technologies, HPC and data centres and the development of AI use cases in the public administration. Regional level co‑operation on digital transformation is fostered through the Territorial Networks of Technological Specialization (RETECH). The RETECH IA initiative was adopted in March 2023 (see Box 1).

An Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence consisting of international experts assists Spanish authorities in defining and monitoring AI policy initiatives. Periodic updates on the implementation of AI-related initiatives are also provided by officials and experts from the Advisory Council on Digital Transformation. Moreover, there is an Advisory Council on Data Initiatives.

In recent years, Spanish authorities have started to systematically define internal KPIs and deliverables in the corresponding working plans for each initiative launched as part of the national AI strategy. Operational KPIs focus on the implementation timeline and associated deliverables. They are complemented by project-level impact KPIs reported by beneficiaries based on three-month cycles. Internal progress dashboards are also used to monitor implementation. In addition, the strategy foresees the submission of annual implementation progress reports to the Council of Ministers.

Tap into the potential of data and foster critical computing capacity

The national AI strategy encompasses several data-related initiatives. In addition, a Plan for the Promotion of Sectorial Data Spaces was released in November 2024 (Government of Spain, 2024[3]).

HPC investment under the national AI strategy includes the acquisition of a new generation graphics-processing-unit-based supercomputer, for training large language models, and the upgrading of a central-processing-unit-based supercomputer in Barcelona to support fine-tuning processes. With Spain’s current HPC investment plan having expired in 2024, a new investment plan is being developed between the Ministries of Science, Innovation and Universities, and of Digital Transformation, and the Spanish Supercomputing Network (Red Española de Supercomputación, RES) for the 2025-29 period.

Moreover, the Spanish government was at the time of writing developing a Quantum Technologies Strategy, which notably will promote multi-stakeholder collaboration and the development of use cases and demonstrators2.

Initiatives targeted at the semiconductor ecosystem include grants for Spanish microelectronics companies to create industrial projects in strategic EU sectors as part of the Important Project of Common European Interest in Microelectronics and Communication Technologies (IPCEI-ME/CT) (EC, 2023[4]).

Table 1. Set enabling conditions for AI development and uptake in the European Union: Key initiatives

Name	Start year	Short description (main goals)	Funding (including EU funding use)
Plan for the Promotion of Sectorial Data Spaces (Plan de Impulso de los Espacios de Datos Sectoriales)	2024	Published in November 2024, a public consultation was conducted to inform its development.	EUR 500 million (under the RRF)
Actions to support edge technologies as part of the UNICO-IPCEI subsidy programme	2023	Subsidies granted to actions aimed at supporting Spain’s contribution to IPCEIs, including IPCEI on Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI CIS), provide competitive and fair access to next‑generation cloud and edge capabilities (Government of Spain, 2023[5]).	EUR 111 million
Measures to reinforce Spain’s HPC capacity for AI development	2023	Several measures include reinforcing capacity at Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS) so that the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer exceeds 450 petaflops, making this capacity available to industry actors (objective of 20%) and reinforcing the Spanish HPC network. Additionally, the BSC-CNS has been designated as one on the seven European AI Factories, which will broaden access to the European Union’s advanced supercomputing infrastructure and provide services to enhance AI adoption by companies in Spain (La Moncloa, 2024[6]).	EUR 50 million earmarked in the AI strategy (under the RRF); more than EUR 300 million in the 2020‑24 investment plan from the Ministry of Science (EUR 65 million in 2023 of which EUR 50 million for developing the CESGA Galicia node)
Quantum Spain	2022	Project Quantum Spain aims to promote and finance a competitive and comprehensive quantum computing infrastructure in Spain. It seeks to provide the Spanish quantum ecosystem with the necessary tools to develop a solid scientific and technological fabric around quantum computing and its applications in AI (Quantum Spain, 2022[7]). In 2023, Spanish authorities announced that the first quantum computer in southern Europe would be located in Barcelona (Government of Spain, 2023[8]).	EUR 22 million (under the RRF) for 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2025
Proyecto Estratégico de Microelectrónica y Semiconductores (PERTE Chip) semiconductor ecosystem	2022	PERTE Chip (Government of Spain, 2022[9]) aims to strengthen the design and production capabilities of the microelectronics and semiconductor industry in Spain and promote national and EU strategic autonomy in this sector, in line with the European Chips Act. Its four strategic axes cover the entire value chain of the industry in different phases: conception, design, production of chips and manufacturing information and communication technology (ICT) electronic products, so that it acts as a generator of demand for the microchips produced and boosts the semiconductor ecosystem. The following actions will be carried out: Strengthening scientific capacity: Strengthen research, development and innovation (RDI) on cutting-edge microprocessors and alternative architectures and integrated photonics, developing quantum chips and launching a line of financing to strengthen the IPCEI on Microelectronics and Communication Technologies (IPCEI ME/CT). Creating a design strategy: Enhance Spanish capacity in microprocessor design through the creation of fabless companies for the design of cutting‑edge microprocessors and alternative architectures, test pilot lines and a semiconductor training network. Constructing manufacturing plants: Equip the national semiconductor production capacity for the manufacture of cutting‑edge technology (below 5 nanometres) and mid-range (over 5 nanometres). Boosting the ICT manufacturing industry: Carry out actions such as the creation of a capital fund focused on chips to finance start-ups, scale‑ups and innovative SMEs in the national semiconductor sector, with an initial public allocation of EUR 200 million. This is also aimed at strengthening the internal production of electronic product manufacturing – which uses microchips as an input – so that it acts as a driver for the semiconductor industry and absorbs part of its production.	EUR 12.25 billion (2022‑27)
Chip Chairs (Cátedras Chip)		Creation of seventeen university chairs focused on semiconductor scientific investigation and talent creation; 80 private sector companies involved (Government of Spain, 2024[10]). Courses will be delivered at universities in nine autonomous communities to strengthen research, dissemination and training in the field microelectronics, in particular in: the design of microelectronic circuits new materials and devices technological processes testing and encapsulation of chips.	EUR 45 million (under the RRF) (included in the PERTE Chip budget above)

