28DIGITAL Brings Europe's Innovation Conversation to Dublin

Europe's innovation future will not be shaped in Brussels alone. That was the opening conviction behind What's Next for European Innovation: The 28DIGITAL Ecosystem Reveal — a half-day policy and ecosystem dialogue held on 26 May 2026 at the Europa Experience in Dublin, as an official EIT side event during Dublin Tech Week (22–29 May 2026).

Organised by 28DIGITAL (formerly EIT Digital) and held under the auspices of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland — represented by its Head of Office, Fearghas Ó Béara — and in collaboration with the European Commission's office in Ireland, the event brought together entrepreneurs, researchers, students, policymakers, and investors to explore how Europe's knowledge triangle — education, research, and business — can translate policy ambitions into tangible impact for citizens, startups, and regions.

The timing was deliberate. Against the backdrop of the upcoming Irish EU Council Presidency, Dublin provided a natural stage for a conversation about where European innovation goes next — and who gets to shape it.

The centrepiece of the afternoon was the Innovation Stations format — inspired by 28DIGITAL's GrowDigital model — in which small groups rotated across four thematic discussions covering talent pipelines, research-to-startup pathways, regional innovation ecosystems, and scaling into global markets. The format was designed for direct, peer-to-peer exchange rather than passive listening.

The full day was dedicated to bilateral meetings with Irish stakeholders. Two stood out. A meeting with Eurofound Executive Director Ivailo Kalfin opened a conversation at the intersection of 28DIGITAL's digital talent and workforce transformation work and Eurofound's EU-wide mandate on living and working conditions — a Dublin-based agency that proved a natural and timely interlocutor. A second meeting with representatives of Enterprise Ireland explored shared interests in startup development, scaling, and cross-border collaboration — connecting 28DIGITAL's pan-European ecosystem with one of the continent's most active public innovation bodies.

Dublin was more than a venue. As host of the upcoming EU Council Presidency and a gateway between European and Atlantic innovation ecosystems, Ireland provided fitting ground for a conversation about Europe's competitiveness agenda. The event is part of a broader pattern of strategic presence defining 28DIGITAL's 2026 — from the Delphi Economic Forum in April to partnership signings with CEMR and the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation — each reflecting the same ambition: to position 28DIGITAL as the connective tissue of European innovation, bridging education, research, enterprise and policy into something greater than the sum of its parts.