BFAero took part in the seventh interregional meeting of the European projectMAE (Moving Towards Aerospace) cas a benchmark for a vertical accelerator model. This is an Interreg Europe initiative in which ten regions from seven countries, including Galicia, are working together to build more competitive, innovative and connected aerospace ecosystems.
Europe is turning its attention to Galicia through an exchange programme that is attracting increasing interest and has three objectives:
The development of a robust aerospace ecosystem
Transforming talent and innovation into viable businesses
The design of a public incubation and acceleration programme with a real impact.
During the event, the team behind the aerospace accelerator – backed by the Galician Regional Government and run by the CEL Foundation – shared some key elements of its model. Representatives from the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and Ireland expressed interest in the five elements underpinning the BFAero model:
Governance
Involvement of leading companies
Public-private partnership
Sector-specific expertise
The ability to generate economic and industrial impact in the region.
Now in its seventh year, BFAero has established itself as one of the key drivers of aerospace entrepreneurship in Spain. Its track record demonstrates the value of combining institutional support, strategic vision and industry connections to support technology start-ups as they grow and consolidate their position.
The results speak for themselves:
Creation of more than 275 skilled jobs
A total of €14 million raised by the supported projects
Establishment of a collaborative network comprising more than 55 organisations from the aerospace and technology sector.
Behind these results lies the sustained commitment of the Xunta de Galicia, which has driven the programme by integrating it into a long-term strategic vision known as the Strategic Initiative on Security, Defence and Aerospace 2025–2030 (Iesda), which has been allocated €183 million in public investment and is estimated to be capable of mobilising around €900 million through public-private partnerships.
BFAero plays an active role in this strategy, helping to strengthen Galicia’s aerospace ecosystem and promote the region internationally as a hub for innovation, industry and technology.
Kreios Space and Vig-Sec Drone, companies incubated and accelerated at Business Factory Aero (BFAero), have been selected to take part in NATO’s DIANA accelerator, one of the most demanding and prestigious international programmes in the field of dual-use innovation, defence and security.
A milestone that reinforces BFAero’s positioning as a leading platform for boosting startups with high value-added technologies, capable of competing and collaborating within the main international innovation ecosystems in defence, security and aerospace. A further recognition of the talent, vision and capabilities of the companies that are part of BFAero to transform the present and build the future of the sector.
The DIANA accelerator (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) promotes technological solutions with high potential impact for the Atlantic Alliance, selecting each year a very limited number of companies from among thousands of international applications.
Vig-Sec Drone: dual-use technology for a safer airspace
The Galician company Vig-Sec Drone approaches this new stage as a decisive step in its international expansion strategy and in the validation of its dual-use technology in real operational environments.
Over the coming months, the company will work on an ambitious challenge: to demonstrate that it is possible to safely manage medium- and low-altitude airspace by integrating manned and unmanned aircraft within the same airspace, even in complex and isolated contexts.
Participation in DIANA will allow Vig-Sec Drone to collaborate in exercises, tests and validations with NATO units, specialised agencies and armed forces, taking its technology to the environment where its value is truly put to the test: real operations. This progress represents a significant leap in the company’s maturity and strengthens its commitment to innovation in the service of those operating on the front line.
Kreios Space: Very Low Earth Orbit as a new strategic domain
For its part, Kreios Space has been selected for the NATO DIANA 2026 Challenge Programme, within the Resilient Space Operations challenge.
The company is working on the development of space missions in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO), at altitudes close to 200 kilometres, a key domain for the future of space observation and defence. Its differentiating technology, based on Air-Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP), makes it possible to sustain prolonged operations in these ultra-low orbits, overcoming one of the sector’s major technical challenges.
This selection recognises VLEO as a strategic reality and offers Kreios Space the opportunity to collaborate over the next six months with DIANA test centres, mentors and end users, accelerate the development of its technology with the programme’s financial support, and align it with the real needs of NATO and its allies.
Over the past few weeks, several BFAerostartups have earned recognition both nationally and internationally within the aerospace innovation ecosystem. These awards and distinctions are proof of the effectiveness of their projects, which address civil or military challenges through an innovative approach.
VALAR has been selected as one of the winners of the 2024 CASSINI Challenges, organized by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). This is a major acknowledgment of the company’s commercial track record and a validation of its vision to make space operations more accessible, reliable, and efficient for the entire European space ecosystem.
Aguia Analítica Avanzada has received the 2025 Aeronautical Innovation Award – COIAE, in recognition of its work in developing advanced technologies for the intelligent inspection and management of infrastructure. In addition, it has been recognized as one of the 101 outstanding companies in the second edition of the Top 101 Spain Up Nation Awards, an event that celebrates high-impact entrepreneurial talent in Spain.
It is also worth noting that Vig Sec Drone was likewise recognized as a Top 101 Spain Up Nation in this year’s edition.
Finally, congratulations are also due to Kreios Space, which achieved great success in Korea by winning the “Most Disruptive Startup” award at South Summit Korea 2025.
All these recognitions also offer valuable opportunities to expand networks and connections for the development of future projects. Congratulations to everyone involved.
With this figure, BFAero has achieved its goal of expanding its reach beyond the national sphere, strengthening its position as a European benchmark in aeronautical and aerospace entrepreneurship.
Origin of the Projects
International projects: Seven come from European Union countries (including Italy, Norway, Denmark, Lithuania, and Bulgaria), while the rest come from Argentina, Malaysia, Turkey, India, and Switzerland.
National projects: The call also sparked significant interest, with 78 Spanish proposals, 61% of which came from regions such as Catalonia (12), Madrid (11), Andalusia (9), the Basque Country (3), and the Canary Islands (2). Galician projects account for 39% of the total, with 30 applications.
