Artificial Intelligence, robotics, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, cloud technologies and space innovation are rapidly changing how European organisations operate, compete and collaborate. To explore how these technologies can strengthen European competitiveness, EUcalls and JOIST Innovation Park are organising the free online event “Accelerating Europe’s Competitiveness Through Emerging Technologies” on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, from 12:00 to 13:00 EEST.
Yet technological excellence alone is not enough. Europe’s ability to remain competitive will increasingly depend on how successfully businesses, researchers and innovation ecosystems can develop, adopt and scale strategic technologies, build international partnerships and transform research into commercially and societally relevant solutions.
The event will bring together experts from research, industry and the European innovation ecosystem to discuss developments in AI and Robotics, Industry 5.0 and Advanced Manufacturing, Cybersecurity and Digital Technologies, and Space Technologies, while exploring how Horizon Europe funding and European R&D collaboration can accelerate their development and adoption.
Why Emerging Technologies Matter for Europe’s Competitiveness
Global technological competition is accelerating. For European businesses and research organisations, competitiveness increasingly depends not only on developing innovative technologies but also on the ability to bring them into real environments, demonstrate their value, scale them across markets and collaborate across borders. Emerging technologies can support European organisations in areas ranging from manufacturing productivity and automation to digital resilience, data-driven decision-making and entirely new products and services.
At the same time, organisations continue to face important challenges:
- How can promising R&D results become market-ready solutions?
- How can organisations adopt advanced technologies without creating unnecessary technical or financial risk?
- How can research institutions and industry work more effectively together?
- How can emerging technologies create measurable business and industrial value?
- How can European funding support ambitious innovation projects?
- How can organisations find the right international partners to turn an idea into a competitive consortium?
These are some of the questions at the centre of the upcoming EUcalls roundtable.
What Will the Online Event Cover?
Rather than approaching emerging technologies only from a technical perspective, the discussion will connect technology, business application, European collaboration and funding. Participants will hear perspectives from professionals working directly across robotics, advanced manufacturing, telecommunications, cybersecurity, European innovation programmes and the space sector.
The roundtable will explore:
- Key emerging technologies transforming European industries.
- Current market developments and future technology trends.
- Real-world applications and implementation experiences.
- Barriers to technology adoption and scaling.
- Cooperation between research organisations and industry.
- Opportunities for international technology partnerships.
- The role of European R&D projects in technology development.
- How Horizon Europe can support collaborative innovation.
The objective is to move beyond the question of “What technologies are emerging?” and examine a more practical one:
How can European organisations actually use them to create value and strengthen competitiveness?
Meet the Experts
George Megas – Moderator
The discussion will be moderated by George Megas, Head of the Innovation & Networking Unit at I-SENSE Group of ICCS/NTUA.
His work focuses on innovation ecosystems, European Digital Innovation Hubs, research and innovation reform, knowledge valorisation and stronger connections between research and industry. Previously, he served as a National Contact Point for Horizon Europe Cluster 4, supporting European research and innovation participation and policy implementation. His professional experience also includes extensive work with EIT Health and the Enterprise Europe Network, supporting startups, innovation actors and international technology and business partnerships.
With experience spanning EU programmes, technology transfer and strategic collaborations, he brings together the technology, research and European innovation dimensions that sit at the heart of the event.
Ioanna Karatzoglou – Robotics, Product Development & Industrial Innovation
Ioanna Karatzoglou is Leader of the Women in Robotics Greek Chapter and Product Manager Robotics Piece Picking ItemPiQ at Swisslog, a member of the KUKA Group.
Her international career combines product management, commercial strategy and business development across leading high-tech organisations in Austria, Liechtenstein, Qatar, Germany and Greece. With an academic background spanning Electrical Engineering, Business Process Management, Industrial Economics, Robotics and Automation, she combines technological expertise with a strong understanding of how market opportunities can be transformed into products, innovation and business growth.
Her perspective will help explore how robotics and automation move from technological capability to practical industrial adoption and commercial value.
Dr. Niki Kousi – Industry 5.0, Advanced Manufacturing & Robotics
Dr. Niki Kousi, from the Teaching Factory Competence Center, brings more than a decade of experience in European R&D&I projects and industrial innovation.
Her expertise covers advanced manufacturing, robotics, human-robot collaboration, automation and digital manufacturing. She has served as Project Manager and Coordinator in numerous industry-driven international projects and later as Managing Director of EIT Manufacturing South East, leading activities across South-East Europe.
