KIVI is pleased to announce that Jeroen Dijsselbloem, mayor of Eindhoven, will open the KIVI Annual Conference 2026 with the first keynote.
In his speech, Mayor Dijsselbloem will discuss the role of Brainport Eindhoven within Europe, against the background of global developments. From his position as chairman of Stichting Brainport, the Eindhoven Metropolitan Region and the Safety Region Brabant-Zuidoost, among others, he will offer a sharp and up-to-date perspective on the strategic significance of this region for innovation, economy and technology.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem brings with him a wealth of administrative experience. Previously, he was finance minister, president of the Eurogroup and chairman of the Council of Governors of the European Stability Mechanism. With his background as an economist and his broad national and European experience, he knows how to connect regional innovative strength with international developments.
Lex Hoefsloot has been invited as the second keynote. He will take the audience through Lightyear's story and place it in the broader context of deep-tech innovation in the Netherlands. Hardware innovation requires vision, perseverance and a long breath. From his experience as founder of Lightyear and his involvement with young deep-tech entrepreneurs through TU Eindhoven and Techleap, he shares valuable lessons on scaling up, common pitfalls and the opportunities for the Netherlands.
Registration open
The KIVI Annual Conference will take place during the Day of the Engineer on Wednesday 11 March 2026 at TU Eindhoven. This edition is themed 'Blueprint for a Stronger Europe' and focuses entirely on innovation, better cooperation between EU countries and strengthening Europe's position in the world. The sub-themes are Defence, Digitalisation, Energy and Mobility.
Make sure not to miss this day packed with new insights. Listen, talk, meet peers and old acquaintances and get carried away by the future of technology and innovation. You can register via this link:
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