Make the European Union the right place: Excellence from lab to the market

Build and mobilise research capacities, and fund and scale innovative ideas and solutions for AI (support to start-ups and SMEs)

Spain’s efforts in this area combine horizontal and cross-cutting initiatives, such as support to the creation of interdisciplinary research groups and the development of linguistic corpora and a databank of national-language resources, with sector-specific ones, e.g. AI solutions applied to healthcare, tourism, cultural heritage, agriculture or the bioeconomy. In all cases, there is strong emphasis on public-private collaboration and knowledge transfer, territorial cohesion and active participation of SMEs and start-ups. Moreover, Spain has pioneered the use of AI regulatory sandboxes (see Table 2).

Table 2. Make the European Union the right place: Excellence from lab to the market: Key initiatives

Name	Start year	Short description (main goals)	Funding (including EU funding use)
ENIA Chairs (Cátedras ENIA)	2022 (2024)	Fifteen national chairs and seven international university-business chairs will address areas of knowledge such as responsible AI and ethics, music and the arts; AI in health sciences and green algorithms (Government of Spain, 2024[11]). The programme seeks to promote AI scientific research with a multidisciplinary approach, develop research projects that can be transferred to industry and foster knowledge transfer between universities and companies in areas including health, sustainability and the data economy.	EUR 16 million (under the RRF)
Financing of co‑operative research plans in the area of AI developed by interdisciplinary research groups	2024	This initiative involves the establishment of 15 sectoral networks of excellence in the areas of AI and theoretical challenges, AI and cognition, AI and advanced algorithms, AI and physics, AI and human-computer interaction, AI and social challenges, AI and environmental challenges, AI and quantum and new applications for AI. The selection procedure was being finalised at the time of writing (Government of Spain, 2024[12]).	EUR 32 million (under the RRF)
Spain Neurotech		An agreement was signed for the creation of the National Center for Neurotechnology, Spain Neurotech, on the Autonomous University of Madrid campus. This initiative will focus on neuroscience, brain science and AI (Government of Spain, 2024[13]).	EUR 200 million over 15 years; initial funding of EUR 40 million (under the RRF)
Network of Excellence in Data‑Based Enabling Technologies (AI4ES)	2021	The objective of AI4ES is to boost Spain’s data- and AI-based economy, facilitating the transfer of capabilities, results and technologies to the productive fabric. The AI4ES network of excellence aggregates and harmonises the capabilities, infrastructures and research and development (R&D) activities in four leading Spanish technological centres: the Instituto Tecnológico de Informática (ITI, co‑ordinator of the network), the Technological Center for Information and Communication Foundation (CTIC), Eurecat and Tecnalia. These centres mobilise nearly 300 professionals with research and technical profiles and extensive multi‑sector experience in R&D projects in the field of AI and data analytics (AI4ES, 2021[14]).	Not reported
Territorial Networks of Technological Specialization (RETECH) RETECH IA	2023	RETECH IA (Government of Spain, 2023[15]) encompasses 13 flagship projects (see Box 1).	EUR 258 million from the RRF + EUR 87 million from the autonomous communities; Total endowment: EUR 345.8 million (2023-26).
Strategic projects for economic recovery and transformation (PERTE) of the new language economy (PERTE Nueva Economía de la lengua)	2022	The plan, which also covers dimensions beyond AI proper, aims to contribute to AI learning in Spanish and co-official languages (Government of Spain, 2023[16]). PERTE is partly implemented through the National Plan for Language Technologies, which encompasses all initiatives related to developing language technologies and AI in Spanish and co-official languages, in particular: Linguistic corpora will be made up of texts of different kinds (novels, plays, film scripts, press news, etc.), and will also consider singing, oral or sign language, including terminologies and the generation of a metasearch engine for terms as well as technologies for the extraction and processing of neologisms (TeresIA project) (2024[17]). The Support for the Spanish Language and Artificial Intelligence Project (LEIA) is creating a language data bank, enriched with contributions from the autonomous communities. Projects underway include AINA (Catalan), GAITU (Basque), NÓS (Galician) and VIVES (Valencian). Related initiatives concern the development of testing and validation of language models through actions led by the Royal Spanish Language Academy (RAE, 2024[18]) and the Spanish National Observatory for Telecommunications and the Information Society (ONTSI, project ODESIA) (Proyecto ODESIA, 2025[19]) Development of the ALIA language models, which will contribute to developing a GenAI foundation for the implementation of public administration use cases, AI services within the Spanish AI Factory and the Spanish GenAI ecosystem more broadly.	EUR 1.1 billion (under the RRF), with an objective of mobilising EUR 1 billion in private investment; the National Plan for Language Technologies has a budget of over EUR 30 million (under the RRF)
