Research and Innovation background
- Sustainable Mobility Law – Law 9/2025: Binding national framework adopted in December 2025 establishing governance, planning instruments, funding mechanisms, and decarbonisation obligations across all transport modes, replacing purely strategic approaches and making mobility a regulated public policy domain. Includes a new package of legally defined sector‑specific plans, covering rail transport, logistics digitalisation, intermodal freight, infrastructure decarbonisation, and data governance. The law also introduced a National Sustainable Mobility Strategy to align national transport planning with EU climate and digital objectives.
- Secure, Sustainable and Connected Mobility Strategy 2030: Long‑term strategic framework guiding transport digitisation, safety, automation, and decarbonisation across passenger and freight transport. Functions as a reference framework following the publication of Law 9/2025.
- Spanish Urban Agenda – Mobility Pillar: National framework supporting sustainable urban and metropolitan mobility, public transport prioritisation, low‑emission zones, and active mobility, aligned with the Sustainable Mobility Law and municipal mobility plans.
- Hydrogen Roadmap: Framework supporting hydrogen production and deployment in Spain. Has specific lines of action for hydrogen use in transport, including targets for 150 to 200 fuel cell buses and 5,000 to 7,000 light and heavy-duty goods transport vehicles by 2030. This is now implemented through sectoral mobility plans and funding calls.
(Last updated: 18/05/2026)
Institutional framework of transport research
- Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MITMA): Lead authority for transport policy, sectoral mobility plans, infrastructure‑related R&I pilots, and coordination of national and regional mobility strategies.
- Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU): Responsible for national R&I policy and funding, including mission‑oriented transport research and collaboration with industry.
- Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology and Innovation (CDTI): Main national innovation funding agency supporting applied transport R&I, industrial pilots, automation, alternative fuels, and high‑capacity mobility solutions.
- Spanish State Research Agency (AEI): Funds academic and applied research projects, including transport systems modelling, propulsion, materials, and digital mobility research.
- CEDEX – Centre for Studies and Experimentation of Public Works: Applied public research centre under MITMS conducting transport infrastructure, traffic, rail, road safety, and climate‑resilient mobility research.
- INECO (Transport Engineering and Consulting): State‑owned applied research and engineering organisation supporting rail, aviation, urban mobility digitalisation, automation pilots, and system integration projects.
(Last updated: 18/05/2026)
Funding Sources and Support Initiatives
- Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI): Continuous instruments (grants and loans) supporting industrial R&I, including targeted calls for transport and mobility R&I, such as electric mobility, rail technology, automation, smart logistics, and alternative fuels.
- CDTI Science and Innovation Missions 2025–2027 – Sustainable Mobility Mission: Flagship mission‑oriented programme financing large cooperative R&D projects on sustainable mobility and decarbonisation of collective and high‑volume transport, with projects starting in 2026.
- State Fund for Contribution to Sustainable Mobility: New funding mechanism created under Law 9/2025 to support sustainable urban and metropolitan transport projects, including innovation pilots and digitalisation.
(Last updated: 18/05/2026)