4-5 February i2026, Brussels The ECS Brokerage Event 2026 once again confirmed its central role in bringing together Europe’s ECS community. Over two intense and inspiring days in The EGG, Brussels, the event welcomed more than 700 participants, making this edition the largest ECS Brokerage to date.
Across the programme, participants arranged almost 900 bilateral meetings through the Conversation Starter tool, explored 70+ project ideas (through 66 posters and 42 pitches), heared 19 SME expertise pitches,all with a shared objective of building strong consortia and preparing competitive proposals for the upcoming Chips JU Calls 2026.
The event officially opened with a joint welcome from Caroline Bedran, AENEAS, Elisabeth Steimetz, EPoSS, and Paolo Azzoni, INSIDE . Moderated by Jack Parrock, the opening session set the tone for the two days ahead, highlighting a common ambition to foster collaboration, align roadmaps, and support the emergence of impactful projects addressing Europe’s strategic priorities.
Industry Associations as ecosystem enablers
A dedicated panel session explored the role of Industry Associations, bringing together perspectives from across the ecosystem. The panel featured Simona Laza, Excillum, representing SMEs, Sanae Boulay from large industry at NXP Semiconductors, and RTO Pal Varga from Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
The discussion showcased how Industry Associations actively contribute to shaping the ECS SRIA and Chips JU work programmes, help members anticipate calls and align roadmaps, support consortia building and policy dialogue, bridge academic excellence with industrial relevance, and keep organisations connected to the wider European chips community. From practical benefits for SMEs to strategic alignment for large companies and relevance for research organisations, the message was clear: Industry Associations are key enablers of collaboration, visibility and impact.
Focus on Chips JU Calls 2026
The upcoming ECS Calls 2026 were presented by Jari Kinaret, Executive Director of the Chips Joint Undertaking, together with Anton Chichkov, Head of Programmes. They presented main timelines and budget of 10 calls addressing key European priorities, ranging from SRIA-driven IA and RIA topics to power electronics, photonics, health, 6G, software-defined vehicles, international cooperation and supply-chain resilience—providing participants with a clear strategic framework for project preparation.
Pitch session as the heart of brokerage
The pitch sessions then gave the floor to SMEs, who presented their expertise and technologies, followed by project idea owners sharing early-stage concepts with the ECS community. These sessions are at the core of the ECS Brokerage Event: giving visibility to ideas, helping participants identify the right partners, and initiating the conversations that lead to strong consortia for the Chips Joint Undertaking Calls 2026. Focused pitches, attentive audiences and a high level of interaction clearly demonstrated the maturity, diversity and ambition!
Side meetings: from ideas to concrete collaboration paths
Day 1 concluded with project consortia meetings and thematic side meetings, where discussions shifted to smaller, targeted groups. Dedicated sessions on Photonics and 6G, organised in cooperation with Photonics21 and 6G-IA, provided a focused setting to explore collaboration opportunities, test ideas and clarify next steps. These moments, often less visible but highly strategic, are where partnerships truly begin to take shape.
Day 2: C4EU, skills, quantum and international cooperation
Day 2 shifted the spotlight to the C4EU part of the Chips Joint Undertaking, starting with an overview of the C4EU Chips JU Calls 2026 by Anton Chichkov. The programme then zoomed in on several strategic priorities through dedicated sessions by representatives of the European Commission:
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AI Chips & systems for EU compute infrastructure, presented by Marco Ceccarelli
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Calls on Skills, covering Higher Education Organisations, Pilot Federation and stimulation of Chip Design, presented by Stefano Selleri
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Joint EU–Japan Call on semiconductors, introduced by Werner Steinhögl
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Quantum Chips Design and enabling technologies, presented by Christian Trefzger and Cecilia Gonzalez Alvarez (Chips JU)
Beyond the plenary sessions, a Quantum side meeting, jointly organised by industry associations and the European Commission, brought together 3A Association and Christian Trefzger for in-depth exchanges, followed by an afternoon fully dedicated to networking and consortia building.
Useful links
With record participation, a high number of project ideas and meetings, and a strong alignment with European policy and funding priorities, the ECS Brokerage Event 2026 once again proved to be a key catalyst for collaboration in the European ECS ecosystem. Presentations and SME pitch materials are available on the delegate page, while project idea pitches and posters can be found in the ECS Collaboration Tool, where you can continue identifying potential partners and developing future projects. The conversations have started. Now it’s time to turn ideas into impactful European projects!