LAIA Hub, the La Salle-URL initiative to lead the impact of AI on social, economic and ethical development
Friday, May 16, 2025. La Salle-URL Campus Barcelona, is launching the La Salle Artificial Intelligence Hub (LAIA Hub), an emerging laboratory conceived as a strategic hub for applied research in artificial intelligence in Catalonia. The LAIA Hub was created to anticipate, research, and support the impact of artificial intelligence on socioeconomic and ethical development, becoming a catalyst for progress and sustainable development.
The hub will integrate state-of-the-art laboratories, collaborative spaces, and incubation programs, designed under the quadruple helix model of open and collaborative innovation, which articulates collaboration between public administration, universities, the business sector, and civil society. The purpose of the LAIA Hub is to translate La Salle-URL's artificial intelligence research capabilities into initiatives that have a real and positive impact on society.
LAIA Hub: connected to the environment, oriented toward the future
In this framework, the LAIA Hub is directly linked to the AI 鈥嬧媠trategies being deployed in Barcelona, 鈥嬧婥atalonia, Spain, and the European Union. In any case, its ambition goes a step further: to generate talent and opportunities with both local and global applications. 鈥淎t the LAIA Hub, we promote a future in which artificial intelligence is a tool that generates justice and efficiency, and that empowers human talent. All of this is guided by the values, collective well-being, and social impact that have defined La Salle-URL's mission since our origins,鈥 explains Rosa Ma. Alsina, Director of Research and Innovation at La Salle-URL.
The new hub is a key component of La Salle-URL's digital ecosystem of innovation, research, and transfer, made up of students, faculty, researchers, startups, a Business Council with around thirty leading companies, and a Social Council of Entities. All of them interact in , and with stakeholders such as La Salle Technova, the innovation park of La Salle Campus Barcelona. In this environment, the LAIA Hub is designed as a large laboratory with interconnected spaces that encompass the entire innovation cycle.
La Salle-URL, more than two decades of experience in artificial intelligence
La Salle-URL is a pioneering university center for technology and engineering training, with a distinguished track record in integrating artificial intelligence as a strategic pillar of university teaching, research, and knowledge transfer. Its researchers have been working with AI on all types of projects and processes for more than two decades, promoting its responsible application for the benefit of society. In this area, the La Salle-URL Artificial Intelligence Observatory stands out, promoting initiatives and training focused on the challenges and opportunities of AI, analyzing its evolution and future implications, with an impact that transcends the academic environment.
The LAIA Hub is, therefore, a natural evolution of La Salle-URL's efforts in this field. It is a space focused on generating excellent research, attracting talent, and promoting knowledge transfer and valorization activities. The LAIA Hub aligns with La Salle-URL's strategic purpose of integrating applied research, innovation, and teaching as drivers of social transformation. Within this framework, the hub amplifies the campus's capacity to transform scientific knowledge into real, useful, and scalable solutions to address social and economic challenges. In this way, it connects directly with La Salle-URL's established track record in applied AI and enhances synergies between research groups, businesses, and citizens.
Training Talent in Artificial Intelligence
On the training front, La Salle-URL offers a pioneering , taught entirely in English and with a global focus, which trains specialists with ethical and humanistic sensibilities. This program has been a pioneer in anticipating the demand for professionals with comprehensive training in AI, capable of understanding its multiple aspects, applications, and implications. It is the first university program in Catalonia to combine training in artificial intelligence and data science, two closely connected disciplines based on algorithms, machine learning, and data processing. In addition, La Salle-URL also offers specialized courses in AI for professionals from various sectors.
With the launch of the LAIA Hub, La Salle-URL reaffirms its commitment to innovation, research, knowledge transfer, and the training of professionals capable of addressing global challenges, including all those arising from the rise of artificial intelligence. Through this initiative, La Salle-URL is positioning itself as a leader in promoting ethical and inclusive artificial intelligence, a driver of progress for society, the economy, and collective well-being. The project consolidates the campus's commitment to being a transformative force for the development of a more just and sustainable society.
More information
Cristofer Fern谩ndez P茅rez
Content Manager | Corporate Communication
La Salle-URL
Tel. 93 290 23 86
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