The year now behind us, will be remembered as a milestone in the history of CiTIUS. The recognition through various awards and distinctions in 2024, both nationally and internationally, has underscored its scientific leadership, which continues to grow under the umbrella of ambitious projects, particularly in the field of language technologies. Initiatives such as the Nós Project and its extension through the ILENIA Project (focused on less-resourced or minority languages), or even seemingly less obvious but equally transversal projects such as XAI4SOC (a project aimed at developing natural language processing techniques to improve social well-being), demonstrate how the center connects artificial intelligence with areas like health, finance, and education, reinforcing its commitment to social impact and innovation. In 2024, this effort translated into prestigious distinctions that positioned the center at the forefront of research in this field. Among them are two 'Best Paper Awards' at internationally renowned conferences, recognizing the meticulous work of the researchers and institutions participating in these events.

The most recent addition to this series of successes comes from the article Open Generative Language Models for Galician. This work won the Best Paper Award at the XL Edition of the International Conference of the Spanish Society for Natural Language Processing (SEPLN), one of the most prominent annual events in the field of natural language processing (NLP). The jury, in its latest edition held in Valladolid, highlighted the impact of the work in advancing inclusive language technologies, naming it the best scientific contribution of this edition, which marked the organization’s 40th anniversary.

Serving Galician Language

The awarded article, authored by researchers Pablo Rodríguez, Iria de Dios, Susana Sotelo, Silvia Paniagua, Daniel Bardanca, José Ramón Pichel, Marcos Garcia, and Pablo Gamallo, proposes a generative language model specifically designed for Galician, a minority language in the digital realm. This work represents a significant step forward, not only enhancing Galician’s presence in new technologies but also emphasizing the importance of developing inclusive tools in artificial intelligence.

Its principal author, researcher Pablo Rodríguez, received the award at the conclusion of the conference. “This model is another step toward integrating minority languages into the digital environment,” he explained, “reinforcing their role in artificial intelligence and natural language processing.” The project underscores CiTIUS’ commitment to linguistic diversity and technological accessibility.

The SEPLN award joins the one obtained at the EPIA2024 conference, where another CiTIUS project won the Best Application Paper Award. Both recognitions establish the center as a benchmark in language technologies, both nationally and internationally. With these achievements, CiTIUS enters 2025 with the goal of continuing to lead innovative projects that combine advanced research with social impact. “Awards like these inspire us to keep exploring new technologies that promote inclusion and linguistic diversity,” says the team.