ITIS UMA Secures Funding for Three New National R&D&I Plan Projects to Advance Research in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Twins
The José María Troya Linero Institute for Software Technology and Engineering (ITIS UMA) has secured funding for three new research projects in the latest call under Spain’s State Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research, recently awarded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. These projects contribute to the outstanding results achieved by the University of Málaga, which has been awarded nearly €10 million to support 59 competitive research initiatives.
The three projects awarded to ITIS UMA researchers will receive, in addition to research funding, predoctoral Research Personnel Training (FPI) contracts in all cases, enabling the institute to attract new research talent and strengthen its strategic research lines.
Interoperable Digital Twins for Complex Systems
The project “Federation of Digital Twins for the Construction of Software-Intensive Systems of Systems,” led by Javier Troya and Lola Burgueño, has been awarded €198,975, together with an FPI predoctoral contract.
The research addresses one of the main current challenges in the field of digital twins: interoperability. Today, digital twin models are typically developed in isolation, making their integration into complex environments difficult. The project proposes a novel approach based on loosely coupled, extensible, and reusable agents that will enable the federation of heterogeneous digital twins, facilitating the development of distributed, secure, and scalable architectures for software-intensive systems of systems.
An Open Platform for Collaborative Digital Twin Ecosystems
The second funded project, OPENTWINS-FED (Open Digital Twin Platform for the Multidomain Simulation and Analysis of Federated and Collaborative Digital Twin Ecosystems), will be led by Manuel Díaz Rodríguez and Cristian Martín Fernández.
The initiative has received €152,000 in funding, together with an FPI predoctoral contract, and will develop an open platform based on federated digital twins and multi-agent systems to model complex processes across multiple domains.
Its objective is to create collaborative digital twin ecosystems capable of analyzing emergent behaviors resulting from interactions among different systems, opening new opportunities for simulation, experimentation, and decision-making in strategic sectors.
Artificial Intelligence for Safer and More Sustainable Mobility
The third funded project is AGENT-SAM (Agentic Generative Evolutionary Networks for Safe and Active Mobility), led by Jamal Toutouh, which has been awarded €131,250 together with an FPI predoctoral contract.
The research will combine generative and agentic artificial intelligence with evolutionary optimization techniques, multi-agent reinforcement learning, and federated learning to develop solutions that improve urban mobility in a safe, sustainable, and inclusive manner.
The project’s outcomes will be validated primarily in Málaga and Melilla, with applications focused on improving access to schools, universities, and healthcare facilities. The project also includes close scientific collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), further strengthening its international dimension.
Excellence in Software Technologies and Artificial Intelligence Research
The award of these three projects reinforces ITIS UMA’s position as one of the leading research centers in software technologies, artificial intelligence, multi-agent systems, and digital twins. It also strengthens the institute’s ability to attract competitive research funding and train new researchers through predoctoral contracts, contributing to the development of technologies with significant scientific, industrial, and societal impact.