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Mayor Dijsselbloem discusses the role of Brainport Eindhoven in Europe, in the light of global developments.

Hardware innovation takes the long haul. In this presentation, Lex shares his lessons from his years as founder of Lightyear and from his work with young deep-tech entrepreneurs at TU Eindhoven and Techleap. He shows how hardware companies can scale up, what pitfalls many teams encounter and what opportunities there are for the Netherlands. The aim is to inspire and provide practical tools for engineers and innovators to make more impact.

Lectures

• Defence
  12.45 - 13.45: European Defence Technology Cooperation
  Cooperation in Europe is becoming increasingly important for Defence. From the "Brussels" for this purpose, there is an €8 billion fund running until 2027 for research and development of technology for Defence. Due to geopolitical tensions, this budget is expected to be much larger from 2028 onwards.
  
  Victor Hartong from the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) will explain what this European Defence Fund (EDF) does, how it works, and how Dutch companies and engineers are working on it.
  
  Next, the two projects below will be presented:
  (1) LODESTAR (Live Operational Data Enhancement for Situational Awareness Through Augmented Reality) is a project led by Dutch company Embedded Acoustics to vastly improve the provision of information to military personnel in the field through augmented reality. Presented by Michiel van Leeuwen (system engineer of LODESTAR).
  
  (2) E-NACSOS (EU NAval Collaborative Surveillance Operational Standard) is a European project aiming to improve image building between EU naval vessels during air and missile defence. To this end, a European 'Naval Collaborative Surveillance' standard is being developed. This is part of a major development to work towards a full 'Multi Platform Engagement Capability'. These new standards will be applied to the new Dutch ships. Dr.ir. Teun de Groot of the Materiel and IT Command (COMMIT) will present. More information https://www.occar.int/our-work/programmes/enacsos
  
• Digitalisation
  12.45 - 13.15: Europe as a new driver of innovative and responsible AI - Meike Nauta (winner Prins Friso Ingenieursprijs 2025 / Glazen Uil)
  AI has useful applications, but must be deployed responsibly. So-called Responsible AI. But what does that mean: "responsibly"? Meike Nauta argues that responsible AI is more than preventing
  discrimination and hallucination. She sees Europe's potential and calls on European engineers to take more control back into their own hands. After all, innovation and responsibility go together perfectly.
  
  13:15 - 13:45: The chip of the future: what is the role of the Netherlands and Europe? -Bart Smolders (TU/e)
  The Netherlands plays an important role in the global semiconductor industry. However, the chip of the future is going to look very different, Moore's law for CMOS is coming to an end and new technologies such as integrated photonics and heterogeneous integration are going to play an important role. What areas should we focus on to continue playing an important role in the semiconductor ecosystem?
• Energy
  12.45 - 13.15: Strengthening Europe's Battery Independence - Elena Sbenghea (BCC-NL and East NL) (English)
  Reducing Europe's dependence on external supply chains is key to a stronger, more robust energy future. In battery technology, Europe still imports most energy storage solutions, raw materials, components, and manufacturing capacity, which creates economic and geopolitical risks. By boosting local innovation, production, and recycling, we can secure supply while staying globally connected. Initiatives like Battery Competence Cluster NL make this tangible by enabling joint R&D projects, shared pilot facilities, and practical testing of new battery systems. Building a local battery ecosystem strengthens energy security, accelerates innovation, and ensures Europe can deliver sustainable, scalable storage solutions.
  
  13:15 - 13:45: Challenges on the European electricity grids - Maarten Staats (Enexis) (English)
  European electricity grids have been facing a big challenge over the past years: grid congestion. This forms a major setback in the energy transition which requires more electrification. Maarten Staats will explain what grid congestion is, dive into the history and analyse the current situation on European grids. How can we unlock the European electricity grids, so they support the energy transition instead of obstructing it?
  
• Mobility
  12.45 - 13.15: Innovative Mobility Solutions in Existing Contexts: Uniting Land and Air - Halbe Mulder (PAL-V ) (in English)
  PAL-V is the world leader in sustainable FlyDrive mobility solutions, improving mobility by uniting road and air. By designing an innovative mobility solution that operates within existing infrastructure, regulations and user environments, PAL-V enables new forms of connectivity without requiring entirely new systems. This session explores the development of the FlyDrive capabilities within Europe's innovation capacity and how it contributes to a more resilient and competitive mobility ecosystem.
  