AI regulatory sandbox	2024	In 2023, Spain established the regulatory basis to launch regulatory sandboxes. Based on this, in December 2024, a public call was published for a pilot linked to the first AI regulatory sandbox. This initiative’s main aim consists in bringing competent authorities close to companies that develop AI to define best practices and inform the implementation of the EU AI Act (EC, 2022[20]). The pilot aims to select 12 high-risk AI systems from different sectors and technologies and provide technical guidelines and expert support to facilitate compliance with AI Act requirements. At the end of the pilot, those guidelines will be reviewed in light of experiences and lessons learned. This call focuses on SMEs and start-ups, which are expected to encounter more difficulties regarding compliance.	See Table 3
Initiatives to help start-ups and/or scale-ups access financing	Not reported	The following initiatives cover all types of technologies, including AI: Next Tech Fund: EUR 4 billion Co-investment Fund (FOCO): EUR 2 billion programme Fond-ICO Global: EUR 4.5 billion ENISA participatory loans Women’s Digital Entrepreneurs: EUR 51 million.	See breakdown in column to the left (not AI-specific); all RRF
Initiatives to help SMEs adopt digital or novel technologies including AI	Not reported	Spain has significant digitalisation support programmes for companies, some of them specific to SMEs (Digital Kit, Kit Consulting) (red.es, n.d.[21]). There is also a programme, Activa Startups, that supports collaboration between start-ups and consolidated companies with innovation potential, whereas Generación Digital Pymes aims to provide SME employees with the tools and knowledge required to carry out the digital transformation of their companies (EOI, n.d.[22]). The initiative aims to promote innovation and the growth of new generation companies through the development of collaborative environments and by boosting their digitalisation. These programmes are not AI-exclusive but cover AI; isolating the AI-specific funding component is, however, not straightforward.	EUR 650 million (under the RRF) for Digital Kit, Kit Consulting

Box 1. In focus: RETECH IA

The Territorial Networks of Technological Specialization (RETECH) support digital transformation throughout the territory by building on the strengths and potential of each region. Strategic projects in line with the axes of the RRP (including the national AI strategy) have been identified in co‑operation with regional authorities. RETECH IA, which was adopted in March 2023, encompasses the following projects, which collectively involve all of the autonomous communities and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla:

• Spain Living Lab (Misión IA): Creation of an open innovation ecosystem to develop AI in the tourism sector (EUR 43.9 million).

• Value chain in AI (Cadena de Valor): Promotion of the use of AI and data technology in the industrial business fabric (EUR 55.6 million).

• Territorial network of AI hubs: Creation of a network for generating business AI talent through training and new educational programmes and itineraries to develop products, services and tools offered by AI (EUR 38.7 million).

• TechFabLab (entrepreneurship networks, Redes de Emprendimiento): Provision of opportunities for advice and training in companies, identification and promotion of initiatives of local origin with the help of the largest companies in each region (EUR 42 million).

• Networked agrifood platform: Creation of a transversal AI platform to accelerate the digital transformation in the agrifood sector. An inter-regional system of negotiation, marketing and transparency of food products and an exhaustive collection of data in the production, marketing and consumption process will be established (EUR 27 million) (see also priority sectors).

• Infrastructure for the Spanish blockchain network: Construction of a national technological network based on blockchain technology, aligned with EU infrastructure in this area (EUR 18 million).

