The ADIA Lab research centre, based in the United Arab Emirates, has chosen Granada to set up its European headquarters. The decision is the result of an agreement reached between the centre, which specialises in data science, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, as well as quantum and high-performance computing, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.

The new headquarters will drive cutting-edge research projects together with an advanced training programme and the development of industrial use cases in collaboration with Spanish universities and research institutions. This will create a network for scientific exchange and industrial growth between the two countries, in line with the strategic collaboration agreement signed by their respective governments in February 2022.

Artificial intelligence and reliable automation
Five research programmes are to be launched by ADIA Lab in Granada, with the University of Granada at the helm in the areas of ethics, artificial intelligence and reliable automation. The first of these will deal with computational methods and algorithms for medical applications, public health policies and environmental research. The second will model climate change and policies aimed at its mitigation from an economic point of view, with particular focus on industries like transport, construction and agriculture.

The third programme will explore new computational approaches and tools for research relating to the digital economy and the role of the central banks' digital currencies in transforming finance. High-performance computing, involving applications for strategic topics, such as climate modelling, the digital economy, causal discovery and artificial intelligence (AI), will be at the centre of the fourth programme. The fifth will focus on developing statistical methods for understanding AI algorithms.

International meetings
The agreement is expected to last for four years, and may be extended for a further four-year period. In addition to coordinating collaboration between Spanish, European and UAE universities and research institutions, and favouring exchanges by students and research staff, it will also facilitate international meetings and promote the transfer of knowledge to the industrial ecosystem and the business sector.

ADIA Lab is an independent entity backed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) which invests funds on behalf of the UAE government. Its director, Dr Horst Simon, explained that its creation sought to “address some of the world's most pressing problems by studying data and computational science”, and stressed that “collaboration is at the heart of this ambitious goal”.

Scientific breakthroughs
As Simon said after signing the agreement in Granada (as shown in the photo), “By working together with other leading organisations around the world, we will be able to support new scientific breakthroughs by analysing and processing ever-increasing amounts of complex data in all major areas of study”.

According to the Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence, Carme Artigas, the arrival of ADIA Lab's headquarters in Granada is “yet another milestone in our National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the SpAIn Talent Hub programme, with which we are consolidating a scientific and technological ecosystem around artificial intelligence, sustainability, data computing and neurotechnologies, making us a leading and benchmark country”.

^{Photo: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation}