Córdoba, 9 October 2026
The Director-General for Industrial Strategy and Business Land, Margarita Ardao, took part this morning in the latest edition of the international forum Indudef 2026 – Industry, Talent and Defence, held in Córdoba. During the event, she presented the Strategic Initiative for Security, Defence and Aerospace (Iesda), through which the regional government aims to strengthen the technological capabilities of Galicia’s business sector and help it enter new market niches.
Ardao explained that Galicia plans to invest €183 million between now and 2030 to help Galician industry diversify into the security and defence sector, which is currently attracting substantial investment from the European Union. The sector’s turnover has grown by 11.6%, and it employs nearly 290,000 people in Spain.
She noted that, in the current climate, sectors such as aerospace, ICT, shipbuilding, automotive and metalworking and mechanical engineering have an opportunity to diversify and become more competitive through research, digitalisation, innovation and involvement in the defence sector. In this regard, she explained that one of Iesda’s objectives is to encourage cooperation between SMEs, major companies that drive industrial development, and technology centres.
