Technology Talks Austria 2026 will bring together around 900 participants from the worlds of politics, industry, academia and international innovation ecosystems. The focus will be on how resilient infrastructure, dual-use technologies, digital ecosystems and research and industrial expertise can strengthen Europe’s technological leadership and resilience.
Austria’s leading research and technology conference will take place on 10 and 11 September 2026 at the MuseumsQuartier in Vienna, immediately following the FFG Forum. Tickets are available at www.technology-talks-austria.at. The standard ticket price is 250 euros; students pay 125 euros.
Empowering Europe: Technological Leadership for a Resilient Future
“Technology Talks Austria provide a framework for strategic dialogue between leading figures from research, industry and politics, with the aim of addressing key challenges and developing shared perspectives on Europe’s technological capacity to act”, explains Brigitte Bach, Chair of the Technology Talks Austria Event Board and Spokesperson for the AIT Executive Board.
“Europe boasts excellent research and strong industrial expertise. However, the key will be how we can translate scientific findings more quickly into technological leadership, industrial value creation and more resilient systems. Technology Talks Austria provide the framework for working with international experts to develop answers to this crucial question for the future”, emphasises Andreas Kugi, Chair of the Programme Committee for Technology Talks Austria and Scientific Director of AIT.
Resilient infrastructure, industrial competitiveness, security, sovereignty – and the right framework conditions
The programme for Technology Talks Austria 2026 features high-calibre keynote speeches by internationally renowned speakers and diverse plenary debates. The topics will be explored in greater depth in parallel workshops with partners from the Austrian research and technology community. There will also be a number of special events, an exhibition and plenty of opportunity for discussion and networking.
The plenary programme will focus on the following key questions:
- Which infrastructures make resilience possible?
- How do we translate science into industrial leadership?
- How do innovation and security reinforce each other?
- What does technological sovereignty actually require?
- Which European framework conditions are needed?
- How can national innovation systems deliver?
Outstanding international speakers
The invited speakers represent leading research organisations, technology companies, innovation ecosystems, and national and European decision-makers. Key insights into future technological issues will be provided by, amongst others, Jo De Boeck (EVP & Chief Strategy Officer, IMEC), Isabell Gradert (Head of Central Research & Technology, Airbus), Alfons Riek (Member of the Executive Board, Festo), Natalie Guichard (Director for Research, Technology and Innovation, European Defence Agency), Jakob Edler (Executive Director, Fraunhofer ISI), Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (Chair, Committee on Security and Defence, European Parliament), Marcus Wandt (Chief Innovation Officer, Saab), Marie-Helene Ametsreiter (General Partner, Speedinvest), Gerhard Christiner (CEO, Austrian Power Grid), Luca Tagliaretti (Executive Director, European Cybersecurity Competence Centre), Marco Protti (VP Advanced Research, Leonardo), Elina Drakvik (Senior Expert, Sitra), Andreas Knopp (Professor, University of the Bundeswehr, Munich), Harald Vodosek (National Armaments Director, Austrian Ministry of Defence/BMLV), Andrea Schenker-Wicki (President, University of Basel), Lars Reger (Chief Technology Officer, NXP Semiconductors) and Lisa Smith (Co-Founder, Prewave).
Issues relating to research and innovation policy at European and national level will be discussed by, amongst others, Christian Ehler (Member of the European Parliament; Rapporteur for FP10), Jana Kolar (CEO, CERIC; former Chair, ESFRI), Jesús Valero (Director General, Tecnalia; President, EARTO), Malin Frenning (CEO, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden), Annelieke van der Giessen (Secretary-General, AWTI Netherlands), Dominique Foray (Professor Emeritus, EPFL Lausanne; Member, Swiss Science Council), Sabine Herlitschka (Vice President, Federation of Austrian Industries; CEO, Infineon Technologies Austria AG), Georg Knill (President, Federation of Austrian Industries), Theresia Vogel (Vice-Chair, Austrian Council for Research, Science, Innovation and Technology Development/FORWIT) and Tatiana Lopez Garrido (Deputy Head of Unit, DG GROW, European Commission).
In addition, key departments of the Federal Government – including Federal Ministers Peter Hanke (BMIMI), Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (BMWET) and Eva-Maria Holzleitner (BMFWF) – as well as the Province of Styria, through JOANNEUM RESEARCH, are closely involved.
Backed 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).
A highly distinguished scientific advisory board
The following organisations are involved as scientific partners in the programme’s planning: acatech (German Academy of Science and Engineering), AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, the Christian Doppler Society (CDG), Forschung Austria, the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), TU Austria, the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
Wide-ranging partnerships
JOANNEUM RESEARCH/Province of Styria and TU Austria (TU Vienna, TU Graz, Montanuni Leoben) are already on board as event partners. Partnerships have also been established to date with the Federal Ministry of Defence (BMLV), Austrian Cooperative Research (ACR), Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS), the Ludwig Boltzmann Society (LBG), the Association for the Promotion of Research and Innovation (VFFI), the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO), ams OSRAM, Bosch, Gaia-X Hub, the Industry 4.0 Platform, the MuseumsQuartier Vienna, the City of Vienna and Message. Further partnerships are in the process of being finalised.
Technology Talks Austria 2026
Date: 10 September 2026 – 11 September 2026
Venue: MuseumsQuartier Vienna
Museumsplatz 1
1070 Vienna
URL: www.technology-talks-austria.at