CETPartnership Annual Conference 2026: Impactful RTDI for Energy Security and Resilience

CETPartnership Annual Conference International Own event

Event information

Start Date 20 October 2026 – 09:00 CEST
End Date 21 October 2026 – 12:30 CEST
Location Online
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Europe’s energy systems are under pressure like never before. Geopolitical shocks, climate extremes, and intensifying global competition have turned energy security into a question of sovereignty, economic stability and societal cohesion.

Research, technological development and innovation (RTDI) must rise to this challenge — not just advancing technology, but delivering measurable impact: secure supply, resilient systems and infrastructure, reduced critical dependencies, and a stronger European industrial base.

Impactful RTDI for Energy Security and Resilience – that’s the focus of the CETPartnership Annual Conference 2026 (20–21 Oct.): how transnational, coordinated RTDI can deliver on this agenda across digitalisation and AI, cybersecurity, electrification, industrial decarbonisation, and cross-sector integration.

This event will bring together the research and innovation community to foster collaboration, explore groundbreaking projects, and align our shared vision for a climate-neutral future.

Join us to shape innovation that truly matters for Europe’s energy future. Register by creating an account, logging into B2Match and clicking the green ‘Attend’ button.

The CETPartnership Annual Conference 2026 is a premier gathering of high-level policymakers, innovators, researchers, industry leaders, and funders driving the clean energy transition across Europe and beyond.

Day 1: 09:00 – 16:15

Session 1: From Dependency to Strength: RTDI as Europe’s Energy Security Engine

Objective: Establish the strategic framing for the conference by connecting Europe’s energy security agenda directly to R&I priorities. Participants leave with a shared understanding of which innovation levers matter most for sovereignty and resilience and how CETPartnership-funded work contributes to these goals.

Target group: High-level policymakers, energy researchers, R&I programme managers, and industry leaders working on the clean energy transition across Europe and beyond.

Agenda highlights:

9:00–9:15 Welcome & Opening:

  • Michael Hübner, CETPartnership Coordinator

9:15–10:20 Impactful R&I: Which technologies and solutions enable resilience and sovereignty?

Keynote: Gerhard Stryi-Hipp, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems

Panel discussion:

  • Gerhard Stryi-Hipp, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems
  • Daan Creupelandt, REScoop.eu
  • Gerdi Breembroek, CETPartnership Transition Initiative 4 on Zero Emission Heating and Cooling Solutions
  • Hannele Holtinnen, CETPartnership Transition Initiative 6 on Integrated Industrial Energy Systems
  • Michael Hübner, CETPartnership Coordinator

Q&A

10:20–10:30 Coffee Break

10:30–11:35 Resilient Infrastructures: How should future energy systems be designed to ensure sovereignty in energy supply and resilience of infrastructure?

Keynote: Talya Vatman, International Energy Agency, Programme Manager, Russia, Caspian and Black Sea

Panel discussion:

  • Talya Vatman, International Energy Agency,
  • Rune Volla, Research Council of Norway
  • Michele de Nigris, CETPartnership Transition Initiative 1 on Integrated Net-Zero-Emission Energy System
  • Michael Hübner, CETPartnership Coordinator

Q&A

11:35–12:40 Systemic Transition: How can the R&I system help shape the systemic transition towards sovereignty and resilience?

Keynote: Henk-Jan Vink, European Energy Research Alliance

Panel discussion:

  • Henk-Jan Vink, European Energy Research Alliance,
  • Francesco Basile, CETPartnership Transition Initiative 2 on Enhanced zero-emission power technology
  • Pirita Lindholm, European Regions Research and Innovation Network
  • Michael Hübner, CETPartnership Coordinator

Q&A

12:40–12:45 Wrap-up & Close:
Michael Hübner, CETPartnership Coordinator

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Session 2: Innovations in Action: Project Deep Dives on Energy Security and Resilience


Objective: Showcase key results from CETPartnership-funded projects and their contributions to Energy Security and Resilience.

Participants gain direct insights into the latest state of the art in European energy R&I.

Target group: RTDI projects, R&I programme managers, industry leaders, and potential project partners working on the clean energy transition across Europe and beyond.

Agenda highlights:

13:45-13:55 Introduction & Session Framing

13:55–14:35 Digital Resilience

  • TenSyGrid
  • WIND DIGIPOWER
  • Q&A

14:35–15:15 Energy Transformation

  • LoCoMoSa
  • RESILIENT
  • Q&A

15:15–15:25 Coffee Break

15:25–16:05 System & Society

  • REINFORCE
  • Geniusfuels
  • Q&A

16:05–16:15 Wrap-up & outlook to next day

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Day 2: 09:00 – 12:30

Session 3: Powering Resilience Together – A Systemic Perspective


Objective: Translate the strategic debate from Day 1 into interactive practice. Through portfolio mapping and structured breakout rooms, participants identify where their work builds resilience, exchange lessons across sub-topics, and develop shared insights that feed into CETPartnership’s knowledge and impact agenda.

Target group: RTDI projects, R&I programme managers, industry leaders, investors and potential project partners working on the clean energy transition across Europe and beyond.

Agenda highlights:

9:00–9:15 Welcome & Opening: Introduction to CETPartnership Knowledge Community and Impact Support

  • Katharina Reffel, Knowledge Community Management
  • Tanja Suni, Impact Management

9:15–10:00 Resilience as a System: Vulnerabilities and its Socio-technical responses

  • Martin Vladimirov and Kalina Tcolova, Energy and Climate Program, Centre for the Study of Democracy
  • Michael Sterner, Prof. for Energy Storage, Hydrogen, and Renewable Energy Systems, OTH Regensburg
  • Q&A

10:00–10:20 Where does You  Build Resilience?

  • Activity mapping along sub-topics of resilience and energy security

10:20–10:35 Coffee Break

10:35–11:55 Breakout rooms: Connecting Perspectives on a Resilient Energy System

  • Room 1—Digital Resilience (Digitalisation & AI + Cybersecurity)
  • Room 2—Energy Transformation (Electrification + Industrial Decarbonisation)
  • Room 3 — System & Society (Cross-Sector Integration + Energy Communities)

11:55–12:10 Key results presentation

12:10–12:20 Wrap-up and closing of conference

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