- He highlights that this will be a “pioneering measure in Spain”, to be implemented through the Pre-commercial Public Procurement (PCP) model
- The Galician Government will select technological partners to develop innovative solutions in dual technologies and to attract high-value-added investments
- The Secretary of State for Economy and Industry stresses that manufacturing in Galicia will be a key criterion in the selection process, with the aim of consolidating value chains and generating qualified and quality employment
- The initiative will address needs in areas such as emergencies, civil protection, coastal surveillance, mobility or spatial planning, and was underpinned by a strategic dialogue in which 78 companies participated
Santiago de Compostela, 13 July 2026
The President of the Galician Government, Alfonso Rueda, announced that the Government Council has just approved “allocating 40 million euros to attract to Galicia large-scale industrial projects in security, defence and aerospace”. A measure in which the region “will be pioneering in Spain”, to be implemented through the Pre-commercial Public Procurement (PCP) model, and which is framed within the Strategic Initiative for Security, Defence and Aerospace 2025–2030 (IESDA) approved by the Galician Government last year.
Through this action, the Government seeks to boost new industrial capabilities and attract large-scale innovation and technological development projects that include manufacturing in Galicia, in order to generate added value, productive investment and qualified employment. “We want to take advantage of the opportunity presented by a strategic sector such as defence and security”, Rueda said.
As explained by the Secretary of State for Economy and Industry, María Jesús Lorenzana, the selected projects must develop innovative solutions to address challenges identified by the Government in areas as diverse as security and defence; emergencies, civil protection and search and rescue; management and surveillance of the coastline and the marine environment; spatial planning, the environment and natural resources; the rural world and its productive sectors; protection of critical infrastructure; cybersecurity and secure communications; mobility and public logistics; or social and health care in dispersed settings. “They must be projects in dual technologies, that is, for both the civil and defence realms”, she said.
The call was underpinned by a pioneering strategic dialogue with industry in which 78 companies participated, showing their interest in being part of this action and developing projects in Galicia.
The procedure is aimed at EU and non-EU companies, as well as at consortia of economic operators with an average annual turnover of at least €5 million in the fields of defence, security or aerospace during the last three years and that demonstrate experience in the development of R&D&i projects or commercial high-technology projects in these sectors.
Among the evaluation criteria, the Government will take into account the industrial strategy, the proposed R&D&i programme, the means and resources committed and the expected economic and social impact for Galicia, because, as the Secretary of State highlighted, manufacturing in Galicia is included in this case as a relevant criterion for the selection of new strategic and technological partners, with the aim of strengthening the Galician value chain and maximising the industrial return.
The selection will be carried out through a structured competitive dialogue in three phases, a procedure that will allow proposals to be compared and refined before the submission of final binding offers. The period for submitting applications for participation will remain open until 30 September.
More than 500 direct jobs
This tender constitutes the first of the three major actions foreseen in the Ecosystem Programme of the Strategic Initiative for Security, Defence and Aerospace (IESDA), which will involve a total public and private investment of €621 million – of which the Galician Government’s contribution would amount to €84 million – and aims to mobilise €900 million and create more than 500 high-qualified direct jobs by 2030.
The Ecosystem Programme also foresees the development of large-scale technological sovereignty projects and the creation of Galician consortia to participate in national and European strategic projects and programmes.
In fact, Galicia is already pioneering the promotion of association agreements with strategic and technological partners. This is a consolidated instrument of the Government’s industrial policy. Thus, in barely ten years – since 2015 – two pre-commercial public procurement tenders have been developed, in which some of the main global aerospace companies participated, culminating in the signing of six association agreements with companies such as Airbus, Boeing, Indra, Aertec, Tecnobit, Telespazio and Avincis.
The Strategic Initiative for Security, Defence and Aerospace was born with the ambition to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the new international context and to strengthen Galicia’s positioning in these high-value-added sectors.
Within the framework of IESDA, the Government has already launched various instruments of support for the business sector, such as the 2026 Dual Industry Grants, endowed with €6 million and aimed at the development of productive investment projects in goods and technological services of dual use (civil and military) intended for the fields of security, defence and aerospace.
The grants for positioning Galician companies as suppliers in security and defence matters have also been called, with a budget of €1.5 million, for the period 2026–2027. These grants aim to facilitate the obtaining of specific certifications to be able to offer their services and products in the fields of defence and security. The call, pending resolution, received a total of 52 proposals from companies in strategic sectors such as the naval, metal-mechanical, aerospace, ICT industry, transport, automotive or construction sectors. In addition, the Government promotes, in collaboration with the Escuela de Organización Industrial (EOI), the executive programme on defence industry in Galicia.