• Acceleration of entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems based on digital twin technology: Development of virtual recreations based on the territory, making predictions and simulations, improving the provision and management of public services (EUR 23.7 million).

• Digitalisation and AI plan project for the prehistoric heritage of Cantabria and Asturias: Combination of digitisation technologies and AI tools to optimise the management of prehistoric heritage in Spain, covering research, conservation and dissemination (EUR 12.9 million).

• Digital entrepreneurship networks: Development and specialisation of the ICT sector in digital entrepreneurship with a focus on disruptive and innovative solutions with driving capacity in each territory (EUR 23.6 million).

• Smart digital health: Acceleration of digital transformation in the field of healthcare robotics to create a data space allowing companies to design better products and services and deliver personalised treatment (EUR 8 million) (see also priority sectors).

• RETECHFOR: Technological and territorial network to provide the forestry sector with data, forest monitoring and reduction of environmental disasters as levers for the development of the forest bioeconomy, through the development of services and products to improve the co‑ordination of agents and decision making in prevention, extinction and restoration plans for natural disasters (EUR 28.4 million) (see also priority sectors).

• Knowledge heritage network: Development of a data collection and interpretation platform; creation or strengthening of a network of intelligent cultural heritage laboratories (EUR 15.9 million).

• Entrepreneurial ecosystem for a smart rural and marine territory (TriRuralTech): Launch of a network of excellence to promote entrepreneurship in rural areas, with a regional rural data space, a Big Data intelligence platform connected to local and regional digital service management platforms (EUR 7.6 million).

Note: All reported RETECH IA projects are listed here for ease of reference. Some of them (also) relate to other dimensions of the EU Coordinated Plan for Artificial Intelligence.

Source: Government of Spain (2023[15]), “Conoce el programa RETECH: Redes Territoriales de Especialización Tecnológica”, https://planderecuperacion.gob.es/noticias/conoce-programa-retech-redes-territoriales-especializacion-tecnologica-plan-recuperacion.

Ensure AI technologies work for people

Nurture talent and improve the supply of skills necessary to enable a thriving AI ecosystem

AI capacity and skills are a key area of focus in Spain’s national strategy. Several programmes are either already underway or in preparation to develop, attract and retain AI talent, including through public-private partnerships. In addition to the initiatives listed in Table 3 below, there are broader digitalisation-related measures in the National Plan for Digital Skills (Plan Nacional de Competencias Digitales) and the D Generation Pact (Pacto por la Generación D (GeneracionD, n.d.[23]). The latter foresees initiatives focusing on AI education and AI in the labour market.

Table 3. Ensure AI technologies work for people: Key initiatives

Name	Start year	Short description (main goals)	Funding (including EU funding use)
Training scholarships (Programa para la formación en IA)	2024	The programme grants 374 training scholarships lasting 4 years in the field of AI and related areas, such as massive data and information processing technologies; HPC; cloud computing; cybersecurity; biotechnology, medical devices, medical imaging, robotics and quantum technologies.	EUR 120 million
Forma Inteligencia Artificial programme	2024	The programme will finance up to 80% of the enrolment fee of nearly 8 000 young people studying AI in Spanish universities, both public and private (Government of Spain, 2024[24]).	EUR 30 million
Programme for the development of AI skills	2024	A specific programme for the development of AI skills (under development at the time of writing) will be launched as part of the National Plan for Digital Skills (Plan Nacional de Competencias Digitales). Initiatives proposed in the plan (2021) relating to IA include: Promoting new technical degrees and/or increasing the number of places in existing university degrees and speeding up procedures so that new university degrees can be launched more quickly, opening up the field of collaboration with other fields of knowledge. Public-private partnerships to promote training in AI (e.g. non-formal learning programmes). Workforce transition programmes for the development of job-relevant skills in the area of AI.	Not reported
State Programme for Developing, Attracting and Retaining Talent (Programa Estatal para Desarrollar, Atraer y Retener Talento) – specific call on AI	2023	Within the general objective of promoting the consolidation of the professional career of researchers in any thematic area, this call focuses on strategic themes related to either AI or microelectronics and semiconductors (AEI, 2023[25])	EUR 10 million (budget for AI component)
School of Computational Thinking and Artificial Intelligence (EPCIA)	2018	EPCIA is an experimental project developed aimed at exploring the possibilities of introducing computational thinking and AI for learning in the classroom. To this end, educational and training resources are created, classroom practices are carried out with students and impact research is developed. A resource on AI in education has also been developed (de Haro Ollé, 2018[26]).	Not reported
National Plan on Vulnerable Collectives		The Spanish government is working towards the development of a National Plan on Vulnerable Collectives. A study on the impact of AI use on vulnerable collectives is expected to be conducted in the fourth quarter of 2024.	Approximately EUR 300 000 in public procurement, which also covers a seal of excellence of AI, setup of the national AI supervision agency and AI sandbox setup (total of EUR 3.1 million)
AI in Spanish (AI en Español)		See Table 2 for more details	Not reported

