The 2026 EBN Congress goes to Trentino!

19 June, Bilbao | EBN and EU|BIC Trentino Sviluppo are proud to announce that in 2026, EBN Congress will go to Trentino, Italy.

Hosted in both Rovereto and Riva del Garda (by the Garda Lake), the 2026 Congress will focus on Human-Centred Innovation.

The board of EBN rewarded the Trentino candidacy, which presented a proposal focused on the importance of the human factor in the companies and in the EU|BIC service design. Only by supporting workers and entrepreneurs in terms of safety, quality of work, accessibility and recognition of skills can we build innovative, competitive and resistant business models.

Achille Spinelli, vice president of the Autonomous Province of Trento and councilor for Economic Development, work, family, university and research

I am very happy that the EBN congress is returning to Italy and that it is doing so in a province that offers many talented people opportunities. We are happy to bring attention to a theme that has always been very important for the international community of EU|BICs, namely, people. People are at the centre of work, economic well-being, and society. People are the drivers and receipients of innovation. We thank EU|BIC Trentino Sviluppo and all the local actors who proposed to host us around an urgent and transversal theme.

Laura Lecci, CEO of EBN

EU|BIC Trentino Sviluppo is an esteemed and long-standing quality-certified business innovation centre, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026. EU|BIC Trentino Sviluppo is the “one-stop shop” that assists companies interested in establishing themselves in Trentino. It offers production spaces and properties, consulting and support services. Its services include access to over 1.5 million square meters of industrial sites and production areas, which include thematic incubators:

• Polo Meccatronica and the ProM Facility mechatronic for rapid prototyping and laboratories serving automotive, industrial automation, robotics, sensors, AI.
• Progetto Manifattura and Be Factory for the circular economy, sustainable mobility, clean energy, biotechnology, the sports industry and quality of life, with large spaces intended for industrial groups, innovative startups, research centres, and universities.

EU|BIC Trentino Sviluppo hosts four other incubators in Trento, Mezzolombardo, Borgo, and Pergine Valsugana.

In 2013, Polo Meccatronica hosted the EBN Techcamp, an initiative in which around eighty experts took part. Thirteen years later, we will have the honour of hosting the annual congress, the main event of the EU|BIC community. It will be packed with networking, panels, workshops, and keynote speeches involving over 300 incubation experts from all over Europe and beyond, who will discuss the issues we dedicate ourselves to every day at Trentino Sviluppo, such as innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises and the creation of new startups.

Giuseppe Consoli, president of Trentino Sviluppo