The Aeronautics and Space Cluster of the Basque Country presents its Strategic Plan for the next four years

A roadmap to guide a strategic sector that is key to the wealth of the Country

The Basque Cluster will work together to make the most of the great opportunities that are foreseen in this, its 7th strategic period

The Aeronautics and Space Cluster Association of the Basque Country – HEGAN has presented its seventh Strategic Plan for the period 2025-2028, the roadmap that will guide its actions over the next four years.

The event was led by the President of the Association and CEO of Aernnova, Ricardo CHOCARRO and was attended by Mikel JAUREGI, Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of the Eusko Jaurlaritza / Basque Government, who during his speech stressed that ‘the Basque aerospace sector symbolises the industry of the future, with an outstanding commitment to innovation, technological development and at the forefront in the promotion of decarbonisation; In short, the Basque aerospace sector represents the three strategic objectives of the Government: more industry, better industry and less emissions’.

The presentation was continued by the Director of HEGAN, Ana VILLATE, who, before our Partners, Media and Cluster Agents, shared our Purpose as ODC (Cluster Dynamising Organisation), the Strategy we have worked on during the whole Reflection process, the Objectives we have set ourselves and the Lines of Action to achieve them.

HEGAN Strategic Plan 2025-2028 [PEH2528].

The year 2024 began with the implementation of an internal reflection process led by a Strategic Committee made up of the HEGAN Executive Committee, a series of Associates and the Association team, starting with a first meeting where the vision of the leading companies, those of the supply network and the technological entities was obtained, an analysis of the Environment was carried out, the process was debated (adjusting and scheduling it), the deliverables, milestones and phases; and the tasks for the next Strategic Committee were set. In this second Committee, the SWOT of the Cluster was deepened, the Strategic Map was outlined and the Partners’ Session foreseen in the calendar of the Process was prepared. Coinciding with the 2024 HEGAN General Assembly, and with a significant attendance of Partners, the progress of the Reflection was presented to them and a Dynamic was organised to obtain their comments and needs. After the third Committee, the Cluster Purpose and Goals 2028 were reviewed and the SWOT and Strategic Challenges were approved. Taking advantage of the AeroTxoko 2024, the following was summarised once again

It has been a work of almost a year with the involvement of its Partners, ‘those to whom HEGAN directs the actions identified in its Plan to help them, support them and try to be another component in the growth of value expected and proposed for 2028’, as the Director said in her speech.

We would like to highlight those key issues that have been identified for this coming period and which have been factors in formulating the Cluster’s strategy:

• No clear exit is foreseen from a VUCA2 (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity [^2=accelerated]) geopolitical environment, which affects global social, demographic and economic stability
• The world continues to demand significant improvements from the aeronautical sector in terms of environmental impact: neutrality, decarbonisation of the product and industrial processes, noise, electrification, zero emissions, SAF, H2…
• Forecasts for the sector continue to predict a significant increase in the current fleet over the next 20 years.

There are open fields of opportunity in growing segments and niches not exploited by the Partners.
Supply chains are strained by competitive demands and ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) criteria from Customers and by difficult market and commercial conditions: costs of raw materials, energy, electronic components, etc.; interest rates and inflation, and financing difficulties…

• Taking advantage of digitalisation tools is one of the key elements for competitive improvement.
• There is a global talent problem (skilled people, new vocations, retention and loyalty, absenteeism…).
• The Basque cluster environment shows many strengths (public-private collaboration, people training, technological network, skilled industry, active ODC…).
• These factors have resulted in a Strategic Atlas that describes the Global, Sector and Cluster
• Elementals (SDGs, ESG, Sustainability, Competitiveness, Talent, Supply Chain, Innovation, Market and Sector Safeguard), which are translated into Strategic Challenges (Value Chain, R&D&I, People, Internationalisation and Influence), which will make it possible to reach the 2028 Target.

Value of the Aeronautics and Space Sector

In addition, in the presentation of PEH2528, the Director detailed the variables that make this Sector, a fundamental sector in the productive and knowledge structure; and strategic and key to the wealth of a country since:

• is a creator and generator of highly qualified direct employment, as well as having rates of indirect and induced job creation which, in the most prudent of studies, is three times higher than direct employment
• is technology-intensive, being a vector of scientific and technical transfer to other sectors and industries.
• It is a developer of products and services with high added value.
• The sector is no stranger to a cleaner world.

• for more than three decades, has made enormous environmental demands on itself, making today’s aircraft more efficient than they were a few decades ago, emitting less noise and less CO2 and NOx per passenger than the models of the last century.
• is part of the solution (decarbonisation, electrification, zero emissions…) as a developer and demonstrator of clean technologies, thus aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and working on efficient, clean, neutral, sustainable aircraft and platforms…
• develops technologies and manufacturing processes that are not only more competitive but also more sustainable with a focus on emission neutrality in industrial activity.
• Due to the Sector’s inherent objective of making more efficient and competitive aircraft, the need (connatural to human beings) to meet, get to know each other, travel, learn, trade, interact, escape, work and undertake, is enabled, contributed to and democratised; leading to a more connected, supportive, cohesive, egalitarian, safe and fair World.

PEH2528 Deployment

They have already implemented a Scorecard generated after cross-referencing the Strategic Atlas with the factors by Challenge and the capacities and resources of the Association itself, which will result in the achievement of the objectives for the period: to have a capable, value-generating and global industry that responds to the demands of Customers; with an advanced R&D&I Network that provides comprehensive support to the Industry; and with an Administration that is aware of and committed to the Sector.

They foresee, in the medium term, a weak global economy in an unstable world environment, but with very positive growth prospects that open up a great field of opportunities that ‘will confront us with great challenges in the fields of digitalisation, efficiency, sustainability, financing, talent; and we will be able to take advantage of them with the support of all: Cluster, Partners and Administrations’ as the President of HEGAN emphasised.