• The Defense, Security, and Emergency Response Division’s launch event brought together government agencies, companies, startups, universities, research centers, and investors at La Harinera to promote the Valencian defense and dual-use technology ecosystem.
• “Thanks to this agreement, we will create new opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and the development of solutions that improve the city’s safety and resilience,” Llobet explained.

The Valencia City Council, through the Valencia Innovation Capital Foundation, and the Ukrainian city of Lviv have strengthened their cooperation in the areas of crisis preparedness, urban resilience, and civil protection by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the presentation event for the Department of Defense, Security, and Emergencies.

The agreement coincided with Valencia’s joining the UNBROKEN Cities Network, an international network aimed at connecting cities and sharing knowledge, experiences, and capabilities to address crisis situations and strengthen urban resilience.

The signing of the agreement with Lviv was one of the key milestones of an event organized by the Emergency, Security, and Defense Division of València Innovation Capital, which brought together public administrations, companies, startups, universities, research centers, professionals, and investors to address the challenges and opportunities related to defense, security, emergencies, and dual-use technologies.

Paula Llobet, the Valencia City Council’s Councilor for Innovation, emphasized that “a city’s resilience is not built solely when an emergency strikes, but long before that—by anticipating risks, preparing our infrastructure, and strengthening the response capacity of our institutions and services.” In this regard, she noted that “Valencia’s membership in UNBROKEN and the agreement with Lviv allow us to share knowledge and experiences with other cities and move forward together in an area that is increasingly strategic for our cities.”

A Framework for Cooperation to Anticipate and Respond to Crises

The agreement establishes a framework for collaboration between Valencia and Lviv to improve both cities’ ability to anticipate, prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from crisis situations—ranging from large-scale emergencies and natural disasters to technological accidents and hybrid threats.

The MoU covers four priority areas: crisis preparedness and prevention, urban resilience, protection of critical infrastructure, and emergency and civil protection systems.

Planned actions include the exchange of risk assessment methodologies and early warning systems, the development of preparedness strategies, the protection and continuity of critical infrastructure—such as energy, water, transportation, healthcare, and digital systems—and the exchange of experiences among emergency services.

The agreement also provides for joint training sessions, study visits, simulation exercises, workshops, pilot projects, and the exchange of data and best practices. Within this framework, UNBROKEN University, together with the Lviv City Council, will serve as a platform for knowledge and coordination to promote training, academic exchanges, and research on urban resilience and crisis management.

Llobet also emphasized that “Valencia has the knowledge, talent, companies, research centers, and capabilities that can contribute to this new landscape,” and argued that “the goal of the Department of Defense, Security, and Emergencies is precisely to connect this entire ecosystem with government agencies and generate new opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and the development of solutions that improve the city’s security and resilience.”

Lviv and Rzeszów Share Their Experience with Urban Resilience

Cooperation among cities was the focus of the first day, dedicated to “Resilient Cities and Defense.” Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi opened the international session with a presentation titled “Cities on the Frontline: How Urban Innovation Builds European Resilience,” which focused on cities’ experiences in crisis situations and the role of urban innovation.

Next, the panel discussion “Cities Supporting Cities: Building Urban Resilience Together” brought together the mayor of Lviv, the mayor of Rzeszów, and Arturo Castelló, director of València Innovation Capital, to discuss municipal cooperation and the exchange of experiences in crisis situations.

The event took place against the backdrop of growth in the Valencian defense, security, and resilience ecosystem. The Valencian Community Defense Hub represents more than 3,000 companies and brings together more than 50 organizations, with areas of focus including cybersecurity, predictive artificial intelligence, drones, dual-use technologies, and infrastructure protection.

The event provided an opportunity to connect these capabilities with government agencies, companies, startups, research centers, universities, and investors, fostering new opportunities for collaboration.

By joining the UNBROKEN Cities Network and signing the agreement with Lviv, Valencia is adding an international dimension to its resilience strategy, which is based on cooperation among cities and the exchange of knowledge and capabilities to anticipate risks and improve emergency response.