Institute of Technologies and Software Engineering

What Institute of Technologies and Software Engineering does

ITIS (Instituto de Tecnología e Ingeniería del Software «Jose María Troya Linero») is a university research institute within the University of Málaga, Spain, founded on 30 September 2019. It operates as an interdisciplinary platform of 11 active research groups spanning cybersecurity, computational intelligence, software engineering, optimization, AI/ML, and next-generation networking, and is staffed by 51-100 personnel (originally 39 founding PhD researchers). The institute is one of the leading computer engineering research centers in Southern Europe and the first Spanish university to host an experimental 5G network (deployed by Telefónica and Nokia under the European 5GENESIS project and managed by its MORSE group).

ITIS's core technological outputs are research artifacts rather than commercial products. These include experimental 5G/6G network infrastructure (including a private 5G network deployed for the EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026 congress with network-based object/person detection demos), AI-based decision-support systems such as the TRIATHLON project for predicting trihalomethane formation in drinking water distribution networks, evolutionary optimization algorithms from the NEO group (Dr. Enrique Alba, ranked 17th in Spain for computer science), and LLM/SLM research from the Khaos group using Knowledge Graph integration and QLoRA techniques. The institute also delivers Master's and doctoral academic programs in software engineering, evolutionary algorithms, and R&D+I foundations.

ITIS does not sell commercial products and has no disclosed revenue, pricing model, or paying customers. It is funded entirely through public research grants (European Commission programs including 5GENESIS, 6G-PATH, 6G-SANDBOX, Scale2Connect, BIOREFOREST; the Spanish Ministry of Science under TRIATHLON CPP2023-010513; and Andalusian regional funding), supplemented by university budget allocations. Industry engagement (Telefónica, Nokia, Ericsson, Vodafone, Orange, Keysight, Hidralia, Cetaqua, ESA, ITRI) takes the form of co-development within publicly funded consortia. GTM motion is primarily event-driven (organizing and participating in EuCNC & 6G Summit, EvoStar, OL2A, GECCO, Fecitec, Transfiere) and community-led, with awareness generated via academic conferences, newsletters, and European project dissemination channels.

Name

Institute of Technologies and Software Engineering

Legal name

Instituto de Tecnología e Ingeniería del Software «Jose María Troya Linero»

Website

https://itis.uma.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ITIS is a public university research institute within the University of Málaga that conducts interdisciplinary research in software engineering, AI/ML, optimization, and 5G/6G networking, serving public-sector funders, telecom operators, and water utilities through grant-funded collaborative projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research and Development

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Infrastructure, Networking & Systems Administration Training (BPAEANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Systems Administration & IT Operations (Windows/Linux, Monitoring, ITSM) (EDABAFAH), IT Service Management (ITSM) Platforms (HDAEALAA)

Keywords

• Software engineering research
• 5G and 6G networks
• AI research lab
• University research institute
• Interdisciplinary research

Headquarters

HQ city

Málaga

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Publicly Funded Research Grants: ITIS operates as a university research institute funded by national and European research grants. Projects include European Commission programs (e.g., 5GENESIS, 6G-PATH, 6G-SANDBOX, Scale2Connect, BIOREFOREST), the Spanish Ministry of Science (TRIATHLON CPP2023-010513), and bilateral international collaborations.
2. University Academic Programs: The institute offers a Master program (Máster Universitario) and participates in doctoral programs in software engineering, contributing to postgraduate education within the University of Málaga.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ITIS is a university research institute within the University of Málaga that conducts scientific and technical research in software technologies. It delivers collaborative research projects (e.g., TRIATHLON for water quality, 6G-SANDBOX, 6G-PATH), manages an experimental 5G network infrastructure, runs postgraduate academic programs (Máster Universitario and doctoral), and organizes international conferences such as EuCNC & 6G Summit, OL2A, and EvoStar.

