One-liner: a planned Valencia Innovation Capital dual-tech accelerator (cybersecurity, drones, sensors, AI) offering real-environment validation with municipal public services and linkage to the Valencia Urban Sandbox. A dual-use (civil + defence/security) program aligned with VIC's 2026 strategy — not yet open.
Status: PLANNED — announced under VIC's 2026 plan; launch date and terms not yet published (
#status/verify). Watch VIC.2026-07-05 update: the official "Programación 2026 València Innovation Ecosystem" PDF (VIC's own program roster, downloaded from valenciainnovationcapital.com/comunicacion) explicitly lists a "Programa de Aceleración en Emergencias y Tecnologías Duales" on its 2026 agenda calendar, scheduled in the September-December 2026 window — this is materially more concrete than a bare "planned" tag; it is on VIC's committed annual calendar, just not yet open for applications. Separately, on 4 March 2026 VIC hosted (as an adhered partner, not owner) the formal signing of the "Hub de Defensa de la Comunitat Valenciana" at La Harinera — a cross-cluster industry coordination body for defence/security/dual-use tech, distinct from this accelerator. Sector news also confirms a planned international defence/resilience hackathon with Tallinn and Helsinki (28 May 2026 news item) and a "Hackathon de Defensa" (24-25 Sept 2026, per the same PDF) — these are adjacent open-innovation events, not the accelerator itself.
2026-07-05 update (from the AEI-clusters sweep): the "Hub de Defensa de la Comunitat Valenciana" signed 4 March 2026 (referenced above) dissolved its independent identity in June 2026 and folded into CEV's Comisión de Seguridad y Defensa (chaired by CEV president Vicente Lafuente) — see Cluster Defensa CV for the full, fast-moving defense-cluster landscape (also involving a separate standalone cluster, APOLO, led by S2Grupo's José Rosell, and a still-forming "Alianza Valenciana por la Seguridad y la Defensa"). This accelerator's eventual launch will likely need to coordinate with whichever of these bodies ends up as the primary business-side interlocutor — worth re-checking at next VIC touchpoint.
What it will offer (announced)
- Acceleration (training + mentoring) for dual-use / defence-tech startups — cyber, drones/UAV, sensors, AI, resilience.
- Real-environment validation with municipal public services, linked to the Valencia Urban Sandbox (AEI 07 "Emergency, security & defence" of the VIC Innovation Grants 2026 is the funding counterpart).
- Free (municipal), no equity expected.
Who it's for
- Dual-use / defence & security tech startups (cybersecurity, aerospace-drone, sensors, AI) that can validate in real urban/public-service settings.
How to engage (when live)
- Watch VIC (valencia.es) for the launch/call —
#status/verify. - In the meantime, dual-use founders can pursue the Valencia Urban Sandbox (AEI 07), the Cybersecurity Startup Program, and the Espai Aero UAV Testing drone testbed.
- National dual-use funding: INPYME 2026 (defence & security is an INPYME target sector) and CDTI/defence programs.
Key facts
- Planned VIC dual-tech accelerator · Sandbox-linked real-environment validation. Track for launch; use adjacent programs meanwhile.
Relations
- Run by: Valencia Innovation Capital
- Requires: Valencia Urban Sandbox
- See also: Cybersecurity Startup Program
- See also: Espai Aero UAV Testing
- See also: Cluster Defensa CV
- See also: CEV