The CDTI Innovación Strategic Plan 2024–2027 is a forward-thinking initiative aimed at bolstering Spain’s science industry. It falls under the Growth pillar linked to R&D&I, specifically targeting companies that are already innovating but need to scale their capabilities to tackle more complex, international challenges. This strategic approach is underpinned by two key objectives: enhancing the technological capabilities of Spanish companies and maximizing the technological returns from international scientific facilities where Spain is a participant.
The first objective focuses on supporting R&D&I projects that have the potential to secure future contracts at major international scientific facilities, as well as at Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS) outlined in Spain’s national roadmap. The second objective aims to ensure that Spain reaps the technological benefits generated by facilities like CERN, ESO, and ITER, with CDTI acting as the Industrial Liaison Office (ILO) for these organizations.
A significant aspect of the plan is to strengthen Spain’s ICTS as a validation and scaling mechanism for technological and industrial solutions. This is facilitated through a dedicated procurement platform and a Pre-Commercial Public Procurement instrument tailored for these facilities. The results are already evident; in 2025, Spain surpassed €100 million in technology contracts linked to major international scientific facilities. Additionally, the inaugural Big Science Industry Forum Spain was held, aimed at consolidating Spain’s Big Science ecosystem and fostering relationships aligned with similar European initiatives.
CDTI Innovación has rolled out a variety of initiatives and services that connect Spanish companies with opportunities in Big Science. The CDTI Industrial Capabilities Catalogue for Large Scientific Facilities features over 100 Spanish companies with expertise in fields such as particle physics, matter structure, and fusion. This catalogue is complemented by a unified ICTS tender repository, a Procurement Handbook, and technology-specific distribution lists covering various specialized disciplines. Through these resources, CDTI directs opportunities toward Spain’s qualified industrial base.
SKA: Spanish Industry Demonstrates World-Class Capabilities
The SKA Observatory (SKAO) is one of the most ambitious scientific engineering projects of the 21st century, aiming to construct the world’s largest distributed radio telescope across South Africa and Australia. CDTI Innovación plays a pivotal role as a Delegate on the SKAO Procurement Subcommittee and serves as the Industrial Liaison Office for Spanish industry.
Recently, Spanish companies EOSOL and COMPOXI achieved a significant milestone by passing the Factory Acceptance Test for the construction of the SKA-Mid telescope sub-reflectors. This accomplishment not only validates the product and manufacturing process but also marks the transition to serial production of the 44 contracted units. The sub-reflector, a 4.5-meter metallized composite structure, is designed to endure the telescope’s 50-year lifespan in the Karoo Desert. Production will occur at Compoxi’s state-of-the-art facilities in Girona, which include clean rooms and a metrology laboratory.
Funded in part by the European Union through the NextGenerationEU programme, this contract exemplifies CDTI Innovación’s industrial return strategy, positioning Spanish companies as qualified suppliers of critical components for leading scientific projects while enhancing manufacturing capabilities within Spain.
CERN’s Future Circular Collider
Another noteworthy initiative is the preliminary market consultation launched by CDTI’s Innovative Public Procurement Office for CERN’s Future Circular Collider (FCC-ee). This proactive approach anticipates major scientific projects for the coming decade and promotes the development of a candidate prototype for a representative section of the FCC-ee, proposed by the Instituto Galego de Física de Altas Enerxías (IGFAE).
This initiative marks CDTI’s fourth pre-commercial public procurement project focused on major scientific facilities, having already mobilized over €80 million in investment. It is projected to generate industrial returns for Spain of approximately €1 billion across the entire FCC-ee project. The FCC-ee, a 91-kilometer circular accelerator set to succeed the LHC in the 2040s, is a priority within the 2026 update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics.
CDTI’s approach to Pre-Commercial Public Procurement serves as a mechanism for validation and scaling aimed at Spain’s ICTS and major international scientific facilities. The technologies developed will extend beyond the FCC itself, finding applications in fourth-generation European synchrotrons and future medical hadron therapy accelerators.
A Leading Reference for the Next Decade
The SKA and FCC cases exemplify remarkable achievements for Spanish industry, stemming from the early identification of technological opportunities within major international scientific projects. This success is a result of strengthening Spanish industrial capabilities to compete for these opportunities and providing support throughout the entire cycle—from market consultation and development to serial production and realization of industrial returns.
Looking ahead, CDTI anticipates further intensification of its Big Science agenda, which will include expanding the catalogue of companies with supply capabilities, launching new Pre-Commercial Public Procurement initiatives aimed at Spanish ICTS facilities, and enhancing cooperation with CIEMAT in nuclear fusion and superconductivity. Regular meetings between Spanish researchers and supplier companies will also foster closer collaboration between the scientific and industrial dimensions of these infrastructures.
In an international landscape where strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty are increasingly prioritized, the positioning of Spanish industry within Big Science gains even more significance. As Spain’s national industrial contact point for major Big Science infrastructures, CDTI Innovación is solidifying its role as a driving force and internationally recognized reference point, helping Spanish industry expand its presence in some of the world’s most advanced scientific and technological projects.
About CDTI Innovación
The Centre for the Development of Technology and Innovation (CDTI E.P.E.) serves as the innovation agency of Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Its mission is to promote technological innovation within the business sector, ensuring that Spanish companies generate and transform scientific and technological knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable, and inclusive growth. In 2025, CDTI provided €2.423 billion in support to Spanish companies and startups as part of its Strategic Plan 2024–2027.
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