Main Thematic Areas
The submitted initiatives fall into four thematic areas:
Development of unmanned vehicle applications for specific markets, such as emergency and civil protection services or industrial infrastructure inspection (56%).
Technologies applied to the satellite sector (20%).
Creation of platforms and their components, including structures, energy, propulsion, systems, navigation, and piloting (15%).
Projects involving onboard or ground-based equipment and systems (10%).
BFAero Itineraries
The program includes three tracks, tailored to each project’s maturity level:
Incubation phase (early stage): 40% of the projects registered.
Acceleration phase (projects with a developed Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and first sales): 45% of the projects.
Consolidation phase (for companies with defined products or services and actual sales, looking to scale): 15% of the entries.
Spain’s Best Accelerator
Recognized for the second consecutive year as the best accelerator in Spain by the national FUNCAS ranking, BFAero has become a strategic driver of business creation and acceleration within the Strategic Initiative in Security, Defense, and Aerospace 2025–2030, promoted by the Regional Ministry of Economy and Industry.
The program has had a strong economic and industrial impact in Galicia. Since its launch in 2018, it has supported 58 projects, created 15 new technology companies, facilitated the relocation of 13 firms to Galicia, and generated over 270 skilled jobs. Projects from the 5th and 6th editions have attracted more than €14 million in investment.
The Spanish subsidiary of Telespazio, a leading company in the BFAero initiative, celebrates five years of presence in Galicia with major milestones in the development of advanced solutions for unmanned aircraft. In an interview with Faro de Vigo, Carlos Hernández Medel, Director of Marketing, Business Development, and Sales, confirmed that the company will launch in 2026 its portfolio of drone applications developed in the region, with which it expects to generate more than 20 million euros in revenue over the next five years.
Galicia, a key ecosystem for aerospace innovation
Telespazio decided to invest in Galicia in 2020, attracted by the Rozas Aerospace Center and the strong innovation ecosystem formed by technology centers, universities, SMEs, and startups. “If that solid ecosystem hadn’t existed, we probably wouldn’t have chosen Galicia,” Hernández emphasized.
The company has actively participated in the Civil UAV Initiative, developing with the Xunta de Galicia applications that combine satellite technology and drone operations. Among them are projects for cataloging marine populations, controlling invasive species, monitoring biodiversity, and creating high-resolution forest inventories for wildfire prevention.
Center of excellence and future expansion
Thanks to this joint effort, Telespazio Ibérica has been recognized within the group as a center of excellence in drones and combined technologies, with an international focus.
The Galician office currently employs 15 professionals, but the company plans to triple that number to around 50 within five years. In addition, the firm does not rule out acquiring Galician startups and strengthening its collaboration with companies incubated in Business Factory Aero, such as Kreiosand UARX Space, with which it is developing space innovation projects.
Space horizon and commitment to Galicia
The future of Telespazio in the region involves consolidating the commercialization of its solutions, continuing to innovate on existing services, and opening new business lines in the space sector. Hernández highlights the importance of Galician university talent and the company’s long-term commitment to the Regional Government of Galicia within the framework of the new Aerospace Plan.
“We feel very comfortable because it’s part of our DNA: innovating in collaboration with the Galician ecosystem,” concludes Hernández.
The Regional Minister for Economy and Industry, María Jesús Lorenzana, accompanied by the territorial delegate of the Xunta, Javier Arias, announced that the province of Lugo will play a leading role in the Strategic Initiative for Security, Defense and Aerospace (IESDA), which will have a budget allocation of €14.8 million in the Xunta’s accounts for next year to launch its first actions.
She made this announcement during a meeting with representatives of the CEL Foundation, which collaborates with the Xunta in the BFAero accelerator, and with the promoters of some of the projects that participated in the latest edition. Lorenzana emphasized that the aim of the new strategy is to foster technological and business development in a sector with great potential for creating wealth, attracting talent, and generating high-quality employment.
As part of this commitment to Lugo, the Rozas Industrial Park will host Spain’s first testbed for the “European Digital Sky”, Lorenzana announced, recalling that a memorandum of cooperation has already been signed with Sesar JU, the joint undertaking behind this program designed to unify European airspace. Through this agreement, Galicia will become the first test site in Spain.
The Regional Minister explained that Rozas will be key to the IESDA and that the goal is to “evolve what we already have here today in Rozas and turn the new industrial park into a European benchmark in the aerospace sector,” as it is a flagship example of Galicia’s capabilities in the aeronautical field and will be essential to the region’s industrial development.
Driving Companies
Among the main measures to be implemented under the new budget, María Jesús Lorenzana mentioned the awarding of the first major technological development contracts with driving companies that will become the Xunta’s strategic partners. She also noted that, at the beginning of the year, the funding line for investments in dual-use technologies (civil-defense) will be launched, giving higher scores in the evaluation criteria to projects located around the Rozas industrial park.
In addition, she announced the creation of a dedicated accelerator for space projects based in Rozas, adding that there is growing demand among Galician space sector companies for Galicia to position itself to host a European accelerator in this field. “We are going to create a specific accelerator focused solely on space, complementary to the existing one, and we will work so that this accelerator can become part of a major European project to strengthen the technological and industrial capabilities of this park,” Lorenzana stated, referring to her department’s intention to submit Galicia’s candidacy to host the European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Centre (ESABIC).
Furthermore, Lorenzana expressed the Xunta’s intention that all the work carried out so far at the Rozas Industrial Park will serve as the foundation for this Strategic Initiative for Security, Defense and Aerospace, which, by 2030, will involve €183 million in public investment and is expected to mobilize €900 million in total. “Lugo,” the Regional Minister stressed, “will play a leading role in this strategy as far as the aerospace sector is concerned, and we will strengthen it through this new budget.”
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