The "Week of Innovative Regions in Europe" (WIRE) is a leading European policy forum focused on innovation and regional development.
WIRE 2026 is a forum where policymakers, regional authorities, research institutions, and businesses gather to discuss research and innovation practices, challenges, and opportunities across European regions. The event also enables stakeholders to address, develop and progress key topics of interest to the community and explores current and future EU funding programs related to research and innovation.
Under the theme “WIRE 26 - Future regions: the role of sustainable innovation in European competitiveness”, WIRE 2026 will co-create strategies for sustainable regional growth, showcase regional success stories and innovations from across Europe. It facilitate knowledge exchange between EU institutions, regional actors, and Horizon Europe projects and strengthen collaborative policy development aligned with the EU Green Deal and smart specialisation strategies (S3).
WIRE 2026 will convene European policymakers, innovators, academics, SMEs, and citizens to:
Strengthen the regional dimension of competitiveness and innovation by aligning local action with EU priorities: The Competitiveness Compass, European Green Deal, Strategic Autonomy, and European Innovation Agenda.
Position regional actors as co-leaders in addressing global challenges: climate, security, decarbonisation, and technological transitions.
Build momentum toward cohesive, inclusive, and resilient European innovation ecosystems, in light of the future European Competitiveness Fund and post-2027 MFF.
Provide actionable insights and policy outcomes to inform future EU strategies.
Build upon the outcomes of previous conferences in the WIRE series.