The Regional Minister of Economy and Industry, María Jesús Lorenzana, highlighted the role of startups as a viable, innovative, and promising model for Galicia, and underscored the Xunta’s commitment to strengthening its support from all institutional levels.
Lorenzana visited the facilities of Vig-Sec Drone in Nigrán, a startup specializing in drone operational services, training for pilots requiring special skills, and developing software for managing operations supporting security and emergencies. During the visit, she emphasized that the Galician government is working closely with the private sector to realize projects that will transform Galician industry.
Vig-Sec Drone joined Business Factory Aero in 2023 to promote the Suit ACRE (Emergency Restricted Control Area) Suit through the acceleration program. This is an airspace management software that enables the simultaneous use of manned and unmanned aircraft in emergencies such as fires, natural disasters, or military interventions.
The company is currently participating in the sixth edition of BFAero, as part of its consolidation program.
The Regional Minister of Economy and Industry, María Jesús Lorenzana, announced during the conference ‘Galicia’s strategic dialogue with the aerospace, security and defence sectors’, the Xunta’s intention to carry out the first call for proposals by the end of 2025, which will define which companies and technology centres will work together to promote this industry, as well as the investment programmes to be implemented over the next five years.
Lorenzana closed a meeting with companies and entities linked to these sectors, to whom he presented the strategy approved by the Xunta to open a process of strategic dialogue, with the aim of finding out first-hand the real needs in the short, medium and long term in order to adapt the support and investment instruments and thus obtain the best results to promote a security and defence industry in the Community that also includes the aerospace sector.
Industrial potential
The Regional Minister pointed out that the aim is to mobilise all of Galicia’s industrial and technological potential in the field of defence and dual application technologies and to generate a significant demand for products, systems and services, in line with the priorities set by Europe. ‘What the European Commission is asking of governments and administrations is that we work to generate a strong industrial base around the defence sector, which must be considered not as a productive expense but as a strategic investment,’ she said.
In this regard, he stressed that previous analyses carried out for the development of this strategy concluded that Galicia has a high capacity for the manufacture of 75% of the types of components and services required, ‘which gives an idea of the opportunities that our companies will have’, she said.
183M€ in five years
To this end, he specified that 183 million euros will be allocated over the next five years with the forecast of mobilising up to 900 million euros, and with the aim of attracting companies from other strategic areas such as the naval, automotive, metal or ICT to these segments of activity and to materialise new industrial investments.
In terms of financing, a Dual Technologies Investment Fund will be activated in XesGalicia (€40m) to support projects and, within the Igape’s Economic Office, a specific area of business advice will be created.
Lorenzana concluded by encouraging companies and knowledge centres to actively participate. ‘We believe that Galicia is really well positioned to be a target for attracting investment in this sector,’ he stressed.
The director of the Igape, Covadonga Toca, together with the startups selected in the sixth edition of the Business Factory Aero (BFAero) and the driving companies, held a working meeting in the Cidade da Cultura that allowed to detect needs and open new avenues of collaboration.
In addition, during the meeting, representatives of the companies Airbus, Avincis, Telespazio y la UTE Aertec-Tecnobit that are part of the ecosystem, explained the challenges faced by the sector and the lines of innovation in which they focus their resources, with the aim of studying possible synergies with the startups.
Covadonga Toca presented the services of the Galician Economic Office, an agile and personalized point of contact that offers specialized technical attention, operational support and strategic accompaniment in an environment of proximity and trust, especially useful for highly innovative sectors such as aerospace.
Likewise, the director of Igape explained the main lines of support activated this year by the Institute, highlighting the programs aimed at startups, direct loans for strategic projects, support for digital transformation and new tools to promote the international expansion of Galician companies.
The day concluded with a networking space in which representatives of the startups were able to share their proposals and concerns with Igape managers and companies in the sector.
BFAero’s impact
The BFAero, best accelerator in Spain for the second consecutive year, has demonstrated in these years a strong economic as well as industrial impact in Galicia. Since its launch in 2018, it supported 46 projects, contributing to the creation of 11 new technology companies, mobilizing more than 7.5 million euros in investment, and facilitating the creation of more than 220 skilled jobs. The sixth edition closed the call with a record 110 registered initiatives, 57% of which came from national and international entrepreneurs.
The Startup Arena of the Mindtech Startup Event hosted the final of the innovation contest promoted by ASIME, in collaboration with the Xunta de Galicia, within the framework of the Mindtech industrial fair. In this edition, the Galician startup Kreios Space was recognized as the most disruptive startup of the event. The project, which is part of the accelerator Business Factory Aero (BFAero), was presented by Yago Recarey, Project Manager of the company.
Along with Kreios Space, other companies from the BFAero ecosystem also participated as finalists, Vig-Sec Drone, represented by its CEO, Rubén Gil Fontán, in the same category of “Most Disruptive Startup”, and AGUIA Analítica, with the intervention of Macarena Álvarez, head of business development, in the category of “Digital processes applied to industry”.
