EEN@it-sa 2026

Europe is at a critical juncture: AI is expected to boost innovation, productivity, and competitiveness. At the same time, new vulnerabilities and dependencies on platforms, cloud infrastructures, data spaces, and AI models are emerging. The key challenge, therefore, is:

How can Europe accelerate innovation while ensuring security, resilience, and digital sovereignty?

Cybersecurity is becoming the unifying discipline between:

• AI innovation
• digital sovereignty
• resilient infrastructures, and
• trustworthy digital ecosystems

It is precisely at this intersection that opportunities arise for startups, research institutions, and SMEs, along with the need for international cooperation.

Participating in EEN@it-sa 2026 will give you insight into the discourse on current challenges and trends in IT and cybersecurity, combined with opportunities for international networking.

EEN@it-sa 2026 will bring together innovative companies, startups, research institutions, and cybersecurity stakeholders from across Europe on October 26 and 27, 2026, in Nuremberg.
Organized by EEN in collaboration with Bayern Innovativ, the event combines expert insights on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital sovereignty, and innovation with targeted international networking. On the eve of the trade show, participants can look forward to an exclusive networking and pitching session featuring keynote speeches on current European developments and challenges in the cybersecurity landscape.
On the second day, the program features a joint visit to the it-sa Expo&Congress, including selected stops, insights into innovation, and a wide range of opportunities to exchange ideas with international companies, research institutions, and organizations.
The goal of the event is to initiate new collaborations, innovation projects, and research and business partnerships within the European cybersecurity ecosystem.

• October 26, 2026: EEN@it-sa Pre-Event Networking: Welcome with a thematic introduction, pitches by participating companies, and networking at the Bayern Innovativ premises (4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.)
• October 27, 2026: Guided tour of the it-sa trade show, including a visit to the Bayern Innovativ joint booth at it-sa 2026 and other stops (program approx. 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
• October 27, 2026: EEN@it-sa Networking Dinner (at your own expense) (7:00 PM)
  

October 26, 2026: Pre-event Networking EEN@it-sa

4:00 – 4:15 p.m. | Arrival and check-in

4:15–4:30 p.m. | Welcome

4:30–5:15 p.m. | Trends in Cybersecurity

• Securing the Future of AI in Europe: Why Cybersecurity Is Becoming the Foundation for Innovation in AI
• The New European Perimeter: Cloud Sovereignty, Data Security, and Strategic Resilience
• From Compliance to Competitive Advantage: How Cybersecurity Regulations Drive Innovation
• Building the European Cyber Ecosystem: Startups, Research, and Industry Working Together

5:15–6:00 p.m. | Company Presentations (Pitches)

6:00 PM | Networking (with a selection of food and drinks)

The detailed program for the guided tour of the trade show, as well as the restaurant where the networking dinner will take place, will be emailed to registered participants.

Be sure to mark your calendar today for EEN@it-sa. We’ll post updates here and in our news section once registration opens.

Once we receive your registration, you’ll get a confirmation email. A substitute for a registered participant is possible by arrangement.

If you’re choosing the EEN@it-sa pre-event networking option with your own pitch, please email us the completed template by October 14, 2026, at the latest. One person per company or organization may deliver a 60- to 90-second pitch in English outlining the organization’s collaboration interests. The completed collaboration profile will be made available to participants in the form of a catalog and displayed in the background during the pitches.

For the “Guided EEN@it-sa Trade Show Tour ” option , which includes a trade show ticket, we will provide you with ticket information well in advance of the event (subject to availability).

Thanks to funding from the European Commission and regional co-financing, most of the Enterprise Europe Network’s (EEN) offerings and services are free of charge for you. This project received financial support under the European Union’s “Internal Market Program” under grant agreement number 101212720 – Enterprise Europe Network/Bayern/Bavaria2Europe.