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Focus on technological leadership and resilience: Technology Talks Austria will take place on 10 and 11 September 2026 – back-to-back with the FFG Forum – under the title “Empowering Europe: Technological Leadership for a Resilient Future”.
Under the title “Empowering Europe: Technological Leadership for a Resilient Future”, Technology Talks Austria 2026 will focus on the vital importance of research, technology and innovation for technological leadership, economic competitiveness and social development in Austria and Europe.
Austria’s most important technology conference will take place this year from 10 to 11 September 2026 – following the FFG Forum on 9 September – at the MuseumsQuartier Vienna. Tickets are now available at https://tickets.technologytalks.ait.ac.at/ (€250; students: €125).
Empowering Europe: Technological Leadership for a Resilient Future
Technology Talks Austria 2026 brings together decision-makers from politics, industry, science and international innovation ecosystems to discuss how resilient infrastructures, dual-use technologies, digital ecosystems and industrial and research-related expertise can strengthen Europe’s technological leadership and increase resilience. The conference also focuses on talent, interdisciplinary collaboration and framework conditions that accelerate the ecological and digital transition as well as international cooperation.
Prospects for Europe’s technological capacity
“Research, technology and innovation (RTI) are key drivers of technological leadership, economic competitiveness, Austria and Europe as business locations, and social progress in an increasingly complex world,” says Brigitte Bach, Spokesperson for the AIT Executive Board and Chair of the Technology Talks Austria Event Board. “Resilience means more than just robustness: it describes the ability to adapt to changing conditions and remain capable of acting even in the face of uncertainty,” emphasises Andreas Kugi, AIT Scientific Director and Chair of the Programme Committee of Technology Talks Austria.
“Technology Talks Austria provides a framework for strategic dialogue between leading figures from research, industry and politics to address key challenges and develop shared perspectives on Europe’s technological capacity for action,” say Bach and Kugi, explaining the central aim of Technology Talks Austria.
A mix of keynotes, plenary debates, workshops and special events
The Technology Talks Austria programme features high-profile keynotes from internationally renowned speakers and diverse plenary debates. The topics will be explored in greater depth in workshops with partners. There will also be an exhibition, special events and plenty of opportunity for discussion and networking.
The planned topics for the plenary debates are:
- Strategic Infrastructures and Resilient Innovation Ecosystems
- The Way Forward: From Scientific Excellence to Industrial Leadership
- Dual-Use Technologies: Innovation, Security, and Spillovers
- Technological Sovereignty and European Resilience
- EU Framework Conditions for Innovation, Scaling and Impact
- National Innovation Systems: Unlocking Europe’s Innovation Potential
Supported by the FTI community
Technology Talks Austria is organised by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology in close cooperation with the Federal Ministries for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI), Women, Science and Research (BMFWF), and Economy, Energy and Tourism (BMWET), as well as the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV).
JOANNEUM RESEARCH/Province of Styria and TU Austria (TU Vienna, TU Graz, Montanuni Leoben) are already on board as event partners.
High-calibre Scientific Advisory Board
The following organisations are involved as scientific partners in the programme planning: acatech (German Academy of Science and Engineering), AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Christian Doppler Society (CDG), Forschung Austria, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), TU Austria, the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW).
Technology Talks Austria 2026
Date:10 September 2026 – 11 September 2026
Venue:MuseumsQuartier Vienna
Museumsplatz 1
1070 Vienna
URL:http://technology-talks-austria.at