Post by VITO

At the YEAR Network - Young European Associated Researchers Annual Conference 2026, hosted by VITO, young researchers from across Europe gathered around the theme “𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁.” The programme opened with welcoming remarks from Inge Neven, CEO of VITO, who highlighted VITO’s role in transforming scientific knowledge into real-world societal impact, as well as the important role of young researchers as future impact-makers. Participants then explored the journey from research to venture with Nils Wuytens, learning how Research and Technology Organisations can help deep tech innovations move closer to market through validation, infrastructure, accelerator support and cross-country collaboration. The programme also included valuable policy insights from Giorgia Diomede from EARTO, who shared how RTOs contribute to Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem by bridging knowledge, skills, infrastructure, public partners and industry. The afternoon of Day 1 and Day 2 focused on Science for Policy, with an interactive training facilitated by Sven Retoré and Lene Topp from Visuality. Through simulations, small-group exercises and reflection, participants worked on making research more understandable, relevant and usable for decision-makers. VITO would like to thank the 50 attendees from AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, CEA, INESC TEC, RISE Research, SINTEF, TNO, Tyndall National Institute and VTT for their active participation. 🤝 #YEARConference2026 #ScienceToSociety #RTOs #VITO #EuropeanResearch