Project description
WIRE 26 conference for sustainable regional development
The Week of Innovative Regions in Europe (WIRE) conference is the leading European policy forum for innovation and regional development. The Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) will host the WIRE 2026 conference during the Irish Presidency of the EU Council. The EU-funded FUTURE REGIONS project will develop strategies for sustainable regional growth by highlighting successful innovations in Europe. It will foster knowledge exchange among EU institutions, regional stakeholders, and Horizon Europe projects. The WIRE 2026 conference brings together policymakers, innovators, academics, SMEs, and citizens to align local actions with EU priorities, enhance regional competitiveness and innovation, and create actionable insights.
Objective
"The ""Week of Innovative Regions in Europe"" (WIRE) is a leading European policy forum focused on innovation and regional development. It is a key event where policymakers, regional authorities, research institutions, and businesses gather to discuss research and innovation practices, challenges, and opportunities across European regions. The event also enables stakeholders to address, develop and progress key topics of interest to the community and explores current and future EU funding programs related to research and innovation. The Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), in partnership with regional stakeholders, proposes to host the WIRE 2026 conference, on the 2nd and 3rd of December 2026, as an official event of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union (July - December 2026).
Under the theme “Future Regions: The role of sustainable innovation in European competitiveness”, WIRE 2026 will co-create strategies for sustainable regional growth, showcase regional success stories and innovations from across Europe, facilitate knowledge exchange between EU institutions, regional actors, and Horizon Europe projects and strengthen collaborative policy development aligned with the EU Green Deal and smart specialisation strategies (S3).
WIRE 2026 will be a two-day, high-level in-person event (with live streaming of keynote speaker events), hosted at the TUS Moylish Campus, in Limerick, Ireland and will convene European policymakers, innovators, academics, SMEs, and citizens to:
Strengthen the regional dimension of competitiveness and innovation by aligning local action with EU priorities:
Position regional actors as co-leaders in addressing global challenges: climate, security, decarbonisation, and technological transitions.
Build momentum toward cohesive, inclusive, and resilient Europe
Provide actionable insights and policy outcomes
Build upon the outcomes of previous conferences in the WIRE series
"
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.4.1.6 - Further supporting actions
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-WIRE2026-IBA
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
V94 EC5T Limerick
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.