The Territorial Networks of Technological Specialization (Retech) are a tool promoted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. Its aim is to make digital transformation a reality throughout the country, highlighting the potential of each region. This joint action programme promotes the articulation of regional projects aimed at digital transformation and specialisation, and is aligned with two of the main objectives of the Digital Spain Agenda: to lead disruptive change in an inclusive and sustainable manner, and to focus digitalisation efforts on key economic sectors.

Within the framework of Retech, three Galician projects promoted by the Xunta de Galicia have been selected, covering fields such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, thus consolidating Galicia's leading position when it comes to these technologies.

The Retech initiative in Galicia

The first project, which will run until the first quarter of 2026, is a joint programme between Galicia, Madrid and the Basque Country. The objective is to optimise value chains in strategic sectors for the economy, improving productivity and quality of life by incorporating the use of artificial intelligence.

Galicia's participation, which is part of the Civil UAVs Initiative, amounts to €18.55 million: €13.92 million in European funds and €4.64 million in regional co-financing.

Aiming to promote market development of unmanned vehicles and systems and artificial intelligence, as well as boosting the Galician aerospace ecosystem, within the framework of Retech, the Xunta will develop a programme to support the Private Purchase of Innovation.

With this new support programme, the Xunta aims to promote the development of new solutions by Galician SMEs and knowledge centres, capable of responding to challenges identified by tractor companies that wish to improve their competitiveness by incorporating unmanned systems technologies and artificial intelligence into their processes and that are willing to invest in the project.

In addition to this project, two other initiatives promoted by the Xunta de Galicia are part of this first phase of Retech.

One of them consists of the creation of a Galician "digital twin", an initiative led by the Agency for the Technological Modernisation of Galicia, the Galician Agency for Rural Development and the Institute for Territorial Studies. This digital twin will enable intelligent planning and management based on simulations and predictive analytics, especially in rural environments. This is aligned with the Aldeas Inteligentes de Medio Rural project, which aims to manage local services and provide decision support in model villages.

The other proposal focuses on cybersecurity and is a partnership with Catalonia and the Valencian Community. It is a project for a cybersecurity data space of the Centre of Expertise in health sciences, smart transport, connected industry and operational excellence.

All the projects in which Galicia participates have been approved in the first call of the Retech Programme, which selected projects at an advanced stage of maturity, impact and implementation. Funding for these initiatives is divided into 25% from Galicia, through public or private funds, and the remaining 75% provided by the State as part of the Recovery Plan.