Tuesday, December 30th, 2025
The ALICE Thematic Group 3 held an expert workshop on 2 December 2025, bringing together selected industry, research and technology leaders to support the development of the TG3 Work Programme 2026. Designed as an interactive working meeting rather than a traditional webinar, the session combined plenary insights with breakout discussions to explore the future of AI, data spaces, digital twins, smart assets and connectivity in logistics.
The TG3 Coordination Team opened the workshop by outlining the group’s central mission: enabling interconnected, data-driven logistics systems through innovation, regulatory alignment and practical deployment. Participants were invited to contribute their perspectives on current developments, emerging challenges and the priorities that should shape TG3 activities in the coming year.
A series of short expert presentations provided a shared foundation for the discussions. Anike Murrenhoff introduced the evolving role of artificial intelligence in logistics, noting that AI is delivering tangible value in areas such as routing, forecasting and warehouse optimisation, while adoption is still constrained by data governance issues and the implications of the EU AI Act.
Jon Kuiper and David Ciprés offered complementary perspectives on data spaces and digital twins, highlighting the rapid growth of EU-level initiatives and the need for clearer guidance on interoperability between systems such as eFTI, the Maritime Single Window and the European Mobility Data Space. Both emphasised that successful digital twins depend on robust, harmonised and trustworthy data infrastructures.
The final presentation, delivered by Giannis Kanellopoulos and Marianna Levtov, addressed smart assets, IoT and next-generation connectivity. They showcased recent progress in 5G/6G applications, remote operations, and the digitalisation of cargo units, while underlining persistent barriers related to return on investment, standards convergence and regulatory certainty.
Following the plenary, participants moved into three thematic breakout rooms to explore what is working, what is blocking progress and what is needed next. Across all groups, several common messages emerged.
AI in logistics is maturing, but scaling requires stronger data governance and clearer communication of credible use cases.
Data spaces and digital twins offer important opportunities but remain poorly understood, with industry seeking simpler entry points and better alignment between European initiatives.
Smart assets and connectivity technologies are technically ready, yet adoption continues to lag due to organisational hesitation, lack of standards and uncertainty around long-term regulatory signals.
The workshop concluded with a wrap-up session in which moderators synthesised the main insights. The TG3 Coordination Team thanked participants for their contributions and outlined the next steps: consolidating the workshop outcomes, continuing exchanges through the ALICE Knowledge Platform, and initiating the formal process to shape the TG3 Work Programme 2026.
All presentations, technical outcomes and supporting materials from the session are available on the ALICE Knowledge Platform, where the technical results of the workshop have been shared: Systems & Technologies for Interconnected Logistics | Knowledge Platform & ALICE members Intranet
The December workshop marked an important step in aligning the logistics community around shared priorities for digital transformation. TG3 will continue its collaborative work in 2026 to support the development of interoperable, resilient and data-driven logistics systems that underpin Europe’s transition toward a fully interconnected freight network.
The full workshop report, including detailed figures, policy recommendations, and a complete record of the discussion, is available exclusively to ALICE members via the Knowledge Platform.