News

The event took place from the 28th of September to the 1st of October and, fortunately, with the positive evolution of the pandemic context, it was possible for AED Cluster Portugal to have a hybrid dynamic that greatly contributed to the success of the AED Days 2021.

More than 800 participants, representing more than 370 companies, from 30 different countries – check here the official numbers report of the event.

The 8th edition of the event was held in a new format, having been divided into three different modules, with different activities and purposes:

1 – The TALKS module (Conference and Workshops)
2 – the CONNECT module (B2B meetings)
3 – and the big news this year, which was the CAREERS module, with a day entirely dedicated to stimulating the relationship between Industry and Academia and to job and training offers in these sectors.

One of the main objectives for this year was the approximation and dialogue between the political decision makers (national and European) and the Portuguese aeronautics, space and defence ecosystem.

In this context, the engagement was very positive, with interventions from:

• EU Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira;
• Deputy Head of Unit of DG-DEFIS (Defence Industry and Space), Erno Vandeweert;
• Minister for National Defence, João Gomes Cravinho;
• Secretary of State for the Economy, João Neves;
• Secretary of State for Internationalization, Eurico Brilhante Dias;
• Secretary of State for Digital Transition, André de Aragão Azevedo;
• REPER Ambassador, José Costa Pereira.

Across all these interventions, it was possible to note the evidence of these sector’s growing relevance, the soaring impact they have on the present and future of society and the absolute willingness of the many actors present to continue the path of close and assertive collaboration.

Another objective for this year’s edition was to consolidate the international reputation of our companies’ capabilities and competences. In recent editions of the AED Days, the biggest players in the international industry have been present, with the intention of better understanding the context of the Portuguese ecosystem. For this edition, we once again had very active participation from entities such as Airbus, Bell Flight, Boeing, Embraer, Leonardo or even ESA (European Space Agency), EDA (European Defense Agency) and Clean Sky JU, which is a clear reflection of the escalation that the national industry has been making in the market and value chains.

The event’s mission is to contribute to the continuous evolution and development of Portuguese industry, catalyzing the necessary digital and ecological transformation, while leveraging its consolidation as a relevant player in the international market, signaling Portugal’s good image abroad, as a country that has invested heavily in the qualification of its human resources and that has companies and institutes with the capacity to compete at the highest level, through the development of innovative and high quality products. We are certain that we have fulfilled this purpose once more.