- The technology center is participating in one of the leading forums on innovation, industrial capabilities, and technology transfer, sharing its vision regarding the role of dual-use technologies in the region’s competitiveness and industrial autonomy.
Leitat participated in the Defense Engineering Forum 2026—a key event for the defense sector held at the Badalona International Business Centre (BCIN)—which brought together over 300 professionals from companies, institutions, technology centers, and public bodies to analyze the new challenges and opportunities facing the industry amidst the current landscape of technological transformation.
The center was represented by Eric Ferrando, Head of Dual Technologies at Leitat, who took part in a roundtable discussion on what Catalan companies need to join defense and security programs. The debate featured representatives from leading companies and organizations in the sector, such as Indra, Airbus GeoTech, GDELS Santa Bárbara Sistemas, Sateliot, and Gutmar.
The event addressed strategic issues such as the development of new industrial capabilities, the integration of dual-use technologies, digital transformation, inter-company collaboration, and access to supply chains for major national and European programs.
From Leitat’s perspective, technology centers play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between end-user needs and industry capabilities by driving collaborative R&D&I projects and fostering technology transfer to the business sector. In this regard, the center actively works to identify opportunities for technology valorization that help strengthen the region’s industrial competitiveness and technological autonomy. As Eric Ferrando highlighted during his remarks: “Catalonia possesses an industrial and technological ecosystem with cross-cutting capabilities to contribute to major Spanish and European defense programs. The challenge lies in connecting these capabilities with operational needs by driving collaborative R&D&I projects, dual-use technologies, and technology transfer. In this context, technology centers like Leitat can act as driving forces, connecting end-users with companies and promoting innovative solutions that strengthen the region’s competitiveness as well as its technological and industrial autonomy.”
The cross-cutting nature of this field creates opportunities for technologies already well-established in Catalonia, such as health technologies, biosensors, advanced monitoring, artificial intelligence, sensor systems, advanced materials, additive manufacturing, and energy technologies. Many of these capabilities have applications in both civil and security contexts, reinforcing the role of dual-use technologies as a driver of innovation and industrial growth.
The event brought together representatives from the Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces, the CDTI, key industry players, sector associations, and technology centers, establishing itself as a benchmark forum for boosting the competitiveness and innovative capacity of the Spanish industry in the fields of defense and dual-use technologies.
