Altair alliance launched. UMA and tech firms target aerospace R&D

The Universidad de Málaga (UMA) and five companies working in the aerospace sector have launched Altair, a joint task force meant to turn university research into industrial projects, Diario Sur reported. The alliance matters for Málaga's technology sector, which its backers want to position within Andalusia's aerospace industry.

Key facts

• Partners: UMA, Indra, Dekra, Aertec, DHV and Mades, with Málaga TechPark also taking part.
• Name: Altair stands for Aerospace Leadership Task Force for Advanced Innovation & Research.
• Launch event: held at the UMA's Rectorado (rector's office), chaired by rector Teodomiro López.
• Research base: 19 UMA research groups with aerospace-related activity.
• Roadmap: 16 strategic areas.

What Altair is meant to do

According to Diario Sur, Altair is set up as an operational working group with one aim: to connect the university's scientific capabilities directly with industry needs and drive joint R&D and innovation projects.

As part of the initiative, a Laboratorio de Co-Innovación en Sistemas Aeroespaciales (Co-Innovation Laboratory for Aerospace Systems) has been launched. It is described as a space for collaboration between the university, companies and institutions. The alliance also plans to take part in Indra's technology challenges and to share the UMA's major scientific infrastructure with companies.

That equipment includes the RES-Picasso supercomputer, servers with NVIDIA H100 and H200 GPUs, FPGA clusters, Fog/Edge Computing networks, mobile robots such as the Husky UGV, the Rover Autonomy Testbed and energy microgrids.

The research behind it

The launch also saw the presentation of a catalogue of the UMA's research and innovation capabilities in aerospace systems. It covers the 19 research groups, which together include 52 full professors, more than 100 lecturers, 23 postdoctoral researchers, 102 doctoral students, 53 students and 43 technicians.

Over the past three years, Diario Sur reported, these groups have run 103 European projects, 259 national, 130 regional and 30 international projects, plus almost 500 contracts with companies. They attracted €32.9 million in public funding and €8.8 million in private contracts.

Javier López, the UMA's vice-rector for technological innovation and strategic projects, said the idea goes back to 2023, when the university drew up a map of aerospace capabilities with Indra and later shared it with other firms. After the five companies showed interest in forming a real task force, a roadmap was defined across 16 strategic areas. These include embedded software for satellites, electromagnetic compatibility, cybersecurity, constellation engineering, advanced on-board autonomy, space solar panels, flight and test electronics, and equipment certification.

López said the effort aligns Málaga with the European push for technological sovereignty in AI, microelectronics and aerospace systems.

Málaga's place in Andalusian aerospace

Antonio Gómez-Guillamón, CEO of Aertec, described Málaga as Andalusia's third aerospace hub. He contrasted it with Seville and Cádiz, which he linked to the more hardware-based part of the chain and the Airbus aircraft assembly plant. Companies in Málaga, he said, focus on the intelligence of aeronautical systems, software, microelectronics and digital technologies.

He also pointed to Spain's defence modernisation programmes, which he said are worth more than €30 billion, as an opportunity for aerospace technology firms. He listed challenges including sustainability and electrification in commercial aviation, the combat cloud in military aviation, and new advanced air mobility concepts such as vertical take-off platforms, drones and air taxis.

Gómez-Guillamón told Diario Sur: «Tenemos que conseguir que cada vez que una empresa esté en un programa de I+D, haya un grupo de investigación de la UMA detrás» (roughly: whenever a company is in an R&D programme, a UMA research group should be behind it).

Málaga Hoy also covered the presentation of the alliance.

Why it matters

For Málaga's growing technology community, Altair offers a formal route between the university's labs and companies already working in aerospace. Its practical results will depend on the projects the partners now develop.