Product overview

ITIS (Instituto de Tecnologías e Ingeniería del Software) is a university research institute dedicated to scientific and technical research in software technologies. The institute operates as a platform of research groups rather than a commercial product company, with 11 active research groups covering areas such as cybersecurity, computational intelligence, and software engineering. Primary offerings include research projects (TRIATHLON water monitoring, 6G-SANDBOX, FIDAL, 6G-PATH, 6G-VERSUS, iSATuma, BIOREFOREST), experimental 5G network infrastructure available for industry collaboration, academic training programs (master's and doctorate), conference organization (EuCNC & 6G Summit, OL2A, EvoStar), and technology transfer to companies. The institute's infrastructure includes an experimental 5G network deployed at the Teatinos campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Experimental 5G Network Infrastructure Experimental 5G network infrastructure installed at the Teatinos campus of the University of Málaga, available for collaboration with companies requiring 5G evaluation and testing as part of the European 5GENESIS project.
• TRIATHLON Project AI-based monitoring and Decision Support System (DSS) for drinking water utilities that uses advanced sensors and machine learning to detect and predict trihalomethane formation in water distribution networks.
• 6G Research Projects (6G-SANDBOX, 6G-PATH, 6G-VERSUS, Victoria Satellite) Multi-project research portfolio on next-generation 6G networks covering testing platforms, hybrid satellite-terrestrial Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), and advanced wireless communications, delivered in partnership with ESA, ITRI, Keysight, Nokia, and others.
• Academic Postgraduate Programs (Máster Universitario and Doctorate) Postgraduate academic programs offered through the University of Málaga covering software engineering, smart cities, evolutionary algorithms, and R&D&I foundations, including research training and seminars for graduate students.
• International Conference Organization (EuCNC & 6G Summit, OL2A, EvoStar) Organization of large-scale international scientific conferences in 6G research, computational intelligence, and evolutionary algorithms, including EuCNC & 6G Summit, OL2A, and EvoStar, with global academic and industry participation.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Spanish university with an experimental 5G network
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026ESA collaborated with ITIS on the 6G-SANDBOX project and the Victoria Satellite project, driving advanced research network infrastructures that integrate terrestrial and satellite networks for 6G NTN networks.
• IHSM La MayoraminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026IHSM La Mayora collaborated on European projects 6G-PATH and 6G-VERSUS, representing the University of Málaga's research network infrastructure in the exhibition area of EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026.
• ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwan)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026ITRI collaborated with ESA and UMA on the 6G-SANDBOX project, showcasing international 6G research infrastructure developments at the EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026 exhibition.
• Terraview (Switzerland)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Terraview organized the 8th Plenary Meeting of the 6G-PATH Project in Winterthur, where ITIS UMA participated alongside researchers from PACNA, PBL, and RUB.
• National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT, Japan)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Professor Enrique Alba launched a new collaboration project with NICT, strengthening scientific ties between Spain and Japan in the field of computer science and optimization.
• Ágora DatalabminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Ágora Datalab organized an intensive workshop at Transfiere 2026 connecting cutting-edge technology with real needs of industry and the agricultural sector, with ITIS UMA participation.
• BIOREFOREST European Project (University of Cork)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026The Khaos Research group at ITIS UMA joined the BIOREFOREST project led by the University of Cork, evaluating reforestation strategies' impact on biodiversity across Europe over 50 years.
• COST Action KGELL Research NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026The Khaos Research group at ITIS UMA participates in the KGELL (COST-funded EU research network), committed to improving Large Language Models at the European level using semantic technologies.
• HidraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Lead partner in the TRIATHLON consortium. Hidralia collaborates with ITIS, Cetaqua, and regional water utilities to develop AI-based tools for monitoring trihalomethanes in drinking water distribution networks across Costa del Sol, Huelva, and Huesna.
• Cetaqua - Centro Tecnológico del AguacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Project Manager and researcher Meritxell Valentí leads the TRIATHLON project at Cetaqua, which coordinates the development of a Decision Support System integrating sensor data and machine learning models to predict trihalomethane formation in water networks.
• European Scale2Connect Project ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026ITIS organized workshops within the European Scale2Connect project, presenting the mapping of the local innovation ecosystem in Málaga and fostering collaboration between academia and industry.
• TelefónicacoreTechnology or Integration · 12 March 2020Telefónica partnered with Nokia to install an experimental 5G network at the University of Málaga's Teatinos campus, in the framework of the European 5GENESIS project. ITIS manages this network autonomously through its MORSE research group.
• NokiacoreTechnology or Integration · 12 March 2020Nokia, together with Telefónica, installed the experimental 5G network at the University of Málaga. Nokia is also a member of the Open TAP alliance with UMA for sharing 5G test automation software developments.
• Keysight TechnologiescoreTechnology or Integration · 12 March 2020Keysight Technologies is part of the Open TAP alliance alongside Nokia and the University of Málaga. Keysight also organized the 8th hybrid Plenary Meeting of the 6G-SANDBOX Project in Aalborg, Denmark.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Nokia Bell Labs: Industrial research arm of Nokia and ITIS's partner in the experimental 5G deployment at UMA. Comparable in 5G/6G, network automation (Open TAP), and applied AI research, but at significantly greater scale and commercialization maturity.
• Ericsson Research: Global telecom vendor research arm focused on 5G and 6G standardization. Comparable to ITIS in 6G and network infrastructure research areas; a key corporate supporter of EuCNC and potential collaborator/competitor for EU-funded 6G projects.
• INRIA (French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology): France's primary public computer science and applied mathematics research institution. Comparable to ITIS in mission and public-grant funding model, but at much greater scale and with broader international reach — relevant for benchmarking European consortium leadership.
• Telefónica R&D / Telefónica Tech: Corporate R&D arm of ITIS's primary telecom partner. Comparable as a Spain-anchored research organization in 5G/6G and networking, but with vastly larger scale and commercial focus; serves both as a partner and potential competitor for talent and EU consortium leadership.

Direct peers

• University of Oulu – 6G Flagship: Finland's leading 6G research program, internationally recognized as the foremost academic 6G initiative. Directly comparable to ITIS in the 6G/NTN research domain and competes with ITIS for visibility within European 6G consortia.
• IMDEA Software Institute: Madrid-based university-affiliated research institute focused on software engineering, cybersecurity, and AI. Closely comparable to ITIS in mission, funding model (Madrid regional government + EU grants), research group structure, and academic program offering.
• Max Planck Institute for Informatics: Germany-based public research institute focused on computer science, algorithms, and software systems. Comparable in academic excellence, public funding model, and research output metrics; relevant benchmark for European research competitiveness.
• IIIA – Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (CSIC): Spanish public research institute specializing in AI, machine learning, and optimization — overlapping significantly with ITIS's NEO and Khaos research groups. Competes for similar national and European AI funding streams and talent.
• Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC): Spain's flagship computer science research center, operating as a consortium within a public university (UPC). Comparable in role to ITIS as a national hub for HPC, AI, and computer engineering research, and a direct competitor for Spanish and European research talent and funding.

Regional players

• Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS): German applied research institute focused on ICT, 5G/6G, and software-intensive systems. Comparable as a European applied research center partnering with industry and government on telecom and software engineering, though primarily Germany-focused rather than Spain-focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute of Technologies and Software Engineering