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Sven Hoppe / Fotolia

2025-09-25

EFTS - European Future Technology Summit

We. Network. Europe. Young – Technological – Cross-border.

Europe's future depends on its young people, particularly future engineers in electrical engineering, electronics, and information technology. Those under 35 years old will play a key role in shaping Europe’s technological landscape.

EUREL

EUREL, the European umbrella organization for electrical, electronic and information technology engineers, alongside its members under the leadership by VDE from Germany, is focused on building cross-border networks between students, professionals, research, industry, politics, and education. Breaking down barriers and fostering collaboration is essential for creating a prosperous, stable, and peaceful Europe. Engineers in these fields are leading advancements in artificial intelligence, the energy transition, and cybersecurity.

Goals and mission:

Foster cross-border networking of Young Engineers - build a strong European community by connecting students and young professionals from different countries
Bridge the gap between technology and policy - Create direct interaction with EU institutions and policymakers to link engineering expertise with political decision-making.
Share insights on emerging technologies and challenges - trust through expert talks and workshops.
Strengthen Europe’s resilience and technological sovereignty - Address challenges to critical infrastructure and highlight strategies for secure and independent systems.
Promote the role of standards and regulation in innovation.
Inspire and empower the next generation of engineering leaders- Inspire participants to actively contribute to Europe’s future in research, industry, standardization, and policy.

EFTS 2026

EFTS 2026 takes place under the scope of defense, focusing on the technologies that safeguard Europe’s future.

Participants will explore innovations in cybersecurity, communication resilience, and intelligent systems. Together, we will address how engineering drives security, sovereignty, and stability in a complex world.

Place: Brussels

Date: tba

Previous EFTS

EFTS 2025 - EUREL

You can read more and catch impressions of the European Future Technology Summit 2025 on the website.

We. Network. Europe. Young – Innovative – Cross-border. Europe needs a future. The future needs youth. Young people under 30 today will play a key role in shaping Europe’s technological and societal resilience.

At the 3rd European Future Technology Summit (EFTS) in Brussels, around 50 students and young professionals from EUREL member countries came together in the heart of European politics for a 3-day workshop. They discussed "Europe's Comeback: Microelectronics, Resilience and Future Technology under the EU Chips Act". In addition, the participants of EFTS 2025 were the first to be presented with the new VDE paper "Hidden Electronics IV" – even before it was sent to the responsible politicians in Europe and Germany. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the speakers who agreed to hold a workshop.

Workshops – European Future Technology Summit 2025

High-performance semiconductors Made in Saxony - how a German federal state contributes to strengthening European competitiveness in the future
Chips Joint Undertaking – Role in the European Semiconductor Ecosystem
Resilience of Communication Networks
How Can Standards Support Europe’s Comeback in Power Grid Resilience and Microelectronics?
Chips Made in Europe: Policy Frameworks and the Role of European Players
Hidden Electronics: Foundations of Smart Systems

VDE Summer Reception Brussels – Social highlight of EFTS 2025

The traditional VDE Summer Reception in Brussels took place as part of the VDE/EUREL European Future Technology Summit (EFTS). It was a full house at the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria to the European Union. The theme of the evening, attended by over 200 invited international guests, was “Semiconductors Made in Europe: Securing competitiveness and technological sovereignty in a global context” with high level speakers Tobias Gotthardt, State Secretary in the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, Ansgar Hinz, CEO of VDE, Pierre Chastanet from the European Commission, DG CONNECT, Head of Unit for Microelectronics and Photonics and Prof. Dr. Christoph Kutter, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute EMFT, Munich.

The event was rounded off with the Award ceremony for the EUREL PhD Best Paper Award 2025 and EUREL TOPSIM International Management Cup (IMC) 2025 as well as the obligatory City Tour with a comprehensive excursion into the history and urban geography of Brussels. Before that, however, there was a visit to the European Parliament. MEP Moritz Körner (Renew Europe Group) had invited the group to an exchange.

EFTS 2024 - EUREL

You can read more and find some impressions about the European Future Technology Summit 2024 website.

