AI Madrid
AI hub in Madrid with a dynamic innovation ecosystem
Madrid has become a vibrant hub for innovation and artificial intelligence, home to a growing ecosystem of research centers, universities, startups, and technology companies driving the digital transformation of Europe. The establishment of the ELLIS Unit Madrid in 2022 has further strengthened the city’s position as a key node for AI excellence and scientific collaboration.
The unit unites researchers from the six public universities of Madrid — Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de Alcalá, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and Universidad Rey Juan Carlos — fostering an open environment for knowledge exchange and joint research. Through strong connections with international scientists, European doctoral programs, and global AI initiatives, the ELLIS Unit Madrid promotes collaboration, talent mobility, and the advancement of cutting-edge, responsible AI research.
In 2019, the Madrid Government – with a strong commitment to making the region more competitive and turning this growing ecosystem into a leading European AI research and innovation hub – approved the Madrid Strategy of AI (Madrid.ai), which is organized in four axes:
Research and talent
Innovation and technology transfer
Ethics
Venture building
To implement the strategy, the government has created four instruments:
The ELLIS Unit Barcelona, created under the auspices of the Catalan government in the context of the Catalan Strategy of AI, will help consolidate the strong, but fragmented ecosystem of AI in Catalonia, and connect it to the pan-European efforts of ELLIS.
