Morant signs the agreement to create the National Centre for Neurotechnology, with a state investment of 120 million euros

The Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, in the family photo of the signing of the agreement to create the National Centre for Neurotechnology

Diana Morant has signed the agreement between the Government, the Community of Madrid and the Autonomous University of Madrid to create the consortium of the National Neurotechnology Centre (Spain Neurotech), which will have an investment of 120 million euros from the Government of Spain.

During her speech, Morant stressed that "Spain Neurotech will be one of the five centres in the world specialising in developing technological tools based on the fundamentals of the human brain."

In this sense, she assured that this centre "was born as a world benchmark in researching and developing pioneering studies and technologies related to brain activity."

"It will help us to improve people's health and lives: to find the most advanced diagnostic methods and therapies for diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, autism spectrum disorders, depression and sleep disorders," she explained.

Furthermore, the minister added that, Spain Neurotech "will continue the path of progress opened by Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Nobel Prize winner and father of neuroscience, who taught us to understand the network functioning of neurons and, without even being able to imagine it, sowed the foundations of Artificial Intelligence."

The Government of Spain is participating in this project by contributing 60% of the total investment (40 million euros from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan funds immediately after the signing of the agreement and a further 80 million euros between 2026 and 2037); the Community of Madrid will contribute 39% (78 million euros); and the Autonomous University of Madrid, 1% (2 million euros).

The agreement was also signed by the Regional Minister of Education, Science and Universities of the Community of Madrid, Emilio Viciana, and the Rector of the Autonomous University of Madrid, Amaya Mendikoetxea. The event was also attended by the Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function, Óscar López, and the Government Delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, among others.

New bodies that "reinforce our scientific leadership"

In her speech, the minister also stressed that "Neurotech joins new organisations that reinforce our scientific and technological leadership and that demonstrate the Government of Spain's proactiveness in promoting the digital economy and technological humanism: such as the new Spanish Space Agency, based in Seville; or the new Spanish Agency for the Oversight of Artificial Intelligence, the first in the European Union, based in A Coruña; or the IFMIF-DONES, in Granada; among other examples."

In this regard, she said that "we are creating a network of public excellence in disruptive areas, which sows wealth and opportunities throughout the country and for all citizens, and which contributes to consolidating the new Spain-brand: that of a country that moved forwards cohesively through science."

Government investment in the Community of Madrid

The minister also underlined the Government's commitment to the Community of Madrid through initiatives such as the María Goyri Programme, promoted by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities to incorporate more than a thousand new lecturers in the six public universities in Madrid, which involves a Government of Spain investment of 170 million euros over the next six years.

In this regard, Morant highlighted that, in the last two weeks, the Government of Spain has signed two agreements with the Community of Madrid - the María Goyri Programme and the Neurotech Programme - which represent an investment of nearly 300 million euros from the central government. "This is the way forward," she said.

She also recalled that, in the Community of Madrid, where most of the state research bodies are located, "the Government has invested around 1.1 billion euros a year on average in R&D since 2018."

Non official translation