SUCCESS CASES

The impulse of a new high technology sector in a region: the case of the aerospace sector in Galicia.

The Challenge Addressed

The challenge of the regional government of Galicia, in Spain, was to strengthen the region's economic Capabilities through a policy of boosting a new high-tech sector, which would complement the territorial Capabilities in the automotive and shipbuilding sectors. In 2014, the Xunta de Galicia decided to boost the aerospace sector.

The public problem of economic stagnation is one of the greatest challenges for any government today. Without growth, it is difficult to create quality employment and this has repercussions on other issues such as talent retention or equality between people within a territory.

Promoting a new sector with the instruments available to the public sector is complex, especially in the European Union environment, where antitrust rules greatly limit the public sector's capacity to intervene when it comes to supporting companies or specific economic sectors.

Novadays' Contribution

The Xunta de Galicia hired Novadays in 2014 and, since then, our company works with the Ministry of Economy and Industry in the design and implementation of its policy to support the aerospace sector. Our contribution over the years has varied, adapting to the specific needs of the Xunta at all times. This contribution has included:

  • The conceptualization and strategic design of a Strategic Initiative as an organizational instrument to address this policy. The Civil UAVs Initiative -the name chosen for it- has been led by the Presidency of the regional government since its launch in 2014.
  • The creation of a Technical Office that has enabled the managing bodies of the Initiative -first the Galician Innovation Agency and later the General Directorate of Industrial Strategy and Business Land- to provide the Xunta de Galicia with highly specialized resources.
  • The structuring of two strategic plans (2015-2020 and 2021-2025) and the implementation of ten investment programs and more than 50 public-private partnership actions.
  • The search for funding and other public organizations willing to co-finance the investments of the Xunta de Galicia, at regional, national and international level.
  • Support for the private ecosystem, creating actions and instruments aimed at mobilizing entrepreneurs and supporting them in the opening of new markets and the creation of new products.
  • The creation of BFAero, a highly specialized business incubator and accelerator, which has supported entrepreneurs who wanted to develop their aerospace projects in Galicia.
  • Support in the public procurement of R&D projects and infrastructure investments worth more than 300 million euros, drafting specifications, supporting contracting boards, evaluating proposals and drafting contracts.
  • Technical management of more than 120 high-tech projects, based on technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, robotics, big data, advanced communications, etc., to exploit the potential of unmanned vehicles in the civilian field.

Impact and Results Obtained

  • Creation of the Civil UAVs Initiative, a unique Strategic Initiative in Europe that has been recognized with several awards and set as an example of best practice by both governments and academia.
  • Mobilization of public and private investment: more than €380 million of public-private investment in the UAV sector in Galicia since 2015.
  • For every euro of public investment, 2.7 euros of private investment have been mobilized to boost the sector.
  • Employment and business development: Creation of more than 1,800 direct high-tech jobs and support for the projects of more than 50 companies in the sector.
  • The creation of key scientific and technological infrastructures, such as the establishment of the Rozas aerodrome, unique in Europe, a specialized Joint Research Center and an industrial and technological park dedicated to the UAV sector.
  • Attracting global leaders: Galicia has become a reference in the UAS sub-segment, attracting investments from companies such as Airbus, Boeing, Telespazio, INDRA or Avincis, among others, to the territory.
  • The implementation of more than 120 R&D projects in the UAS sub-segment, carried out by large companies in the sector with the contracting of companies and knowledge centers in Galicia.
  • The creation of 40 new companies in the sector, thanks to the Initiative's incubator and accelerator: the BFAero.

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