Autonomous Vehicles, Policy and Research: Key Takeaways from the EARPA Spring Meeting 2026

3. & 4. March 2026, Brussels

On 3. and 4. March 2026, the European Automotive Research Partners Association (EARPA) held its Spring Meeting 2026 in Brussels, bringing together nearly 200 participants from across the European automotive research and innovation community.

The two-day event gathered EARPA members, industry experts and policymakers to exchange insights on the future of automotive research and collaboration in Europe.

Day 1 focused on internal workshops for EARPA members, including sessions of the Foresight Groups and Collaborative Research Groups. Discussions explored emerging research priorities, contributions to EARPA position papers and collaboration opportunities for upcoming calls for 2026 and 2027 under Horizon Europe.

The evening networking reception opened with remarks from Michele De Gennaro, President of EARPA, highlighting the essential role of collaborative research in strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and translating research into real-world impact.

Day 2 began with the EARPA General Assembly, where members discussed the 2026 work plan, welcomed IAAPS University of Bath as a new member, and announced that Barcelona will host the Spring Meeting 2027.

The programme continued with keynote and panel discussions addressing key developments shaping the automotive sector. A keynote by Andrea De Candido (European Commission) provided updates on EU policy, followed by a panel on Autonomous Vehicles (AV) in the EU, moderated by Adrià Ferrer (Applus+ IDIADA). Panelists included Stefan Bogensberger (European Commission), Marzena Jougounoux (European Commission), and Charlotte Eisner (Bolt). Discussions highlighted the need for large-scale AV testing, high-quality data to train systems and the importance of building public trust through safe deployment.

A second panel, Navigating Economic and Political Shifts in the Automotive Sector: Consequences for Research and Innovation, was moderated by Peter Urban, EARPA Vice-President. Panelists included Stefan Deix (EURCAR), Oihana Otaegui (Vicomtech), Bert Pluymers (KU Leuven), Horst Pflügl (AVL) and Thilo Bein (Fraunhofer LBF). Key discussions focused on digitalisation, AI-enabled hardware, and the critical link between research and industry in driving innovation.

The EARPA Spring Meeting 2026 reinforced the importance of collaboration between research organisations, industry and policymakers in driving Europe’s automotive innovation and competitiveness.

Initiatives such as the E-VOLVE Cluster exemplify this approach in practice. By connecting complementary R&D projects across Europe, the cluster is delivering synergies that accelerate the development of the next generation of electric vehicles. Its work focuses on integrated innovations across EV components to meet future mobility needs, enhancing energy efficiency, usability, cost-effectiveness and driving range for both urban and inter-city travel.

Check out this link to access the event pictures: Spring Meeting 2026 | Flickr

The research leading to these results have received funding from European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme H2020 and Horizon Europe.

Special credit is to be given to the project ACHILES (824311) under the lead of VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL for the initial setup and continuous management of the E-VOLVE Cluster between 2018 and 2022. Thanks a lot for the efforts and initiative that is highly appreciated.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the funding authority can be held responsible for them.