The 1st Conference on Defense Economics held at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Valencia

On 16 October 2025, the 1st Conference on Defence Economics was held at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Valencia. This academic meeting brought together researchers, lecturers, and professionals interested in the economic analysis of security and defence from a multidisciplinary perspective. The conference was part of the activities of the research group Defence Economics, Cybersecurity and Protection and represents a significant milestone in consolidating this field of study within the university.

During the event, the report Emerging Threats and National Security: Analysis of Resources, Impacts and Strategic Responses was presented. This collective work addresses the main current challenges to National Security from the standpoint of applied economics. The report analyses, among other aspects, the economic nature of emerging threats, their impact on public and private resources, and the strategic responses required to strengthen the resilience of the security and defence system.

This work was carried out within the framework of a grant awarded by the General Secretariat for Defence Policy, as part of the funding schemes aimed at promoting a culture of defence. This institutional support has made it possible to deepen academic research and to foster the transfer of knowledge to society, one of the priority objectives of these initiatives.

The programme featured the participation of several speakers with well-established academic and professional profiles. The opening session was delivered by Virgilio Pérez, director of the EDCP research group. This was followed by a series of presentations and a discussion forum with contributions from José Manuel Pavía, full professor at the University of Valencia; Robert-Christian Trif, First Lieutenant of the Romanian Army; and Ángel García Solaz, Lieutenant Colonel of the Air Force and representative of the Defence Delegation in the Valencian Community. In addition, the final seminar on corporate cybersecurity was delivered by Valentín Chukov and Adell Andrés, security consultants at OpenLine.

From the EDCP research group, we highly value the positive reception of this conference and trust that it will mark the starting point for future editions, further consolidating the University of Valencia as a benchmark in the study of defence and security economics.