ETID 2026: The strategic framework guiding Spanish defence R&D and innovation

The Defence Technology and Innovation Strategy (ETID 2026) has been officially presented by Spain’s Ministry of Defence as the instrument that will guide the Department’s R&D and innovation policy in the years ahead. The presentation took place at the Centre for National Defence Studies (CESEDEN), with remarks from the Secretary of State for Defence, Amparo Valcarce, and the Director General for Defence Industry Strategy and Innovation, Lieutenant General Miguel Ivorra.

This is not simply a list of projects, but a high-level strategic framework intended to align research efforts with the operational needs of the Armed Forces. Its ultimate aim is to safeguard national security and strategic autonomy, ensuring that public investment translates into real, sustainable military capabilities.

ETID 2026 is built around three core pillars that define how innovation in the sector will be approached. The first is focusing on technological objectives, concentrating resources in areas with a major impact on future operations. This means moving away from scattered investment and backing technologies that deliver a clear competitive advantage.

The second pillar is national and international cooperation, seen as essential to tackling complex challenges that no single organisation can solve alone. The third is the continuous improvement of R&D and innovation processes—planning, management and funding—with the aim of making project delivery more efficient and agile.

Priority technology areas

The document identifies a broad range of priority areas, spanning information systems and communications through to cyberspace. This selection reflects the need to maintain multi-domain technological superiority, a concept the Secretary of State described as decisive to success in an increasingly complex threat environment.

One cross-cutting aim of ETID 2026 is to strengthen Spain’s Defence Industrial and Technological Base (BITD). The strategy seeks to reduce strategic dependencies on third countries for critical technologies by promoting a supply chain that is more resilient and managed at national and European level.

To achieve this, the document focuses on the effective transfer of research into practical applications. Generating knowledge is not enough: it must be turned into operational capabilities that the Armed Forces can deploy. This calls for closer collaboration among technology centres, universities and companies in the sector.

For companies supplying the defence sector, ETID 2026 provides a clear roadmap showing where public funding is likely to be directed in the years ahead. Understanding these priorities can help businesses adapt their R&D and innovation strategies, identify opportunities to collaborate and position themselves as key technology partners for the Ministry.

The strategy also opens the door to new funding and cooperation models. By emphasising continuous improvement in management processes, it points towards more agile and transparent procurement and grant mechanisms, making funding more accessible to both large groups and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises.

What changes for innovation professionals

• Strategic alignment: R&D and innovation projects should be explicitly aligned with ETID 2026’s technological priorities.
• Cooperation as a priority: Public-private collaboration and cooperation among companies are encouraged to address complex challenges.
• Focus on results: Technology transfer and the creation of genuine operational capabilities are prioritised.

It is important to distinguish ETID 2026’s strategic objectives from specific procurement or funding commitments. The document sets out a framework and priorities, but does not specify budgets, implementation schedules or individual contracts that may follow from it.

The strategy is a guiding instrument, not a mechanism for direct implementation. Resources and specific projects will be defined through annual R&D and innovation plans and individual procurement processes. ETID 2026 should therefore be understood as the strategic compass for investment, not a catalogue of projects that have already been awarded.

ETID 2026 was presented against a backdrop of accelerating technological change and geopolitical complexity. The need to preserve strategic autonomy has prompted many countries to strengthen defence R&D and innovation capabilities, and Spain is no exception.

The next steps will include the official publication of the document in the Official State Gazette and the definition of annual action plans. The Ministry of Defence is expected to issue specific calls aligned with ETID 2026’s priorities, enabling industry and the scientific community to begin work on projects that will shape Spanish defence over the coming decade.