Build strategic leadership in priority sectors

Spain is implementing measures to promote the development and adoption of AI-based solutions in several priority sectors and other important areas of the Spanish economy such as tourism. Across sectors, there is a strong focus on environmental sustainability. Initiatives are typically undertaken through consortia involving a diverse set of stakeholders from the public administration (at both the national and regional levels), the private sector and academia. An incubator of AI-based solutions for the public administration is under development at the time of writing. Spain did report any initiatives on using AI in mobility.

State of AI in healthcare

Spain’s health data governance framework is undergoing significant evolution as the country seeks to modernise its healthcare systems and maximise health data usage for clinical decision making and public health services. Although Spain has made strides in digital transformation, the absence of a comprehensive health data governance framework has slowed the development of AI-driven healthcare initiatives, as institutions often lack the legal structure necessary for efficient data sharing (EIT Health, 2023[27]). To address this, Spain’s participation in the European Health Data Space is critical, as it presents an opportunity to develop a robust governance framework for health data and foster greater patient involvement within the health data ecosystem.

Spain’s Digital Health Strategy (Estrategia de Salud Digital), launched in 2021, focuses on enhancing data interoperability, analytics and digital health innovation, with the creation of a National Health Data Space (Espacio Nacional de Datos de Salud) as a central pillar (Government of Spain, 2021[28]). Supported by EUR 28 million from the NRRP, Spain is developing a national health data lake to aggregate regional health information, enabling nationwide AI-driven diagnostics, treatments and secondary data use (Government of Spain, 2022[29]). However, disparities among the autonomous communities, which are responsible for healthcare delivery, pose ongoing challenges for consistent implementation across regions.

Spain has shown leadership in secondary health data use through initiatives like BIFAP, an electronic medical records database used in pharmacoepidemiology, yet addressing regional fragmentation will be essential to scaling digital health and AI projects nationwide (BIFAP, 2024[30]).

