On 31 August 2026, the Spanish government announced funding for 372 artificial intelligence projects, totalling 180 million euros . The funds are split between the programmes Red IA for businesses and Red IA Salud for healthcare. The announcement was made by the Minister for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, Óscar López, at the Encuentro de Economía Digital y Telecomunicaciones organised by the industry association Ametic in Santander said.
Of the €180 million, €130 million is earmarked for applications outside healthcare. Funded projects include those involving space technologies, the Internet of Things, virtual reality, robotics and advanced connectivity. A further €50 million will go to Red IA Salud. The focus here is on applications close to patients, such as prediction, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up, as well as clinical, biomedical and pharmacological research.
The programmes are implemented operationally by the state-owned company Red.es , which administers the grants and payments. According to the government, the funding comes from European recovery and transformation funds under Spain’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. López linked the announcement to a call for close cooperation between the state and businesses, and justified the support by pointing to the growing importance of productive AI applications in the economy and healthcare.
The government highlights that a significant proportion of the funded projects come from small and medium-sized enterprises. The aim is to integrate AI gradually into production and service processes, thereby increasing competitiveness. The ministry and Red.es also emphasise commitments to data protection, security and interoperability, particularly for sensitive health data.
According to consistent media reports, the total amount, the allocation of funds and the number of funded projects match the published programme results. Specific project timelines, milestones and evaluation criteria are set out in the respective Red.es grant decisions and agreed contractually with the grant recipients. The Spanish government sees today’s awards as another step towards broadening the industrial use of AI and advancing data-driven health research. No forecasts of economic effects or employment gains were quantified in the announcement.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).