As global competition over technological leadership intensifies, the EU faces a critical challenge: turning its considerable technological, industrial and research capabilities into sustainable economic growth. While the EU has set ambitious goals for its digital and economic future, structural barriers continue to make it difficult to scale innovation, deploy emerging technologies across industries, and compete globally. Strengthening the EU’s competitiveness will therefore require not only greater investment in technologies such as artificial intelligence, but also closer cooperation among EU member states.
Against this backdrop, Aspen Institute Germany is launching “Turning Digital Ambition into Competitiveness: A Trilateral EU Futures Initiative on Competitiveness,” a year-long project running from September 2026 to August 2027.
At the heart of the project is a cohort of up to 24 decision makers – eight each from Germany, Italy, and Poland – from government and the public sector, business, academia, think tanks, and civil society. Through a structured foresight process, they will explore how technological innovation can translate into greater economic strength and where closer cooperation among the three countries could contribute to strengthening the EU’s digital competitiveness.
Through four digital sessions and three in-person meetings in Berlin, Rome, and Brussels, participants will examine the technological, economic, political, and geopolitical developments that could shape the EU’s competitiveness over the coming decade. They will identify critical uncertainties, develop future scenarios, and explore the strategic choices and opportunities for cooperation that different futures could create.
The process will address questions ranging from industrial digitalization and the application of AI to investment, skills, infrastructure, resilience, and innovation ecosystems. The project will culminate in a foresight report bringing together the scenarios, key findings, and recommendations developed through the process. The results will be presented and discussed with a broader EU policy audience at a concluding meeting in Brussels in June 2027.
Applications for the cohort will open soon. Aspen Germany welcomes applications from experienced experts and decision makers from Germany, Italy, and Poland who are interested in contributing their perspectives to this forward-looking dialogue on the EU’s digital and economic future.
For more information, please click here.
The project is led by the Aspen Institute Germany, which retains full editorial independence over the project and its findings. Its project partners are Aspen Institute Central Europe and Aspen Institute Italia. The project is financially supported by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (Meta).