  13:15 - 13:45: The Future of Flying: Towards Climate-Neutrality - Bram Peerlings (NLR)
  "How far are we on the road to climate-neutral aviation and what else is needed to achieve this?" Those are the main questions of this presentation. In 30 minutes, Bram explains the ways in which aviation now contributes to climate change, what we can expect from different types of new aircraft - electric-powered, or hydrogen-powered? - and fuels, and what it will take to make that happen.

Workshops and excursions

• 12.45 - 13.45: Brainport Eindhoven workshop: 'Blueprint Builders: Entrepreneurship for engineers' - Gijs Govers(Brainport Eindhoven)
  Blueprint for a stronger Europe requires more than technology alone: it requires engineers who dare to build scalable solutions. In this workshop, Gijs shows what technical entrepreneurship looks like in practice on the basis of an engineer who has built a company, including the real challenges (customer, team, focus and funding). He then translates that into concrete opportunities and roles for engineers in startups and scale-ups, with practical tools to take your first step.
  
  In addition, in a short workshop together we will turn your technical idea into a solid business plan.
• 12.45 - 13.45: Excursion 1: Cleanroom (max. 25 people)
  The cleanroom facilities at NanoLab@TU/e play an important role in research at Eindhoven University of Technology. Centrally located in the leading technology region of Eindhoven, NanoLab@TU/e supports photonics and nanotechnology research and innovation in the Netherlands, both through academic research activities and the many collaborations with industry.
• 12.45 - 13.45: Excursion 2: Momentum - TU/e student teams (max 25 people)
  CANCELLED

• 12.45 - 13.45: Coaching sessions
  Ingenieurscoaches (allocation based on registration)
  During the KIVI Annual Conference, you will have the chance to spar about your career during a coaching speeddate.
  
  Discuss questions about career advancement, direction choice, work-life balance or making impact as an engineer. Our experienced coaches will share their insights and think with you!
• 12.45 - 13.45: TU/e Campus Audiotour - GENIUS Project
  Discover the TU/e campus in a new way with the interactive Campus Audiotour, developed within the GENIUS project. During this walk, you will learn more about special buildings, innovative research facilities and sustainable solutions on campus. Via your GPS-enabled smartphone, you will hear an audio clip with background stories and technological highlights at various locations. The route takes about an hour and takes you right across the campus, but can also be walked in parts. An inspiring way not only to see the campus, but also to really understand it.
  For the tour go to: www.project-genius.nl
  (Pre-registration is not necessary, for more information go to the registration desk during the event)
  

Lectures

• Defence
  14:15 - 15:15: Drones and defence against drones
  In this session, we will focus on drones and defence against drones. First, Bas Buchner on behalf of the Royal Navy will show what the navy of the future looks like, with many flying, sailing and underwater drones that will be deployed from a naval ship. Afterwards, Mark Wiebes on behalf of the national police spoke about defence against drones. In times of peace and crisis, this is a legal duty of the police. Finally, Bram Alkema of DeltaQuad will talk about development and production of drones by their company.
  
  Topics
  Maritime unmanned systems in the Navy of the future - Bas Buchner (Min. Def.)
  Mark Wiebes (National Police, board member KIVI DV)
  Bram Alkema (DeltaQuad)
• Digitalisation
  14.15 - 14.45: 'European digital sovereignty: how then' - Bert Hubert (berthub.eu)
  Europe no longer stands on its own feet digitally. Yet we could before. How did all this come about and what can we do about it (quickly). And unfortunately this is largely about people and not about technology.
  
  14.45 - 15.15: Everything Everywhere AI: Securing next-generation embedded cryptographic devices - Lejla Batina (Radboud University in Nijmegen) (in English)
  Cryptography is considered to be the cornerstone of secure systems but its implementations are often vulnerable to physical attacks such as side-channel analysis. Side-channel analysis (SCA) has become one of the most common causes for security failures in the real world today. In this talk, I will first survey side-channel analysis attacks on implementations of cryptography and countermeasures. Second, we will see how machine learning and AI have changed the practical cryptography landscape and attackers' capabilities in particular. In the end, I will discuss the other direction in this AI-SCA interplay i.e. the way side-channel analysis threatens AI implementations on embedded devices such as smartphones, drones and IoT devices.
  
