“Space has always been a natural part of Italy’s identity and today represents one of the greatest sources of growth potential for the Italian and European economies. It is one of the sectors in which new global economic, technological and geopolitical balances are taking shape: competition is no longer just between nations, but between continents and major industrial systems”, said the Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy and the Government’s Delegate for Space and Aerospace Policy, Senator. Adolfo Urso. “Italy’s strength,” he added, “lies in its supply chain, which brings together leading national players, highly specialised SMEs, innovative start-ups and industrial clusters spread across sixteen regions of the country. That is why we have allocated €7.8 billion by 2028 to strengthen the national space ecosystem and support its growth. The Artemis programme, with Luca Parmitano as the pilot for the Artemis III mission and the lunar habitation module developed in Turin by Italian industry, is a concrete demonstration of the role our country can play in the most advanced programmes at international level.” “This is the challenge we face: transforming our industrial and technological expertise into greater competitiveness, skilled employment and European leadership in the strategic sectors of the future,” concluded Urso.

Achieving NATO’s target of 3.5% of GDP for defence by 2035 could result in, for Italy, representing a cumulative increase in GDP of +3% (+51 billion) thanks to a multiplier effect estimated at around twice the value of the investments, provided that we channel the increase in spending into the sectors of our productive base. If, on the other hand, we were to decide to direct strategic investments importing from abroad cumulative growth would not exceed 0.9% of GDP. Strong productivity growth is also forecast, with an increase in the industry’s value added that is outpacing GDP growth (+6.5%) and driving employment growth (+2.1%) and tax revenue, as well as generating significant technological benefits for the entire production system.

Italy has a well-established industrial base. According to a survey carried out by CTNA – the National Aerospace Technology Cluster – and Confindustria, the national aerospace sector is worth over €21.4 billion in turnover, takes 54,300 employees and accounts for approximately 5% of revenue from research and development. The supply chain consists of more than 80% highly specialised small and medium-sized enterprises spread throughout the country.

The project focuses on both space economy and the sectors of the defence, of cyber security, civil aviation and shipbuilding, sectors characterised by high technological intensity and increasing integration between civil and military applications. In the space economy, for example, Productivity is 65% higher than the national average and the new sector strategy document provides for funding of 7.8 billion euros by 2028. The Italian market for Cybersecurity, on the other hand, is worth over 2.2 billion euros and is growing at a rate of more than 12% per annum.

One of the elements central of the project is the involvement of SMEs. According to Confindustria, strengthening the supply chain depends on the ability to support businesses as they expand, form alliances, gain access to credit and participate in major industrial and technological programmes.

“Without strong SMEs, there can be no strong supply chain,” he emphasised Giorgio Marsiaj, Confindustria’s Vice-President for Aerospace. “In an international landscape characterised by the strengthening of national industrial policies and growing competition between production systems, Confindustria aims to play an increasingly hands-on role in fostering industrial linkages, investment and the scaling up of businesses. The challenge is not to create a supply chain from scratch, but to enhance and strengthen an existing industrial heritage, so that the sector’s growth translates into growth for the entire national economy. We are moving in this direction by adopting a supply-chain approach, to ensure that national leaders are able to mobilise and engage the fabric of Italian small and medium-sized enterprises, thereby enhancing the entire national industrial ecosystem.”.

The project’s operational tool is, in fact, ConnextFiliere, the proprietary digital platform developed by Confindustria to facilitate scouting, profiling and industrial matching between businesses. The aim is to highlight the skills, production capacity and specialisations present within the Italian industrial system, creating new opportunities for collaboration along value chains.

Aerospace, Defence and Security represents the platform’s first practical application. Following the launch conference on 24 June, The project will continue with a series of local events in the second half of 2026 and throughout 2027, with the aim of gradually extending the model to other strategic supply chains.