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The "Technology Talks Austria 2025 " will take place on 11 and 12 September in the MuseumsQuartier Vienna. Under the motto "Boosting Competitiveness - The Power of Research & Innovation", they will bring together leading representatives from research, industry and politics to discuss how Europe can strengthen its competitiveness in an increasingly complex global environment.
The programme includes two keynotes and six high-level panels. The focus will be on opportunities and challenges in the areas of digitalisation, technology leadership, resource resilience and research and innovation policy at both European and national level.
Thursday: Important aspects of competitiveness
On Thursday, Young Sohn, Samsung manager and deep-tech investor, will open the conference with a keynote speech. He will provide insights into global innovation ecosystems and show how Europe can accelerate innovation, attract talent and transform cutting-edge research into competitive industries - and how Europe can strategically position itself in the field of tension between the USA and China.
- The first panel is dedicated to the topic of productivity and digitalisation. After introductory remarks by Federal Minister Peter Hanke (BMIMI), Alexandra Brintrup (University of Cambridge), Jay Lala (RTX), Dong-Seon Chang (Future Explorers Society) and Young Sohn will discuss how digitalisation and artificial intelligence can enable productivity gains and increase the competitiveness of European industry and how research can be translated into concrete industrial applications.
- The second panel will focus on Europe's technological leadership. After introductory remarks by Federal Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (BMWET), Maria Rescigno (Humanitas University), Leopold Summerer (ESA), Eleni Diamanti (Paris Centre for Quantum Computing) and Margot Weijnen (TU Delft, Dutch Research Council) will shed light on European strengths in the fields of life sciences, space and quantum technologies. The focus will be on the question of how Europe can maintain and expand this leading role and whether future technologies should be prioritised.
- In the third panel, Gaétan Lefebvre (OFREMI), Angels Orduna (A.SPIRE), Karlheinz Wex (Plansee) and Cathrine Barth (Natural State) will deal with the topic of resources and resilience. They will discuss the challenges of securing critical raw materials, reducing dependencies, promoting specific technologies and circular economy approaches to ensure the long-term competitiveness of the industry.
Friday: Framework conditions and policy with Vice-President of the EU Commission
On Friday, the second day of the conference, Henna Virkkunen, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Digital and Frontiers Technologies, will present the EU's vision for technological sovereignty in her keynote speech. She will address the importance of investing in innovation, strengthening key technologies and the role of the 10th EU Research Framework Programme (FP10), which aims to promote Europe's competitiveness through cooperation and a strong innovation ecosystem.
- The fourth panel will then focus on the framework conditions for competitiveness. After introductory remarks by Federal Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner (BMFWF), Guy Lalanne (OECD), Florian Süssenguth (German Chancellor's Future Council), Eva-Maria Binder (DSM-Firmenich) and Georg Kopetz (TTTech, FORWIT) will discuss the political, financial and structural requirements for strengthening Europe's competitiveness in research, technology and innovation (RTI), facilitating investment and supporting start-ups and successful companies in their global growth.
- The fifth panel will focus on the EU's research and innovation policy. With the participation of Cristina Russo (EU Commission), Francois Jacq (CNES), Sabine Herlitschka (Infineon Technologies Austria) and Sylvia Schwaag Serger (FORWIT, Swedish Academy of Engineering Science), the focus will be on the design of FP10, how cooperation and competitiveness can be strengthened, key technologies promoted and Europe's global position expanded.
- Finally, in the sixth panel, leading Austrian experts - Tom Henzinger (FORWIT), Ulrike Diebold (TU Wien, ÖAW), Peter Moser (MUL, TU Austria), Georg Knill (IV), Henrietta Egerth (FFG), and Iris Filzwieser (ACR) - will reflect on the preceding discussions and develop recommendations for a national RTI strategy that addresses European priorities while taking national needs into account and thus ensuring long-term competitiveness.
Attractive ticket price - secure your ticket now
The keynotes and panels will provide a comprehensive picture of how Europe can strengthen and secure its own competitiveness, technological sovereignty and global leadership role through research, technology and innovation. In addition to the plenary programme, these questions will be explored in greater depth in several side events and 14 workshops, or supplemented by related topics. There will also be plenty of room for personal dialogue and networking with the most important players in the technology scene.
The Technology Talks Austria will take place directly after the FFG Forum (on 10 September). Details on the programme and tickets (regular: 240 euros, students: 120 euros) can be found at www.technology-talks-austria.at.
About the Technology Talks Austria 2025
Technology Talks Austria (www.technology-talks-austria.at) is Austria's most relevant technology conference with a European and international perspective. The Technology Talks Austria are organised by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology in close cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI), the Federal Ministry for Women, Science and Research (BMFWF), the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism (BMWET) as well as the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV).
Event partners: TU Austria (TU Vienna, TU Graz, Montanuni Leoben), Province of Upper Austria, Joanneum Research/Province of Styria, Federal Ministry of Defence (BMLV).
The following scientific partners are involved in the programme design: acatech - German Academy of Science and Engineering, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Christian Doppler Gesellschaft (CDG), Forschung Austria, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), TU Austria, the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW).
Workshop partners:
Institutions & Agencies: AIT, Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS), Austrian Cooperative Research (ACR), ecoplus (Province of Lower Austria), FFG, FWF, Joanneum Research (Province of Styria), Climate and Energy Fund (KLIEN), Austrian Council for Research, Science, Innovation and Technology Development (FORWIT), TU Vienna
Ministries: BMFWF, BMIMI, BMWET
Associations & platforms: A3PS, Electronics and Software Based Systems Austria (ESBS-Austria), Association for the Promotion of Research and Innovation (VFFI), Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO)
Side events are organised by the federal states of Upper Austria and Styria, the BMLV, Gaia-X Hub Austria in cooperation with the Industry 4.0 platform, TU Austria and the WKO.
Other partners: AT&S, Bosch, Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG), MuseumsQuartier Wien, Silicon Alps Electronic Cluster, Siemens, Vienna Business Agency as well as Die Presse, Industriemagazin, Austria Innovativ and APA Science.
www.technology-talks-austria.at