2026

48 European organizations have set out to launch the largest public-private initiative for open AI in the energy sector. Under the leadership of the "Fraunhofer Center Digital Energy", AI.Grids aims to create a sovereign alternative to dominant private providers, focusing on openness, transparency, and European interests. An agreement signed in Brussels on June 3, 2026, marks the project’s first operational step.

TRANSFORM 2026 once again brought together digitalization experts from all industries in Berlin. As a Platinum Partner, Fraunhofer was involved in every aspect of the event. And what can we say—it was a real treat for us. We’re looking forward to TRANSFORM 2027!

On April 17, 2026, a landmark step for the European AI landscape was taken as part of the “Franco-German Forum on Industrial AI”: The final report of the “French-German AI Industry Executives’ Dialogue” was officially handed over to the relevant ministries of both countries. Thomas Courbe, Director General for Corporate Affairs on the French side, and Dr. Beate Baron, Director General for Industrial Policy at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, accepted the report. The German Fraunhofer Gesellschaft coordinated the initiative together with the French research institutes Inria and Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT), thereby reinforcing its central role as a driving force in the development and industrial application of AI technologies in Europe.

Today, Tuesday, marks the annual presentation of the Fraunhofer ICT Dissertation Award. Once again, the award will recognize outstanding dissertations from member institutes of the Fraunhofer ICT Group that deal with highly innovative developments and technologies in computer science, mathematics, or related fields. The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros, 3,000 euros, and 2,000 euros for the first three places.

With the founding of the Virtual Worlds Association (VWA) last summer, a European alliance for open, beneficial, and human-centered virtual worlds was created. The international non-profit organization brings together leading industrial companies, SMEs, universities, and research institutions to promote technology development in Europe—including immersive technologies, extended reality, digital twins, virtual collaboration spaces, interoperability, and digital skills.