Aerospace Valley has reaffirmed its leading role by driving the drone industry forward, supporting innovation and developing a sustainable framework for the sector.

In terms of industry leadership, Aerospace Valley maintained its leading position in 2025 as Europe’s foremost drone community, bringing together and supporting 324 members. Through its initiatives, funding and project support, the cluster continued to align its support with regional strategic priorities, whether in the fields of aeronautics or the environment.

The fourth edition of the Drone Days in Biscarrosse brought together over 200 participants and 22 contracting authorities, centred on the theme ‘Drones between land and sea’. Over the course of two days, there were several highlights: a presentation of the European regulatory landscape, academic poster sessions, the articulation of operational needs, and 300 B2B meetings, thereby fostering the convergence of innovation and practical applications.

At the same time, the drone sector was represented at numerous national and European events, positioning Aerospace Valley as a key player in the debate on emerging applications.

In May 2025, Aerospace Valley represented the sector at Drone Connect in Toulouse. The cluster showcased its initiatives in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie and took part in conferences, benchmarking sessions and exchanges of best practice. In the presence of the sector’s leading national players, Aerospace Valley raised its profile, consolidated its unifying role and identified new opportunities for collaboration.

In terms of innovation, during the 2025–2026 financial year, more than 40 projects were monitored, 27 of which received support through accreditation or letters of support. Eleven projects were funded with €10.9 million in public grants, out of a total of €15.2 million. Of particular note is the PI VERT project, launched during the Journées Drones, which offers advanced forest mapping using drones. WINDEYES, a BPI grant recipient awarded €2.7 million, is developing a robust drone.
In terms of development, Aerospace Valley has strengthened its role as a trusted third party with ADIF by collaborating on the creation of the strategic industrial roadmap for the French drone sector.

Aerospace Valley plays a key role in FIRE DRONE, a major initiative aimed at defining a technical framework for the use of drones in combating forest fires. Alongside the DGSCGC (Directorate-General for Civil Security and Crisis Management) and more than 20 fire and rescue services, the cluster is helping to define and trial three operational scenarios. The call for solutions launched in 2025 will enable innovative technologies to be tested under real-world conditions. Through its expertise and its role in driving the sector forward, Aerospace Valley supports the industrialisation of critical solutions and strengthens the nation’s disaster response capacity.
Aerospace Valley is a key player in the Eurodronia project, which aims to create cross-border U-Spaces across European countries in order to promote the adoption of drone applications in transport, surveillance, logistics, healthcare and leisure. This initiative is key to accelerating the use of drones across Europe.

SELECTED WEBINARS AND EVENTS

• FID (Defence Innovation Forum) – November 2025 in Paris, organised by the General Secretariat for Administration (SGA), enabled Aerospace Valley to attend alongside four BITD companies from our region.
• UAV SHOW Bordeaux – October 2025, a trade fair bringing together French and international players from the drone ecosystem, where Aerospace Valley presented its roadmap and met with its members.
• EUROPEAN NETWORK OF U-SPACE STAKEHOLDERS – December 2025, a quarterly meeting within the EDA (European Defence Agency) to discuss work relating to the drone ecosystem.
• EVOLEN CITEPH – January 2026 in Paris: this provided an opportunity to meet EVOLEN’s members and the wider EVOLEN ecosystem, to identify requirements regarding drone use cases in the energy sector, and to discuss CITEPH’s collaborative funding schemes.
• EUROPEAN DRONE FORUM – March 2026 in Düsseldorf: Aerospace Valley gave a presentation (to an audience of 400) on the support that major cities and regions must provide for the development of drones.
• DGA Nouvelle-Aquitaine DRONE DAY – March 2026 in Bordeaux: this Armed Forces Day event facilitated a meeting between the DGA and drone operators in our region. The Cluster spoke on the European funding mechanisms available to the drone sector.

FOCUS EUROPE

Since 2021, Aerospace Valley has represented the French ecosystem within the informal group of drone experts at DG MOVE (Directorate-General for Civil Security and Crisis Management). The cluster provides feedback from the field on its projects, particularly regarding certification, U-Space integration and innovative air mobility. At the September 2025 meeting, Aerospace Valley contributed to European discussions on the harmonisation of radio frequencies, the ICAO’s vision for AAM, the Trusted Drone Label and developments in Regulation 2019/945. This involvement enables the cluster to defend its members’ interests and anticipate future regulatory trends in the sector.
Aerospace Valley initiated and now coordinates the European ECDI (European Cluster Drone Innovation) project, officially launched in October 2025 in Brussels as part of the Euroclusters initiative. This programme brings together four European clusters (France, Spain, Poland and Ukraine) to structure drone innovation and strengthen the sector’s strategic autonomy. The cluster is working to establish the Innovation Drone Alliance, providing technological support to SMEs and helping them raise their international profile. ECDI is mobilising nearly €2 million to fund the environmental, digital and dual-track transition of businesses. Through this project, Aerospace Valley is positioning the French sector at the heart of European developments.