The Andalusian president indicates that Andalusia is consolidating as a business, technological and research ecosystem at the forefront
The president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, has stated that one of the objectives of the Andalusian Government is to make Andalusia a European benchmark in the aerospace sector, a sector that, as he has said, places this community at the forefront of emerging technologies, demonstrating great potential and consolidating it as a cutting-edge business, technological and research ecosystem with centers, testing platforms and unique space infrastructures.
Moreno, who held a meeting at the San Telmo Palace with representatives of the Andalusia Aerospace cluster, stated that this conglomerate that brings together companies, research centers and universities has helped establish Andalusia on the international stage of the aerospace industry, supporting companies in their participation in high added value projects.
In this way, he has highlighted the growth capacity of this industry, which today has a turnover almost three times more than fifteen years ago, generates twice as many jobs as a decade ago and today leads the ranking of Andalusian exports. “In the first quarter of this year alone it sold 860 million euros, 133% more than last year.”
Thus, he has asserted that these data demonstrate the driving capacity of this industry and are good news for the economic prospects of the Andalusian Region that has companies, an environment and an indisputable aeronautical tradition that “we have to continue promoting.”
The Andalusian president has stated that the Andalusian Government has measures in place that have been demanded by the sector and that are intended to promote public-private collaboration, the training of professionals, R&D&I and the promotion of investment.
At this point, he has assured that in this field there are future projects of international companies that are choosing Andalusia to establish themselves, such as Pilatus in Carmona or Zhenshi in the Port of Santamaría and which are joined by other projects from other strategic sectors in the field. of energy and R&D such as the CEPSA and C2X Green Methanol Hub in the port of Huelva or the second R&D manufacturing center in Europe by IMEC that will be installed in Malaga.
In this way, he added that the Andalusian aerospace sector is supported by complexes such as Aerópolis, TecnoBahía, MálagaTechPark, PCT Cartuja and CATEC. “Andalusia has the conditions to project much more in this area and aspires with compelling arguments to have a greater role in the so-called Space economy.”
In this regard, he has reiterated that the Junta is making a special effort to contribute to progress in this field by supporting companies in their digital transition and infrastructure and has defended that this effort also requires the commitment of all administrations and has regretted that in Andalusia there is deficient regional financing that limits its possibilities by subtracting 1.4 billion from the Andalusian Region each year.
Moreno referred to the Andalusian Aerospace Strategy 2027 which, as he said, inspires a set of actions to enhance the growth, competitiveness and international projection of this industry, to which the financing instruments that have been put in place also contribute. marches to help companies face the challenges they face in terms of digitalization and sustainability, in terms of disruptive technologies, in the so-called aviation of the future or in industry 4.0.
Furthermore, he recalled that a Public Innovation Procurement program linked to the Space sector is being promoted that will have at least 20 million euros, resources that come from FEDER funds and that a request has been made to the FID line of the Ministry of Science to expand these funds by 14.6 million more.
Likewise, he has referred to measures such as the Basic Infrastructure Order, the Just Transition Funds or incentives such as those that complement the Regional Economic Incentives for the aeronautical sector and which have 118 million in their current call.
To conclude, he insisted that Andalusia also works especially on aspects such as the training and qualification of professionals in the sector, identifying training needs and proof of this is the proposal for the new vocational training programming that includes the new Aerospasce Integrated Training of La Rinconada that will begin operating next year and that aspires to be a national reference in the maintenance and construction of aircraft.
The event was attended by the regional Head of University, Research and Innovation, José Carlos Gómez-Villamandos; the Regional Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines, Jorge Paradela; members of the Board of Directors of Andalucía Aerospace, and the president and CEO of AERTEC SOLUTIONS, Antonio Gómez-Guillamón.