Table 4. Build strategic leadership in priority sectors: Key initiatives

Name	Start year	Short description (main goals)	Funding (including EU funding use)
Climate and environment
National Green Algorithms Program (Programa Nacional de Algoritmos Verdes, PNAV)	2023	The PNAV (2023-2025) is part of the national AI strategy. It aims to promote “green-by-design” AI, i.e. incorporating environmental sustainability variables and seeking synergies between the green and digital transitions. It is articulated around four main objectives: Promote research in sustainable AI and green technology. Promote the use of efficient infrastructure and services to allow the sustainable execution of AI models that encourage energy consumption from renewable sources. Integrate green AI and blockchain into the productive fabric, favouring the creation of new economic markets inspired by sustainable AI solutions. Dynamise the Spanish market through green AI and green blockchain, promoting AI models in sectors that aim to reduce the effects of climate change or that serve to mitigate them. Measures to be developed under the plan include creating a norm and a certification process (Spanish Association for Standardization , UNE) to measure AI energy consumption. Dissemination measures and hackathons that aim at using AI to solve environmental challenges are also foreseen.	Estimated over EUR 257 million (including SME financing) (under the RRF) 2023‑25
Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Energy Transition (Inteligencia Artificial para la Transición Energética Sostenible, IA4TES)	2024	This consortium-led project involving companies, research centres and universities (IA4TES, 2024[31]) encompasses the following two dimensions: Research on enabling technologies based on AI, both in new advanced intelligence algorithms and in new paradigms of data governance and distributed data intelligence. Use cases for the application of these technologies in the energy value chain.	EUR 12.5 million public subsidy (included in the figures already reported for the PNAV)
ENIA Chairs (Cátedras ENIA)	2024	Two of the ENIA chairs focus on the intersection between AI and climate and the environment: Sustainability and Decarbonised Society (Polytechnic University of Cataluña) and Green Algorithms (University of La Coruña).	EUR 1.5 million (included in the ENIA Chairs budget already reported)
Health
National health data lake	2024	This repository of anonymous raw data storage in a virtual format can be used to improve healthcare (Puche, 2022[32]).	EUR 28 million
Strategic projects for economic recovery and transformation in cutting-edge health (PERTE para la salud de vanguardia)	2021	The development of innovative procedures, which include AI, will improve the prevention, diagnosis, treatment or rehabilitation of patients in a personalised way and with advanced medications or therapies.	EUR 2.4 billion (not AI‑exclusive, not included in national strategy budget figures)
National Reference Centre for Semantic Resources, Ministry of Health	2023	This centre provides information on national reference terminology resources for semantic interoperability in the information systems of the Spanish National Health System and in the exchange of clinical documentation in national and international projects (Government of Spain, 2024[33]; Martín de los Santos, 2023[34]).	Not reported
Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) BIFAP database	2001	The BIFAP electronic database is made up of AEMPS primary care medical records destined for pharmacoepidemiologic studies (Maciá‐Martínez et al., 2020[35]).	Not reported
IMPaCT	2021	IMPaCT Is the precision medicine infrastructure associated with science and technology configured from three programmes: cohort, data and genomics (IMPaCT-GENóMICA, 2024[36]).	Not reported
Public sector
Incubator of AI solutions for public administration	2025	This incubator focuses on AI-based solutions for public sector organisations, such as use cases involving generative AI. Although no public announcement had been issued at the time of writing, Spanish authorities report having received more than 300 requests from ministries. A prioritisation protocol and development guidelines for the use cases are being developed.	EUR 21 million (under the RFF)
Agriculture/forestry/rural development
AgrarIA: AI applied to the value chain of agricultural production 2050	2021	This project investigates the applicability and viability of AI together with other technologies to define new agricultural production methods. Potential initiatives may include the development of new natural products for the control of pests and diseases that maintain the same effectiveness as those of chemical synthesis, use of collaborative robotics to optimise the product transformation phase, research into the use of quantum computing in the management of satellite images to optimise agricultural production, and application of digital twins for the energy efficiency of refrigeration plants (GMV, 2021[37]).	EUR 10 million (included in national strategy figures)
Cross-cutting AI platform applied to the agrifood sector (Plataforma Agroalimentaria en RED, Proyecto PAN)	2023	This regional consortium has created a transversal AI platform applied to the agrifood sector, taking advantage of the potential of disruptive technologies (Government of Spain, 2023[38]).	EUR 27 million (included in figures already reported for RETECH)
Technological and territorial network project for forest monitoring and reduction of environmental disasters as levers for the development of the forest bioeconomy (RetechFOR)	2024	This regional consortium focuses on AI in forestry preservation and exploitation. See Table 2 for more details.	EUR 28.4 million (included in figures already reported for RETECH)
agrifoodTEF	2024	This initiative promotes innovation in AI and robotics for the agrifood sector (Agrotecnio, 2024[39]).	EUR 5 million in Spain, EUR 60 million at the EU level
ENIA Chairs (Cátedras ENIA)	2024	Three ENIA chairs focus on AI and agriculture/rural development: at the University of Cordoba, the University of Murcia and the University of Oviedo.	EUR 2.1 million (included in the ENIA Chairs budget already reported)

References

[25] AEI (2023), Consolidación Investigadora 2023, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Spain, https://www.aei.gob.es/convocatorias/buscador-convocatorias/consolidacion-investigadora-2023.

[39] Agrotecnio (2024), “Innovation in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for the agri-food sector: Agrifood TEF project presentation in Spain”, https://agrotecnio.org/2024/07/11/innovation-in-artificial-intelligence-and-robotics-for-the-agri-food-sector-agrifood-tef-project-presentation-in-spain/.

[14] AI4ES (2021), AI4ES. Red de excelencia en tecnologías habilitadoras basadas en el dato, https://www.ai4es.com/ (accessed on 9 December 2024).

[30] BIFAP (2024), Homepage, Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices, http://www.bifap.org/?lang=en (accessed on 9 December 2024).

[26] de Haro Ollé, J. (2018), Inteligencia artificial en educación, Centro Nacional de Desarrollo Curricular en Sistemas no Propietarios, https://descargas.intef.es/cedec/proyectoedia/guias/contenidos/inteligencia_artificial/index.html.

[4] EC (2023), “State aid: Commission approves up to €8.1 billion of public support by fourteen Member States for an Important Project of Common European Interest in microelectronics and communication technologies”, European Commission, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_3087.

[20] EC (2022), “First regulatory sandbox on Artificial Intelligence presented”, European Commission, https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/first-regulatory-sandbox-artificial-intelligence-presented.

[27] EIT Health (2023), Implementation of European Health Data Space in Spain: Is It Really Feasible?, https://eithealth.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Report-EHDS_Spain_ENG.pdf.

[22] EOI (n.d.), Activa Startups, Escuela de organizacion industrial, https://www.eoi.es/es/empresas/programas-activa/activa-startups.

[2] España Digital (2024), Estratregia de Inteligencia Artificial 2024, https://espanadigital.gob.es/estrategia-de-inteligencia-artificial-2024.

