The Civil UAVs Initiative is the largest innovative public procurement operation to date in Spain. Its design was recognized with the National Prize of Innovation 2016, by the Government of Spain.

Innovative public procurement

The Civil UAVs Initiative (www.civiluavsiniative.org) is a strategic initiative of the Xunta de Galicia, whose objective is the improvement of public services through innovation, using as the main instrument the innovative public procurement.

As part of this assistance, Novadays assists the Xunta in the strategic design, recruitment, technical management and follow-up of twelve major innovative public procurement contracts worth more than 164 million euros. Novadays was the winner of a public competition subject to harmonized regulation to select a technical office capable of designing and executing a wide range of performances.

Innovation and industry policies

This is a pioneering strategic initiative in Spain for various reasons ranging from its design as coordinated action between different governments (Xunta and Government of Spain) and departments (all of the regional ministries of the Xunta, the ministry of economy, industry and Cometitividad and the Ministry of Defence, through the National Institute of Aerospace Technology); To its complex design to develop a new high-tech sector-aerospace-employing the most current instruments of innovation policies, such as precommercial public procurement, public procurement of innovative technology or partnership for Innovation.

The development of an aeronautical industry in Galicia is an objective of the innovation and industry policies of the Xunta de Galicia and therefore launched the strategic initiative known as the Civil UAVs Initiative (CUI), aimed at achieving the improvement of efficiency and Efficiency in a wide range of services and activities carried out by the Galician public sector through the use of aircraft and unmanned marine vehicles.

The assistance of Novadays covers all the technical, legal and financial aspects necessary for the design, deployment and management of the set of programs that form the initiative, as well as advising of strategic support in the global management of the same

This initiative has, to date, the following programmes:

Precommercial Public Procurement

Program of joint R & D programs: That is developed through partnership agreements between the Xunta and large economic operators for the joint development of R & D programs that allow the creation of products, technologies and solutions in the aerospace sector based on models of Precommercial Public Procurement. These programmes are aimed at causing a high socioeconomic impact on the territory. To date, GAIN has signed two partnership agreements with both industrial and technological partners: INDRA and BABCOCK, and a precommercial public procurement contract with BOEING.

Public procurement of innovative technology

R & D Solutions Program: Developed Mediente Ten bids for the purchase of solutions or pre-commercial public procurement for the development of solutions that may be operational for the Xunta within two years, responding to a broad spectrum of public needs related With the policies of sea, rural development, land management, forestry, etc.

Scientific infrastructures and scientific projects

Infrastructure Program: It consists of four actions aimed at creating in Galicia the necessary infrastructures for the public and private development of the aerospace Sector: (1) The transformation of the aerodrome of Rozas (Lugo) as an installation dedicated to UAVs, (2) the creation of the centre Air-borne research joint INTA-XUNTA, located at the aerodrome, (3) The creation of the industrial and business park of Rozas to equip the companies of ground near the aerodrome and (4) the creation of the Aeronautical Business centre of Lugo, which will host in The future the Aeronautics Business Factory.

Scientific Program: That consists of investments of the Xunta and of the Government of Spain to promote the science in aerospace matter in Galicia. These include the aerial Research platforms project, whose land base will be located in Rozas (Lugo).

Support for companies and entrepreneurs

Incubation and Enterprise Acceleration Program: Whose objective is to support the attraction, birth and development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the aerospace sector in Galicia. Its first and main activity is the Aeronautics Business Factory, whose launching is the object of this agreement.

R & D Support instrument programme: That puts the set of instruments of financing of the R & D with which the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) has available to the actors of the R + D system for the financing of their projects and investments related to the aerospace R & D. It includes the financing of projects in cooperation or the financing of mixed research units between companies and research or technological centres.

The Civil UAVs Initiative is an example of how innovation in the public policy of industry and innovation can respond to challenges of vital importance to Governments, such as economic growth, talent attraction or job creation.