On the other hand, during the Mindtech Awards ceremony, also held during the fair, the company Centum, participant of the second edition of the Business Factory Aero, was awarded in the Innovation category. The jury recognized its advanced solutions in the field of engineering and aerospace industry, highlighting especially its disruptive approach, its proprietary methodology and its open innovation model.
Institutional support for innovative entrepreneurship
The director of Igape, Covadonga Toca, participated this morning in the opening of the Mindtech Startup Event, a meeting that brings together entrepreneurs, investors, tractor companies and institutional representatives in the framework of the Mindtech industrial fair in Vigo and in which she highlighted the importance of the connection between industry and entrepreneurship to boost the competitiveness of the Galician economy.
Toca Carús highlighted the collaboration between the Xunta de Galicia, through the Igape, and ASIME, an alliance that has been maintained since 2019 and that resulted in the consolidation of the Mindtech Startup Arena, an exhibition space that hosts accelerators, incubators and startups with high technological content.
The Mindtech Startup Event focuses in this edition on key issues for the growth of new technology companies: early stage financing, project scaling, entrepreneurial ecosystem and the finals of the startup competition in three categories: most disruptive project, innovation in energy and environmental systems, and digital processes applied to industry.
Comprehensive support for Galician startups
In this scenario, stressed Toca Carús, the Xunta reaffirms its commitment to innovative entrepreneurship with a set of support instruments ranging from the earliest stages to international expansion. Among them, the director of the Igape highlighted the line of aid endowed with 1.5 million euros to cover 100% of the costs of Galician startups in their early stages, with contributions of up to 20,000 euros per project.
These measures, he recalled, are complemented by the network of sectoral accelerators Business Factory -BFAuto, BFFood, BFAero, BF Clima Tech-, which this year will have new additions in the areas of health, sport and renewable energy. “This model of comprehensive support makes Galicia a particularly attractive territory for entrepreneurship,” said Toca, who insisted that “entrepreneurship is not only an economic strategy, but also a way to build community and future.”
Metallurgical industry and internationalization
The director of Igape also referred to the good moment of the Galician metallurgical sector, with more than 60,000 jobs in 2024, a growth of 3% and a productive occupation of more than 90%. This sector, she explained, is gaining weight in high-value areas such as defense, aeronautics and offshore wind power, which makes it necessary to strengthen the connection with the education system and attract new talent.
En paralelo, la internacionalización sigue siendo una de las grandes apuestas de la Xunta. En 2024, Galicia consiguió una cifra récord de exportaciones por valor de 31.019 millones de euros, con un crecimiento interanual del 12 % en marzo de 2025. Toca destacó que los productos exportados son de alto valor añadido —automoción, alimentación o biotecnología— y que los destinos se diversifican cada vez más.
The Regional Minister of Economy and Industry, María Jesús Lorenzana, stated today that the Xunta’s industrial policy will position Galicia at the forefront of Europe in the security and defense sector, a sector that she described as “already a strategic priority at the European level.”
Lorenzana took part in the graduation ceremony of the 5th edition of the Business Factory Aero (BFAero) in Rozas, where she emphasized that the goal of the Galician Government is to continue this “advanced industrial policy that goes hand in hand with business, technology, and the talent we have in Galicia,” she noted.
She highlighted the role of the BFAero accelerator as a “strategic commitment” by the Galician Government to the aeronautical and aerospace sector, positioning Galicia as a leader in accelerating high-impact technological projects.
She recalled that just last May, the Xunta approved the Strategic Initiative for Aerospace, Security, and Defense of Galicia—the first of its kind—for the 2025–2030 period. This initiative will channel €183 million in direct public investment, aiming to mobilize €900 million in Galicia through collaboration with other public and private stakeholders.
During her speech, the Regional Minister again highlighted the importance of the BFAero accelerator, calling it “a strategic commitment” by the regional government to the aeronautical and aerospace sector, which now accounts for more than 1,600 direct jobs in Galicia, with a turnover of €132 million and “immense growth potential,” she said.
According to her, “since 2018, we have supported 46 projects, contributed to the creation of 11 new tech companies, mobilized over €7.5 million in investment, and enabled the development of 39 innovative solutions.” She added, “But the most valuable outcome has been the creation of more than 220 skilled jobs in Galicia, thanks to projects that combine R&D, business vision, and commitment to our region.”
In fact, the Regional Minister noted that BFAero has been named the best advanced accelerator in Spain for the second consecutive year—according to the ranking published by Funcas—which “solidifies Galicia’s position as a reference territory for the acceleration of high-impact technological projects.”
“That’s why we continue to support it, and just a few months ago, we signed the agreement that ensures BFAero’s continuity through 2027, with an additional €7.5 million in funding to support up to 123 new projects,” she emphasized.
Finally, María Jesús Lorenzana highlighted the role of the Rozas Airborne Research Center, “which is not only a symbol of what Galicia and the province of Lugo can offer, but also the epicenter of a strategy that has already attracted large-scale projects and brought visibility to Galician companies that have been able to grow and consolidate,” she said.
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