• Energy
  14:15 - 14:45: Maritime research to support offshore energy transition - Olaf Waals (MARIN)
  The presentation focuses on a wide range of topics related to innovations for offshore energy production at sea. This includes tests of floating wind concepts as well as motion compensation systems that improve the workability of offshore installation vessels. The subject of floating solar energy systems is also covered. MARIN has worked on many project examples, including model tests, numerical studies, simulator research and offshore measurements.
  
  14.45 - 15.15: Hydrogen as a connector in a future-proof European energy system - Michel Tamarzians (H2Storage)
  How should we look at the role of hydrogen? That it has a place within the energy mix everyone agrees, but can it also act as the connector that transforms a fragmented energy landscape into an integrated and future-proof European energy system and provide a robust counterweight to other world powers?

• Mobility
  14:15 - 14:45: Embodied AI for a future-proof Europe - Gijs Dubbelman (TU/e) (English)
  Europe urgently needs to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its economy to maintain its high standards of living. One important technological enabler is embodied AI. It enables the automation of cognitively demanding processes, thereby making more effective and efficient use of Europe's workforce, which is under pressure. This talk examines recent international developments in end-to-end (E2E) multimodal embodied AI architectures for mobile autonomous systems, with particular emphasis on mobile robots and self-driving vehicles operating in open-world settings. To support Europe's adoption of these technologies, TU/e has established the Automated Driving (AUDRI) AI lab, and its current and future activities will be presented.
  
  14.45 - 15.15: Sustainable heavy road transport in a changing world - Marc Horsten (DAF Trucks)
  Europe's ambition to build a stronger, more resilient and sustainable mobility system depends, among other things, on the transformation of heavy road transport. This presentation explores how new technologies - ranging from battery-electric and megawatt charging systems to AI-driven fleet operations - will reshape long-haul logistics on the continent. It highlights the critical infrastructure deficits Europe needs to overcome, including corridor-wide charging capacity, grid readiness and cross-border operational harmonisation. Finally, it examines the competitive landscape: how European manufacturers, logistics companies and policymakers can protect Europe's industrial strength while navigating global pressures, supply chain disruptions and accelerating innovation cycles.
  

Workshops and excursions

• 14.15 - 15.15: TU Career Academy workshop: LinkedIn and networking CANCELLED
• 14.15 - 15.15: Excursion 1: Cleanroom (max. 25 people)
  The cleanroom facilities at NanoLab@TU/e play an important role in research at Eindhoven University of Technology. Centrally located in the leading technology region of Eindhoven, NanoLab@TU/e supports photonics and nanotechnology research and innovation in the Netherlands, both through academic research activities and the many collaborations with industry.
• 14.15 - 15.15: Excursion 2: Momentum - TU/e student teams (max 25 people)
  TU/e has some 50 student teams, each with its own focus: ranging from a drone for sustainable transport to the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, an electric autonomous racing car, a sustainable, self-sufficient house, sensors for healthcare, electric flying, a solution to the plastic soup, football and healthcare robots, solar cars and recycling difficult waste streams. tU/e Student Teams are interdisciplinary student organisations that challenge themselves to tackle important societal issues with innovative technologies.
  
  Presentation team SOLID: SOLID is developing a sustainable energy storage system using iron as a circular energy carrier.
  
  Presentation SOLAR: SOLAR is concerned with sustainable mobility for the future by developing innovative, energy-efficient solar-powered vehicles.
• 14.15 - 15.15: Coaching sessions
  Mentors session(format based on registration)
  During the KIVI Annual Conference, you will have the opportunity to spar about your career during a 'Ask a mentor' session.
  
  Discuss questions about career advancement, choosing direction, work-life balance or making an impact as an engineer. Our experienced mentors will share their insights and think with you!
• 14.15 - 15.15: TU/e Campus Audiotour - GENIUS Project
  Discover the TU/e campus in a new way with the interactive Campus Audiotour, developed within the GENIUS project. During this walk, you will learn more about special buildings, innovative research facilities and sustainable solutions on campus. Via your GPS-enabled smartphone, you will hear an audio clip with background stories and technological highlights at various locations. The route takes about an hour and takes you right across the campus, but can also be walked in parts. An inspiring way not only to see the campus, but also to really understand it.
  For the tour go to: www.project-genius.nl
  (Pre-registration is not necessary, for more information go to the registration desk during the event)