We. Network. Europe. Young - Technological - Cross-border. Europe needs future. Future needs youth. Young people under 30 years today will play a key role in shaping the future of Europe.

Young people under 30 years today will play a key role in shaping the future of Europe. This is why EUREL, as the European umbrella organization for engineers in electrical engineering, electronics and information technology, and its members led by VDE from Germany want to establish cross-border networks between students and young professionals and open options for action for them. We want to establish the framework for stability in Europe.

At the 2nd European Future Technology Summit (EFTS) in Brussels, the VDE and EUREL placed precisely these topics at the centre of a three-day workshop. 50 students and young professionals from the EUREL member countries met in the heart of European politics to discuss key issues for strengthening the resilience of European electricity and communication networks with experts from science, research and politics at the headquarters of the European standardisation organisation CEN CENELEC. It was also a special honour that two experts from Ukraine reported on the daily challenges faced by engineers there regarding Russian missile attacks on infrastructure and the cyberattacks Russia has been launching against Ukraine since 2008.

Workshops - European Future Technology Summit (EFTS)

Emerging AI standardisation ecosystem in Europe
How to strengthen European standards and the resilience of European power networks and grids
Superconductivity - Key Technology for the Energy Transition
Cross-Border Grid Connections: Ensuring a Stable Trans-European Network
Strategic Cyber Attack: How Russia prepared for the War with Ukraine Years in advance - Practical experience in cybersecurity of critical infrastructure during wartime
Key Areas for Resilience and Critical Infrastructure Protection: the case of Submarine Cable Infrastructure
Improving the Resilience of Power and Telecommunication Networks in Germany

VDE Summer Reception Brussels - Social highlight of the European Future Technology Summit 2024

Embedded in the EFTS, the traditional VDE Summer Reception Brussels took place at TownHall Europe. The theme of the Summer Reception was aligned with the EFTS: Uncertain Times: Between War and Peace - What should a resilient European energy sector look like? The VDE Summer Reception was booked to capacity with 150 international guests, and so Markus B. Jaeger (VDE Global Head of Political Affairs) opened the evening event in front of full rows of chairs. Other keynote speakers like Wolfgang Niedziella, Managing Director within VDE Group and President CENELEC, Galyna Petrushka, Communication Director of Lvivoblenergo, Lviv/Ukraine and Lyudmyla Polova, IT Director of Lvivoblenergo, Lviv/Ukraine were presented.

EFTS 2023 - EUREL

You can read more and find some impressions about the European Future Technology Summit 2023 website.

We. Network. Europe. Young - Technological - Cross-border. Europe needs future. Future needs youth. Young people under 30 years today will play a key role in shaping the future of Europe.

With the 1st European Future Technology Summit (EFTS) in Brussels in early September 2023, EUREL has precisely made these issues the focus of a three-day workshop. 40 students and young professionals from EUREL member countries met in the heart of European politics to discuss key topics from the fields of AI, cyber security and digital with experts from academia, research, and politics at the premises of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Workshops - European Future Technology Summit (EFTS)

Artificial Intelligence - Digital Trust - EU AI Act
AI, intelligence and deepfakes
Trust in AI – Quality & Testing of AI
AI will run Mobility, Industry 4.0, and Energy Sector

VDE Summer Reception Brussels - Social highlight of the European Future Technology Summit 2023

Embedded in the EFTS, the traditional VDE Summer Reception Brussels took place at the Bavarian State Representation to the European Union in Brussels. The theme of the Summer Reception was aligned with the EFTS: AI and Trust in the Digital Space. The VDE Summer Reception was booked to capacity with 250 international guests, and so Dr Hans Michael Strepp (Head of Office at the Bavarian State Ministry for Digital Affairs) opened the evening event in front of full rows of chairs. Other keynote speakers like Prof. Dr Kristina Sinemus (Hessian Minister for Digital Strategy and Development), Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament and Digital Policy Spokesman of the EPP Group) as well as VDE President Alf Henryk Wulf and Dr Sebastian Hallensleben (VDE Head of Artificial Intelligence & Digital Trust Department) were presented.