[23] GeneracionD (n.d.), ¿Qué es el Pacto por la Generación D?, Spanish Ministry of Digital Transformation and Civil Service, https://generaciond.gob.es/pacto-por-la-generacion-d.

[37] GMV (2021), “Un consorcio liderado por GMV impulsa la investigación de la aplicación de la IA en la cadena de producción agroalimentaria”, https://www.gmv.com/es-es/comunicacion/noticias/consorcio-liderado-gmv-impulsa-investigacion-aplicacion-ia-cadena-produccion.

[33] Government of Spain (2024), Área de recursos semánticos de referencia nacional, Spanish Ministry of Health, https://www.sanidad.gob.es/areas/saludDigital/interoperabilidadSemantica/home.htm.

[10] Government of Spain (2024), “Conoce las 17 Cátedras Chip para la formación de expertos en microelectrónica y semiconductores”, Presidencia del Gobierno, https://planderecuperacion.gob.es/noticias/Conoce-17-catedras-chip-formacion-expertos-microelectronica-semiconductores-perte-prtr.

[12] Government of Spain (2024), Financiación de planes de investigación en cooperación en el área de la inteligencia artificial desarrollados por grupos de investigación interdisciplinares 2023, Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, https://www.ciencia.gob.es/Convocatorias/2023/PlanesIA2023.html.

[24] Government of Spain (2024), “Morant anuncia que el Gobierno financiará el 80% de la matrícula de cerca de 8.000 jóvenes que cursen estudios sobre Inteligencia Artificial en universidades españolas”, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, https://www.ciencia.gob.es/Noticias/2024/Septiembre/programa_inteligencia_artificial_universidades.html.

[13] Government of Spain (2024), “Morant firma el convenio para la creación en Madrid del Centro Nacional de Neurotecnología (Spain Neurotech) que contará con una inversión del Gobierno de España de 120 millones de euros”, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, https://www.ciencia.gob.es/Noticias/2024/Diciembre/centro-neurotech-madrid.html.

[3] Government of Spain (2024), “Plan for the Promotion of Sectorial Data Spaces”, https://datos.gob.es/en/noticia/plan-promotion-sectorial-data-spaces.

[11] Government of Spain (2024), “Transformación Digital publica la propuesta de resolución de las Cátedras ENIA”, https://planderecuperacion.gob.es/noticias/Transformacion-Digital-publica-propuesta-resolucion-Catedras-ENIA-inteligencia-artificial-prtr.

[15] Government of Spain (2023), “Conoce el programa RETECH: Redes Territoriales de Especialización Tecnológica”, https://planderecuperacion.gob.es/noticias/conoce-programa-retech-redes-territoriales-especializacion-tecnologica-plan-recuperacion.

[8] Government of Spain (2023), “El Consejo Asesor de Inteligencia Artificial aborda los avances en la Estrategia Nacional de IA financiados con el Plan de Recuperación”, https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/serviciosdeprensa/notasprensa/asuntos-economicos/Paginas/2023/060323-inteligencia-artificial.aspx#:~:text=El%20Consejo%20Asesor%20de%20Inteligencia%20Artificial%2C%20constituido%20en%20julio%20de,%C3%A9tico%20de%20la%20Intelig (accessed on 9 December 2024).

[38] Government of Spain (2023), “Nace la Plataforma Agroalimentaria en Red para fortalecer el sector a través de la digitalización”, https://planderecuperacion.gob.es/noticias/nace-plataforma-agroalimentaria-pan-fortalecer-sector-digitalizacion-ia.

[16] Government of Spain (2023), PERTE Nueva economía de la lengua, https://planderecuperacion.gob.es/como-acceder-a-los-fondos/pertes/perte-nueva-economia-de-la-lengua.

[5] Government of Spain (2023), UNICO IPCEI. Descripción General, Ministerio para la Transformación Digital y de la Función Pública., https://portalayudas.digital.gob.es/UNICO_IPCEI/DescripcionGeneral/Paginas/Index.aspx.

[29] Government of Spain (2022), “El Gobierno aprueba la distribución territorial de 28 millones de euros de fondos europeos para el desarrollo de un Espacio Nacional de Datos de Salud”, Spanish Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise, https://portal.mineco.gob.es/es-es/comunicacion/Paginas/data-lake-sanitario.aspx.

[9] Government of Spain (2022), PERTE de microelectrónica y semiconductores, https://planderecuperacion.gob.es/como-acceder-a-los-fondos/pertes/perte-de-microelectronica-y-semiconductores.

[28] Government of Spain (2021), Estrategia de salud digital- Sistema nacional de salud, Secretaría General de Salud Digital, Información e Innovación para el SNS, https://www.sanidad.gob.es/areas/saludDigital/doc/Estrategia_de_Salud_Digital_del_SNS.pdf (accessed on 24 October 2024).

