Asturias replaces the Director General of Innovation and appoints Joaquín Cuetos Antuña

The Governing Council of the Principality of Asturias, in its meeting on September 14, 2026, has agreed to the dismissal of Iván Aitor Lucas del Amo as Director General of Innovation, Research, and Digital Transformation and the appointment of Joaquín Cuetos Antuña to the same position. Both agreements are formalized through Decrees 62/2026 and 63/2026, published in the Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias (BOPA) number 179, dated September 16, 2026.

The decision, adopted upon the proposal of the Minister of Science, Industry, and Employment, Borja Sánchez García, affects the direction of regional R&D&i policy and is framed within the structure of the Ministry that manages innovation and digital transformation in the Principality.

Regulatory framework of the dismissal and appointment

The decrees are issued in accordance with Article 10.6 of the Principality of Asturias Law 8/1991, of July 30, on the Organization of the Administration, in relation to Articles 25.l) and 38.e) of Law 6/1984, of July 5, on the President and the Governing Council. The appointment also incorporates a reference to Article 30 of Law 8/2018, of September 14, on Transparency, Good Governance, and Interest Groups.

Both documents were signed in Oviedo on September 14, 2026, by the President of the Principality, Adrián Barbón Rodríguez, and by Minister Borja Sánchez García.

Dismissal of Iván Aitor Lucas del Amo

Decree 62/2026 provides for the dismissal of Iván Aitor Lucas del Amo as Director General of Innovation, Research, and Digital Transformation, thanking him for the services rendered. The dismissal occurs following the decision of the Governing Council and leaves vacant the general directorate that manages the innovation and research policies of the Principality.

Appointment of Joaquín Cuetos Antuña

Decree 63/2026 appoints Joaquín Cuetos Antuña as Director General of Innovation, Research, and Digital Transformation of the Ministry of Science, Industry, and Employment. The new head assumes the leadership of the strategic lines regarding innovation, research, and digitalization of the Asturian administration.

• Issuing body: Governing Council of the Principality of Asturias.
• Ministry: Science, Industry, and Employment.
• Dismissal: Iván Aitor Lucas del Amo (Decree 62/2026).
• Appointment: Joaquín Cuetos Antuña (Decree 63/2026).
• Date of agreements: September 14, 2026.
• Publication: BOPA no. 179, of September 16, 2026.

Relevance for R&D&i policy

The handover at the helm of the general directorate of Innovation, Research, and Digital Transformation comes at a key moment for the Principality’s modernization strategy, which bets on research and digitalization as levers for economic development. The continuity of the Department of Science, Industry, and Employment and the profile of the new general director will shape the orientation of future regional innovation support programs.

Source: Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias, no. 179, of September 16, 2026, section I. Authorities and Personnel (official reference: Decrees 62/2026 and 63/2026, codes 2026-07611 and 2026-07612).