Defence & strategic industries · Insight
Spain and the largest defence-funding window in its history
Miriam Herrero | CEO, J&H Consulting Group
Europe has built an especially ambitious financial architecture to strengthen its defence industry. For Spanish companies, the challenge is not only to identify the available instruments, but to arrive on time, structure suitable consortia and combine national and European funding.
Three instruments, three logics
EDF, EDIP and CDTI respond to different objectives, timetables and requirements. The EDF is geared to multinational cooperation and critical capabilities; EDIP seeks to scale industrial capacity and joint procurement; and CDTI Misiones can act as a national starting point for R&D projects with potential to scale at European level.
The real gap
Business fragmentation, the time it takes to form consortia and poor management of financial complementarities can leave technically competitive companies out. Institutional preparation and cross-border alliances must be built before the calls open.
Industrial positioning
The strategic value does not end with the grant. Taking part in European programmes allows companies to consolidate positions in supply chains that European defence ministries will need over the coming years.