The members of the Board of Trustees of the Information and Communication Technology Center (CTIC) have welcomed with great satisfaction the results of the closing of the year 2025. The numbers far exceed (almost 15%) the planned objectives.
"It is a great year for the center, in which we have exceeded expectations with an execution well above the budget. The challenge for the coming years is to consolidate these good results and maintain the national and international positioning," announces Roberto Paraja, president of the CTIC Foundation.
Ambitious objectives that project the center into the future with an eye on sustained growth, the same growth that has led them to become a strategic agent in the region and a reference, gaining positions at national and international level. The increase in the volume of the center's income is the result of "many years of sowing", acknowledges Pablo Coca, CTIC's general manager. For him, growth does not only mean growth in revenue or in human resources. The formula applied, "growing in specialization", is what has positioned CTIC as a major player at the national level in the ecosystem of technology centers (69 recognized by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities).
At the European level, "we have managed to be the main returner in the region of Horizon Europe funds in the pillar destined to collaborative projects. A program that is the European R&D Champions. Obviously, there is a lot of previous work over many years where we have been laying the foundations for these results."
Double recognition, national and international
CTIC has become a benchmark in the field of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, with the approval of three new projects under the Cervera Networks of Excellence program. This aid program from the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) aims to strengthen Spanish technology centers by reinforcing their specialization. "They are the main competitive public funding funds offered in Spain specifically aimed at technology centers," explains Paraja.
A total of nine projects have been approved, of which 33% have been awarded to the Asturian center, which leads at the national level being the Spanish technology center with the highest number of Cervera Excellence recognitions. "The concept of excellence has nothing to do with size, but with specialization," says CTIC's president.
The other major recognition received by CTIC in the current fiscal year is in the Horizon Europe program, the European Union's framework program that fosters research, development and innovation by funding projects that boost competitiveness and address major societal challenges.
CATIC currently has fifteen European projects underway, in collaboration with more than 300 entities - companies, startups, universities and international centers. Between 2021 and 2025 the center attracted 10.1 million euros from Horizon Europe, of which 6.6 million went to CTIC's own activity and 3.5 million to other thirteen Asturian entities participating in the consortia led or driven by the center.
The bet of CTIC in the coming years
The specialization of CTIC is articulated around fifteen technologies that cover all the phases of the data value chain: from its obtaining or generation, to its communication, treatment, preparation and value enhancement.
Pablo Coca highlights as an example the European consortium CEADS, oriented to build the future European space of agricultural data. "Of the 22 partners, there are three Spanish partners and one of them is us. This project is part of the European Commission's major initiative to build a technological and trust framework that enables the exchange of data between organizations and companies to develop the European Data Economy."
Another key technology on the center's roadmap is quantum computing, considered emerging, but which CTIC has been working on since 2018. Likewise, the center has been developing technologies inspired by blockchain architectures since 2015, currently in full evolution.
CTIC's technology roadmap focuses on industry 5.0, smart territories, health, cybersecurity, responsible use of technology and defense. It is designed with a three-year horizon and is reviewed annually due to rapid technological evolution.
Knowledge transfer to large and small companies
During 2025, CTIC has impacted more than 1,700 companies and, over its 22-year track record, more than 25,000. According to Alejandro Durán, managing director of Felguera TI and vice-president of the CTIC Board of Trustees, the key lies in collaboration: "CTIC detects the disruptive technologies with the greatest potential for application and brings them closer to the companies, generating synergies".
Durán stresses the importance of human capital, which represents about 85% of the center's resources, and highlights the presence of personnel in the territory as a differential element.
Juan Acuña, director of Telecable and MasOrange in Asturias, points out that "we want to be a key player in the digital transformation of Asturias and associating our brand with CTIC has an intangible value". He highlights the center's ability to bring together 70 high-level professionals, "the spearhead of innovation and technological disruption."
From the agri-food sector, Ricardo Cabeza, CEO of Grupo El Gaitero, says that being part of the Board has allowed "access to technologies that we would never have reached."
From the agri-food sector, Ricardo Cabeza, CEO of Grupo El Gaitero, says that being part of the Board has allowed "access to technologies that we would never have reached. Richard Villaverde, Head of Systems and IT at Capsa Food, highlights that "CTIC brings innovation, commitment to the community, competitiveness and human factor."
Alberto Cillero, Director of Studies, Tenders and Innovation at Alsa, underlines the importance of innovating in the territory and applying data and new technologies to real mobility problems.
Finally, Marta Tamargo, Deputy Director General and Secretary of the Board of Trustees of CTIC, thanks the trust of the trustees: "Collaboration, trust and complicity are a decisive engine to transform the economy and prepare Asturias for the technological challenges of the next decade".
 | Roberto Paraja Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the CTIC Foundation "Excellence and value contribution are not linked to size. We are the Spanish technology center with the most Cervera Networks of Excellence" |
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Pablo Coca Director General of CTIC "We have managed to be the region's leading returner of Horizon Europe funds" |
| Juan Acuña Director of Telecable and MasOrange in Asturias "We want to be an actor in the framework of digital transformation in Asturias and associating our brand with CTIC has an intangible value" |
 | Ricardo Cabeza General Manager Grupo El Gaitero (Valle, Ballina y Fernández) "It is a luxury to have in our community a leading center in information technologies of which we should be proud" |
 | Richard Villaverde Information Systems and Technology Manager at Capsa Food "CTIC brings innovation, commitment to our community, competitiveness and human factor" |
 | Alberto Cillero Director of Studies, Licitaciones e Innovación de Alsa "We highly value the CTIC Foundation for its proximity to the market and the closeness it has with real problems of the territory" |
 | Alejandro Durán Managing Director of Felguera TI and Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation "CTIC detects which disruptive technologies can have more application and brings them closer to companies" |
 | Marta Tamargo Deputy Director General of CTIC and Secretary of the Board of Trustees "The Board of Trustees is a fundamental asset for CTIC. Their confidence in our work is key to address future challenges." |
CTIC is the Spanish technology center with the highest number of Cervera excellence recognitions and the first returner from Asturias of Horizon Europe funds.