EARTO Annual Conference 2026

Europe’s competitiveness increasingly depends on its ability to scale critical technologies from research to industrial deployment. In a context of geopolitical competition and industrial transformation, Research and Technology Organisations play a central role in turning innovation into impact. The EARTO Annual Conference 2026 will bring together EU policymakers, industry leaders and RTO executives to discuss how Europe can accelerate technology scale-up, strengthen its industrial base and reinforce technological leadership. Through high-level exchanges and concrete examples, the conference will highlight the role of RTOs as essential delivery actors of Europe’s innovation and competitiveness agenda.

This year’s programme will also feature insights from key imec leaders. Luc Van den hove, Chairman of the Board of Directors at imec, and Anne Van de Bosch, Vice President Public R&D Policies & Programmes at imec, will join the line‑up of distinguished speakers. Their contributions will shed light on the strategic importance of collaborative innovation, the role of semiconductors in Europe’s technological sovereignty, and the pathways to bridge advanced research with industrial impact.

On 9 June, imec will welcome the EARTO Executive Board and RIN Members for an exclusive cleanroom visit, offering an inside look at the cutting-edge research infrastructure enabling Europe’s semiconductor innovation. The visit will be followed by joint meetings hosted onsite at imec, providing a platform for strategic discussions and reinforced collaboration within the European RTO community.

NanoIC at EARTO 

On 10 June, the NanoIC Pilot Line will be present at the conference with a booth alongside Fraunhofer‑Gesellschaft’s APECS Pilot Line and CEA‑Leti’s FAMES Pilot Line. The shared presence of these three European pilot lines will highlight their complementary strengths in microelectronics innovation and demonstrate how coordinated collaboration accelerates the development, integration and deployment of next‑generation semiconductor technologies. We invite all participants to visit the booth to discover ongoing initiatives, explore collaboration opportunities and learn how these pilot lines are shaping the future of Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem.