ADVANCE EIC Conference 2026: The Future of the EU’s Startup and Scaleup Ecosystem.

The Irish Presidency Conference for the European Innovation Council (EIC) – ADVANCE (‘Advancing Deep Tech Value, Acceleration and New Competitiveness in Europe’) – will bridge the gap between global Big Tech experience and emerging Deep Tech excellence, providing a platform for founders, policymakers, large corporates, investors, universities, innovation agencies, and accelerators to assess Europe’s progress, identify persistent bottlenecks, and debate actionable policy directions. The ADVANCE EIC Conference 2026 will explore how Europe can strengthen its Deep Tech foundations across AI, quantum, biotech, advanced connectivity, robotics, space, energy and food systems, and how it can transform world-leading research into globally scaling companies that “start, scale and stay” in Europe.

ADVANCE is an official Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union event hosted by University College Dublin (UCD) and supported by the EIC and Enterprise Ireland.