Friday, August 29th, 2025
On 16-17 September 2025, Brussels will host the sixth edition of the European Research and Innovation (R&I) Days, the European Commission’s flagship event for shaping the future of science, technology, and innovation in Europe. With a growing focus on strategic autonomy, industrial competitiveness, and sustainable transformation, this year’s R&I Days will take place at a particularly significant moment in the EU policy calendar.
As discussions around the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and Framework Programme 10 (FP10) gain momentum, the event offers a timely platform to explore how Europe’s investment in research and innovation can accelerate economic growth, environmental sustainability, and digital leadership.
The 2025 edition will spotlight the essential role of research and innovation in securing Europe’s global competitiveness, reinforcing its industrial leadership, and supporting the twin green and digital transitions. For ALICE and its network, these themes are closely aligned with our mission to enable zero-emission, smart, digital, automated and resilient logistics systems.
Europe has long demonstrated excellence in research and knowledge generation. However, as recent analyses by the European Commission and EARTO have highlighted, more emphasis is needed on experimental development, testing innovations in operational environments and the commercialisation of results- areas where logistics innovation, particularly the road transport transition to electric and autonomous, the digital transformation of the freight and logistics system and the Physical Internet concept adoption are clear areas requiring systemic transition and deployment of innovation at scale and in coordination across sectors and stakeholders to address interdependencies.
While the agenda covers a wide range of sectors and domains, several sessions are of direct relevance to the logistics and transport innovation community:
These topics mirror the challenges and opportunities currently faced by Europe’s logistics ecosystem: from scaling up low-carbon freight solutions, to integrating digital technologies into cross-border logistics operations.
This year’s R&I Days will also intersect with several major European strategies and policy milestones, including:
Taken together, these initiatives signal a broader shift toward a mission-oriented R&I agenda, one that values not only scientific excellence but also real-world application. This is particularly important for logistics, where system-wide innovation, demonstration projects, and technology validation are crucial to success.
As a European Technology Platform committed to aligning research with the practical transformation of logistics, ALICE welcomes this renewed focus on deployment, demonstration, and commercialisation.
The event provides an important opportunity to:
Whether in person or online, ALICE will be closely following the discussions, and we encourage our members and partners to do the same.
The European R&I Days 2025 are open to the public and free to attend. Participants can expect high-level discussions, dynamic panels, and a chance to help shape the strategic direction of Europe’s research and innovation agenda.
🔗 Register here: European Research and Innovation Days – European Commission
📄 Download the agenda: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/document/download/7df1f67e-b4de-4a86-b428-f56babff2304_en?filename=ec_rtd_ri-days-2025-agenda.pdf