2026: The Scientific Events That Will Define the Year in Europe

In the coming months, the scientific events calendar for 2026 will continue to take shape. After a decade marked by accelerated technological progress, the agenda ahead brings together very different events, all connected by a common thread: gaining a deeper understanding of increasingly complex systems.

This year’s scientific and technological calendar will serve as a clear indicator of current priorities in science and technology. From artificial intelligence to energy and climate, these events will offer a concrete view of where research is heading and which topics are likely to shape its evolution in the medium term.

Artificial Intelligence

Mobile World Congress

📅 March 📍 Barcelona, Spain

March will once again place Barcelona at the center of the global technology map with a new edition of the Mobile World Congress. Although its origins lie in telecommunications, MWC has established itself as one of the leading international forums for discussing artificial intelligence, distributed computing, cybersecurity, edge computing, and applied quantum technologies.

Each year, it becomes increasingly clear that what is presented at MWC is not just devices, but the digital infrastructures that sustain entire sectors of the economy.

European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV 2026)

📅 September 📍 Malmö, Sweden

From September 8 to 13, ECCV 2026 will take place, one of the most influential conferences worldwide in computer vision and artificial intelligence.

It is a key forum for advances in visual perception, generative models, and autonomous systems. Many of the technologies that underpin autonomous driving or medical image analysis today are first introduced at this conference.

Robotics and Automation

IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2026)

📅 June 📍 Vienna, Austria

ICRA 2026 will be held from June 1 to 5 and is the world’s leading conference on robotics and automation. It is the reference forum for advances in autonomous systems, mobile robotics, manipulation, perception, and learning applied to control.

As in previous editions, PULSAR HRI, a spin-off born out of ARQUIMEA, will attend the conference and present its solutions in human–robot interaction, illustrating how robotics research is beginning to materialize into concrete, operational solutions.

European Robotics Forum (ERF 2026)

📅 April 📍 Stavanger, Norway

The 2026 edition of the European Robotics Forum will bring together researchers, industry, and policymakers from across Europe to discuss advances and challenges in applied robotics. ERF is one of the continent’s most relevant gatherings in this field, with a strong practical focus on collaborative robotics, autonomous systems, human–robot interaction, and industrial and social applications.

Biotechnology

BIO-Europe

📅 March 📍 Lisbon, Portugal

From March 23 to 25, BIO-Europe Spring 2026 will take place, one of the most important events in the European biotechnology sector. The meeting brings together companies, research centers, and investors with a clear focus on technology transfer, biomedicine, and life sciences.

The event reflects the growing convergence between biotechnology, data analysis, and artificial intelligence applied to the development of new treatments and industrial processes.

A second edition will be held from November 9 to 11, 2026.

European Congress on Biotechnology 2026

📅 June – July 📍 Antwerp, Belgium

From June 28 to July 1, 2026, ECB2026 will be held in Antwerp, one of Europe’s leading scientific conferences in biotechnology. Organized by the European Federation of Biotechnology, the event will bring together the research community and industry to address advances in applied biotechnology, biomedicine, bioengineering, and bioprocesses.

Its cross-cutting nature makes it a key event for understanding how European biotechnology is moving from basic research toward applications with real impact on health, industry, and the environment.

Quantum Technologies

5th Annual Commercialising Quantum Global 2026

📅 June 📍 London, United Kingdom

In June 2026, the 5th Annual Commercialising Quantum Global will take place, one of the most relevant European events dedicated to applied quantum technologies. The conference brings together researchers, industry, startups, and public-sector stakeholders to assess the real state of quantum computing, secure communications, and quantum sensing.

Unlike purely academic conferences, this event focuses on the transition from the laboratory to concrete applications. Hardware scalability, integration with classical systems, real-world use cases, and impact on sectors such as cybersecurity, defense, and finance are central to the program. In many ways, it is a strong indicator of how quantum technologies are beginning to move beyond the experimental stage.

The European Quantum Technologies Conference (EQTC 2026)

📅 November 📍 Dublin, Ireland

EQTC 2026 will be one of Europe’s most significant scientific events in quantum technologies, with a cross-disciplinary approach covering quantum computing, communications, simulation, and sensing. The conference brings together the European research community alongside industry representatives and public R&D programs.

Beyond theoretical results, the program typically focuses on demonstrators, shared infrastructures, and common technical challenges such as scalability, system reliability, and integration with classical technologies. In the European context, it is a key event for understanding how quantum technologies are transitioning from basic research to real-world applications.

Earth and Climate Sciences

EGU General Assembly

📅 May 📍 Vienna, Austria

In May, Vienna will host the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union, one of the most important scientific conferences in Europe. Thousands of researchers will gather to share advances in fields ranging from seismology and volcanology to climate science, hydrology, and Earth observation from space.

Each year, the EGU acts as a true scientific barometer. Many of the emerging consensuses—and uncertainties—about the state of the planet and its complex systems appear first in this forum before reaching the public debate.

COP31 (United Nations Climate Change Conference)

📅 November 📍 Antalya, Turkey

In November 2026, COP31—the United Nations Climate Change Conference—will be held in Antalya, Turkey. The event will take place after several consecutive years of record global temperatures and increasingly precise IPCC reports on the evolution of the climate system.

Beyond political negotiation, COP31 will be a key meeting point for climate science. Advanced modeling, Earth observation, mitigation and adaptation technologies, and the use of artificial intelligence to anticipate extreme events will play a central role in the agenda.

Astronomical Phenomena

Total Solar Eclipse

📅 August 📍 Northern Spain

August 12, 2026, will be one of the most significant scientific dates of the year. Spain will experience a total solar eclipse visible from large areas of the northern part of the country—a phenomenon not seen under these conditions since 1905.

Beyond its visual impact, the eclipse will offer an exceptional scientific opportunity. Institutions such as the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and several European research centers are preparing observation campaigns to study the solar corona, plasma dynamics, and the effects of the eclipse on Earth’s atmosphere. During the just over two minutes of totality, temperature drops and changes in animal behavior are expected, turning the event into a large-scale natural experiment.

CERN and Particle Physics in Active Pause

📅 2026 📍 Geneva, Switzerland

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is the world’s largest particle physics laboratory and home to the Large Hadron Collider, an accelerator designed to recreate the most energetic conditions in the universe and study the fundamental particles that make up matter.

In 2026, the laboratory will enter what is known as Long Shutdown 3, a planned technical shutdown during which the accelerator is stopped to be upgraded and prepared for its next operational phase. Although the collider will be offline, work will continue in engineering, experimental design, and data analysis, laying the groundwork for the experiments that will define the next decade.

A Key Year for Science

Throughout 2026, other strategic conferences focused on technology transfer, industrial innovation, and applied science will also take place. These events will be essential for sustaining the spaces where research is shared, debated, and connected to real-world applications.

In this context, ARQUIMEA Research Center, within the framework of the QCIRCLE project, is an active part of the European scientific ecosystem. Through its ongoing work in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, and quantum technologies, its activity contributes to the same lines of research and reflection discussed at these major forums, reinforcing a shared environment of knowledge and collaboration.

The scientific calendar of 2026 outlines a network of interconnected spaces where visions align, advances are shared, and science is driven forward as a collective effort. These environments enable knowledge to progress in a coordinated way, connecting research, industry, and society, and laying the foundations for the developments that will shape the years to come.