[1] Government of Spain (2021), Estrategia nacional de Inteligencia Artificial, https://portal.mineco.gob.es/RecursosArticulo/mineco/ministerio/ficheros/220530_Componente16.pdf.

[31] IA4TES (2024), Inteligencia Artificial para la Transición Energética Sostenible, https://www.ia4tes.org/ (accessed on 12 December 2024).

[36] IMPaCT-GENóMICA (2024), Diagnostic Support Infrastructure with Highly Complex Genomic Technologies, https://genomica-impact.es/ (accessed on 9 December 2024).

[6] La Moncloa (2024), “The Government will invest nearly 62 million euros in the first Artificial Intelligence factory in Spain”, https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/lang/en/gobierno/news/paginas/2024/20241210-ai-factory.aspx.

[35] Maciá‐Martínez, M. et al. (2020), “Base de Datos para la Investigación Farmacoepidemiológica en Atención Primaria: A data resource for pharmacoepidemiology in Spain”, Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, Vol. 29/10, pp. 1236-1245, https://doi.org/10.1002/pds.5006.

[34] Martín de los Santos, E. (2023), Centro Nacional de Referencia de SNOMED CT en España, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqfg3pzDtN4.

[40] Ministry for the Digital Transformation and the Public Function (2025), The Government launches the first Quantum Technologies Strategy of Spain with an investment of 800 million euros, https://digital.gob.es/en/comunicacion/notas-prensa/mtdfp/2025/04/2025-04-24 (accessed on 30 April 2025).

[19] Proyecto ODESIA (2025), Portal del Estado del Arte, https://portal.odesia.uned.es/ (accessed on 11 January 2025).

[32] Puche, A. (2022), “¿Qué es el data lake sanitario y cuál es su función?”, https://www.salud.mapfre.es/enfermedades/reportajes-enfermedades/data-lake-sanitario-espana/ (accessed on 31 October 2024).

[7] Quantum Spain (2022), Homepage, https://quantumspain-project.es/en/quantum-spain/ (accessed on 9 December 2024).

[18] RAE (2024), “La RAE, inmersa en la nueva fase del proyecto LEIA (Lengua Española e Inteligencia Artificial)”, Real Academia Española, https://www.rae.es/noticia/la-rae-inmersa-en-la-nueva-fase-del-proyecto-leia-lengua-espanola-e-inteligencia-artificial.

[21] red.es (n.d.), Kit Digital, https://www.red.es/es/iniciativas/proyectos/kit-digital.

[17] TeresIA (2024), Terminología + Inteligencia Artificial, https://proyectoteresia.org/ (accessed on 14 December 2024).

This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD or of the European Union.

The names and representation of countries and territories used in this publication follow the practice of the OECD.

This document was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.

This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.

The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.

Specific territorial disclaimers applicable to the OECD:

Note by the Republic of Türkiye

The information in this document with reference to “Cyprus” relates to the southern part of the Island. There is no single authority representing both Turkish and Greek Cypriot people on the Island. Türkiye recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Until a lasting and equitable solution is found within the context of the United Nations, Türkiye shall preserve its position concerning the “Cyprus issue”.

Note by all the European Union Member States of the OECD and the European Union

The Republic of Cyprus is recognised by all members of the United Nations with the exception of Türkiye. The information in this document relates to the area under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.

Kosovo: This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244/99 and the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

 

The full book is available in English: OECD (2025), Progress in Implementing the European Union Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence (Volume 1): Member States’ Actions, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/533c355d-en.

 

© OECD 2025

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. By using this work, you accept to be bound by the terms of this licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Attribution – you must cite the work.

Translations – you must cite the original work, identify changes to the original and add the following text: In the event of any discrepancy between the original work and the translation, only the text of the original work should be considered valid.

Adaptations – you must cite the original work and add the following text: This is an adaptation of an original work by the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed in this adaptation should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its Member countries.

Third-party material – the licence does not apply to third-party material in the work. If using such material, you are responsible for obtaining permission from the third party and for any claims of infringement.

You must not use the OECD logo, visual identity or cover image without express permission or suggest the OECD endorses your use of the work.

Any dispute arising under this licence shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Arbitration Rules 2012. The seat of arbitration shall be Paris (France). The number of arbitrators shall be one.

Notes

← 1.  Although a precise timeline for further updating the national AI strategy has not been defined at the time of writing, according to Spanish authorities, the strategy is expected to evolve towards the end of 2025 or beginning of 2026.

← 2.  The Quantum Technologies Strategy was published in April 2025 (Ministry for the Digital Transformation and the Public Function, 2025[301]).