Indra and the Regional Government of Andalusia will collaborate to promote the Andalusian entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem in defence and security
Indra and the Regional Ministry of Universities, Research and Innovation of the Regional Government of Andalusia are joining forces to promote the creation of an Andalusian ecosystem for entrepreneurship, innovation and technology transfer in the field of defence and security, which will contribute to strengthening Andalusia's role as a strategic hub in the sector.
The agreement was signed at FEINDEF, Spain's leading defence and security event, where José Carlos Gómez Villamandos, Regional Minister for Universities, Research and Innovation of the Regional Government of Andalusia, and José Vicente de los Mozos, CEO of Indra Group, signed the protocol establishing the principles of this collaboration.
In addition to promoting research, innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives and facilitating technology transfer, the agreement provides for the joint development of activities to improve public-private collaboration and increase the participation of the Andalusian business fabric, including its start-ups and entrepreneurs, in the development of advanced technologies for application in the defence sector.
It also aims to promote Andalusian talent and its high level of specialisation in order to generate distinctive and innovative initiatives and promote the organisation of events, seminars and forums on innovation in defence.
The Minister for Universities, Research and Innovation, José Carlos Gómez Villamandos, highlighted the importance of the protocol, stating that public-private collaboration in this sector is ‘crucial’ for the development of capabilities, efficiency and innovation not only in this economic activity, but also in other productive sectors, as it ‘will enable the Administration to take advantage of the experience and resources of the private sector in terms of the transfer of capabilities and technologies’. ‘Defence has great potential to drive other activities, as many of its technologies are dual-use and therefore have applications in the civil sphere. Furthermore, it is a benchmark for innovation for other economic sectors in terms of technological adaptation,’ he stressed.
‘This agreement with the Regional Government of Andalusia allows us to move forward in our commitment to innovation and technological and industrial development in our country in a structured manner. We need the talent and capabilities of Andalusia to build a strong defence and security sector and, as a leading company in the sector, we want to contribute to consolidating and strengthening the strategic role that Andalusia has historically played in the aerospace and defence sectors,’ explained José Vicente de los Mozos, CEO of Indra Group.
Indra Group has a firm commitment to Andalusia, where it employs around 3,700 professionals in several work centres dedicated mainly to defence, space and advanced digital technologies, with a significant presence in all its provinces. The company plays a key role in the Andalusian R&D&I ecosystem, where it maintains close relationships with Andalusian universities and knowledge institutions and, among other initiatives, has created the ‘Space Surveillance’ Chair in collaboration with the University of Seville. In recent years, Indra Group has been expanding its presence in Andalusia through the acquisition of strategic companies such as Deuser, specialising in industrial digitalisation, and Clue, focused on aerospace technologies.