PUBLIC PROCUREMENT FOR INNOVATION (PPI) LINKED TO THE CIVIL UAVs INITIATIVE

By project MAE

Published on 15 January 2025

Spain

Galicia

About this good practice

The Government of Galicia established the Civil UAVs Initiative (CUI) to attract large aerospace corporations to invest and develop business in a region with limited culture in the aerospace sector.

PPI supported the Initiative to make it work. It consisted in the administrative action to promote innovation aimed at enhancing the development of new innovative markets from the demand side. The strategy was promoting innovative solutions based on UAVs to improve the provision of public services.

Since no experienced workers in PPI were available in Regional Ministry (RM), Galicia Innovation Agency (GAIN) managed the PPI, liasing with and coordinating projects of different RM and creating business opportunities for local SMEs and RTOs.
The success of the CUI in creating an integrated aerospace ecosystem depended on the good coordination with RM and on the accuracy of the commitments among the Galician Government, private companies (large or SMEs), RTOs and Galician Public Education System.

Thanks to the qualified coordination work carried-out by GAIN, staff of the RM involved gained the necessary know-how to develop PPI by themselves in the future. In parallel, SMEs, RTOs and the Galician Public Education System, achieved the needed know-how to collaborate in innovative solutions in the UAVs industry.

Overall, PPI managed by GAIN was a cost-effective operational tool that helped generating and consolidating an industrial fabric around the Galician Aerospace Centre.

Expert opinion

The Civil UAVs Initiative (CUI) in Galicia demonstrates how Public Procurement of Innovation (PPI) can attract investment and drive industrial growth in a region with little prior aerospace expertise. The multi-sector approach attracted large aerospace corporations while also involving local SMEs, RTOs and the public education system in high-value innovation projects. CUI provides policymakers with key learning opportunities on how PPI can drive regional industrial development. A major takeaway is the importance of centralising PPI management, as demonstrated by the Galicia Innovation Agency (GAIN), which effectively coordinated collaboration across Regional Ministries (RM) to align projects and ensure strategic implementation. This approach highlights the need for trained personnel who can navigate complex procurement negotiations, facilitate knowledge transfer between multiple stakeholders and create an environment that fosters sustained innovation. For policymakers, CUI serves as a practical example of how structured procurement processes can be leveraged to create dynamic innovation ecosystems.

Mart Veliste

Works at Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Resources needed

15 trained members from GAIN staff coordinated the PPI with each correspondent Regional Ministry involved in each project.

Evidence of success

PPI allowed to successfully develop 10 projects linked to different Regional Ministries:
• 3 linked to the RM of Environment, Territory and Housing.
• 4 linked to the RM of Rural Environment.
• 1 linked to the RM of Sea
• 1 linked to the RM of Health and Department of Culture and Tourism.
• 1 in which several Regional Ministries collaborated.

Centralising the PPI from GAIN was key to the success of all programmes

Potential for learning or transfer

PPI has been the essential tool that enabled the CUI to function effectively, allowing Galicia to create and develop an aerospace ecosystem.
PPI attracts large multinational companies through investments, fostering collaborations that evolve in the consolidation of an industrial fabric related to a strategically chosen sector.
The PPI methodology is potentially valuable for other regions to adopt, as it can be applied in any sector—not just aerospace—to facilitate technology transfer through commitments with companies.
Key lessons learned to be considered for transfer are:
- Large corporations have high negotiation power;
- Trained and experienced workers in PPI are essential.
- Organizational difficulties arise when public authorities do not adopt a unified approach;
- Despite collaboration and acceptance of final results, some solutions may not be implemented by RM. For future projects, it is proposed to secure RM commitment for acceptance and implementation in advance.