The Government of Spain has launched a programme to accelerate digitisation of cities and autonomous communities. The RedCyTI programme will provide a total of 89 million euros.

The programme will be managed by Red.es, an agency of the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service through the State Secretariat of Artificial Intelligence and Digitalisation.

This phase of the programme will focus on ‘smart economy’ capabilities.

The government agency Network.es will add both its own funding and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funding, contributing between 40 and 85% of each selected initiative, which can have a total budget of between 1.5 and 6 million euros. The percentage varies by the Autonomous Community from which it is present.

Authorities able to apply for funding are local authorities (councils, deputies, island councils, island councils and regions) and uniprovincial Autonomous Communities.

Projects should be aimed at creating or strengthening technological infrastructures and associated solutions and services, available to strategic sectors of economic activity, with the aim of testing and developing sectoral application technologies.

It will also support the creation or improvement of spaces aimed at promoting innovation and strengthening the sectoral ecosystem, in order to boost the development of the economy and employment, both at the local, regional and state levels.