Today, her work at the Teaching Factory Competence Center includes business development and support to industry through technical and consulting services, skills development and access to European funding, with particular emphasis on robotics and automation, digital technologies, advanced production processes and industrial software. In 2019, she was also a finalist for the European Commission Innovation Radar Prize in the Women-Led Innovation category.
Her contribution will help connect Industry 5.0, manufacturing innovation, technology adoption and European R&D collaboration.
Christos Gkizelis / IT Innovation Center – AI & Cybersecurity
The discussion will also include the perspective of the IT Innovation Center of Telekom, represented by Christos Gkizelis, Principal Innovation Analyst. The contribution will focus particularly on areas related to Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity, bringing the perspective of a major telecommunications and technology organisation into the conversation. Telecommunications sit at the intersection of several strategic priorities for Europe, including AI, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, connectivity and data-intensive technologies.
This perspective will therefore help explore how large organisations approach R&D, experimentation and the adoption of emerging digital technologies, as well as the role European collaborative projects can play in supporting technological development.
Fotios Kotzakioulafis – Space Technologies & Commercial Space Innovation
Fotios Kotzakioulafis is Lead Business Development Manager at Genesis Space Flight Laboratories.
His work supports the commercial development of reusable re-entry capsules and access to microgravity for research, technology validation and commercial applications. He focuses on strategic partnerships, international outreach and collaboration across Europe’s space and innovation ecosystems and has also contributed to mission preparation, payload integration and launch activities. Alongside his industry work, he is active in international space law, policy and sustainability initiatives, with particular interest in European cooperation, emerging technologies and the responsible development of the space sector.
His participation will bring the European space technology and commercialisation perspective into the broader discussion on competitiveness and innovation.
From Emerging Technologies to European R&D Projects
Developing strategic technologies often requires resources that cannot be provided by a single organisation. Robotics systems need real-world environments for demonstration. AI solutions require data, expertise and validation. Manufacturing technologies need industrial partners. Space technologies require highly specialised capabilities and infrastructure.
This makes international collaboration particularly important. Programmes such as Horizon Europe allow companies, universities, research organisations, technology providers and other innovation actors to combine complementary capabilities around ambitious R&D objectives.
European collaborative projects can help organisations:
- Develop and validate new technologies.
- Access complementary expertise and infrastructure.
- Test solutions in different markets and operational environments.
- Establish relationships with international R&D partners.
- Reduce some of the financial barriers associated with ambitious research and innovation.
- Accelerate the transition from research to practical application.
The event will therefore explore European funding not simply as a financing mechanism, but as an instrument for building technology partnerships and collaborative innovation ecosystems.
Finding Horizon Europe Opportunities and Partners with EUcalls
Identifying a relevant funding call is only the beginning. For many organisations, one of the biggest challenges in European R&D is finding the right opportunity at the right time and the right partners to build a strong consortium.
This is where EUcalls can support the process. The platform enables organisations to discover relevant European funding opportunities, identify potential international partners and connect with organisations interested in building collaborative European projects.
At the end of the event, participants will receive a practical introduction to EUcalls and discover how the platform can help them move from:
Funding opportunity → Partner discovery → Consortium building → European collaboration
The objective is to make participation in European funding programmes more accessible and help organisations spend less time searching and more time developing meaningful collaborations.
Who Should Attend?
The event is particularly relevant for:
- Startups and scaleups developing emerging or deep technologies.
- Technology companies exploring European R&D collaboration.
- Universities and research organisations.
- R&D and innovation professionals.
- Innovation clusters and ecosystems.
- Digital Innovation Hubs and competence centres.
- Business support organisations.
- Organisations looking for Horizon Europe funding opportunities or international consortium partners.
Whether you already participate in European projects or are exploring Horizon Europe for the first time, the event will provide a practical view of where technology, industry, collaboration and European funding intersect.
Event Details
Accelerating Europe’s Competitiveness Through Emerging Technologies
Wednesday, 23 September 2026 | 12:00–13:00 EEST | Online event
Language: English
Participation: Free
The event is co-organised by EUcalls and JOIST Innovation Park.
Join the Conversation on Europe’s Technology Future
Europe has strong research capabilities, innovative companies and world-class technical expertise. The next challenge is ensuring that these capabilities can be connected, funded, tested and scaled.
By bringing together experts from robotics, advanced manufacturing, AI, cybersecurity, telecommunications and space, Accelerating Europe’s Competitiveness Through Emerging Technologies will explore how European organisations can transform technology development into collaboration, practical applications and long-term competitiveness.
Register for free and join us on 23 September 2026 to discover where emerging technologies, Horizon Europe funding and international R&D collaboration meet.
