UAB project on aerial transport awarded ENAIRE innovation prize
ENAIRE Open Innovation, the state-owned air navigation manager in Spain, has awarded the “Air Traffic Management Technological Challenges” prize to the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS-UAB) research group from the UAB’s Department of Telecommunications and Systems Engineering.
On Tuesday 27 October, ENAIRE presented the ENAIRE Open Innovation awards. The research project “Anticipatory Human–Machine Teaming for Air Traffic Control: AI-Driven Adaptive Task Allocation and Cognitive-Aware Monitoring”—submitted by the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS-UAB) research group from the Department of Telecommunications and Systems Engineering at the UAB School of Engineering—was selected by the jury for both its scientific quality and its level of innovation.
In a context where air traffic controllers (ATCo) must manage multiple simultaneous tasks under high time pressure, the introduction of AI-based automation systems can increase cognitive load and compromise situational awareness. The proposal focuses on the study of prospective memory, that is, the ability to remember and carry out pending actions while performing other operational tasks. Through hierarchical task analysis (HTA) and the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM), a socio-ecological simulation model will be developed to represent the interdependencies between humans and adaptive automation systems. This model will be adapted for air traffic control centres and integrated into a simulator with AI algorithms capable of dynamically assessing workload, anticipating potential cognitive overloads, and distributing tasks between controller and digital assistant. The ultimate goal is to advance towards a proactive and contextualised human-machine collaboration that improves efficiency, safety, and situational awareness.
ENAIRE is the state air navigation manager in Spain and is part of the Ministry for Transport and Sustainable Mobility. It is responsible for providing en-route and approach air traffic control services, managing communications, navigation and surveillance of airspace, and offering aerodrome control services at 21 airports. It is the fourth largest European air traffic controller and is member of various international alliances and initiatives to drive innovation and the development of air navigation. CRIDA is a non-profit economic interest grouping, established by ENAIRE, the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), and INECO, which aims to improve the efficiency of the air traffic management system in Spain through research, development and innovation (R&D&I) projects.
For the past four years, ENAIRE Open Innovation—through CRIDA—has organised the highly competitive " Air Traffic Management Technological Challenges" contest for university research groups, with the aim of finding solutions to technological challenges in the air transport sector over the medium to long term. The awarded prize will enable the research group, over an 18-month period, to advance the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of models developed within the framework of the European projects E-Pilots, coordinated by the UAB, and GEESE, coordinated by Airbus. Researchers will also be able to develop a human factors simulator validated for operational environments.
More information:
https://retos.enaireopeninnovation.com/en/winners-2026/