SOTEU 2026, delivered by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 16 September before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, set out the European Union’s priorities for the year ahead and introduced a series of new initiatives.
The State of the Union is one of the key moments in the European institutional calendar. Each year, the address provides an opportunity to look back at the progress made over the previous twelve months, set out the European Union’s priorities and announce new initiatives.
Each year, this Exchange of ideas provides an opportunity to look back at the progress made over the previous twelve months, to set out the European Union prime concerns for the coming year, and to announce new initiatives to achieve those objectives.
Beyond the political and institutional aspects, the SOTEU also focuses on the direction Europe will take in terms of policies, investment, and cooperation during the coming months of gruelling work.
From European priorities to research and innovation
Research and innovation play a main role in translating the ambitions of Europe into practical solutions.
Across areas ranging from climate adaptation and the circular economy to digitalisation, clean technologies, health, food systems and industrial competitiveness, European research programmes bring together universities, companies, public authorities, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to address common challenges.
Connection between policy priorities and research activity is particularly relevant at the time when Europe is seeking to strengthen its competitiveness while accelerating the green and digital transitions and reinforcing its capacity to develop and scale strategic technologies.
Technology, innovation, science and research have therefore become increasingly important not only a driver of scientific progress, but also as tools for strengthening Europe’s economic resilience and long-term competitiveness.
Building a strong connection, how European projects mix perfectly policy and impact
Programmes such Horizon Europe is one of the gears through which broader EU priorities are translated into concrete research and innovation activities.
Those projects tend long paths what connects different people from far and wide the European territory and distant lands to combine expertise, test new approaches and develop solutions that can move from research to real-world application.
They also create spaces for cooperation between researchers, industry, policymakers, public authorities and citizens, helping ensure that innovation responds to societal, environmental and economic needs.
For organisations working within the European research and innovation ecosystem, the State of the Union therefore provides more than an overview of the EU’s political agenda. It offers valuable context for understanding the challenges and opportunities that will shape future European cooperation
SOTEU 2026: the priorities for the year ahead
President Ursula von der Leyen used the 2026 state of the Union address to place European independence, competitiveness and resilience at the centre of the EU’s agenda for the year ahead.
A key priority will be strengthening Europe’s industrial capacity and reducing strategic dependencies. Among the initiatives announced was the creation of a new European Corporation on Critical Raw Materials, designed to help secure and stockpile materials essential for strategic sectors including semiconductors, batteries, electric vehicles and clean technologies.
Technology also featured prominently in the address. Artificial intelligence remains a strategic area for Europe, alongside growing attention to the safety and governance on increasingly capable AI systems. The Commission President announced plans to bring together leading frontier AI laboratories to discuss how to manage emerging risks, while strengthening international cooperation on model evaluation, verification and AI security.
Climate resilience represents another important area for future European action. Alongside maintaining the EU’s climate ambitions, the Commission plans to reinforce adaptation and preparedness through initiatives including a Climate Insurance Alliance, a European Heatwave Plan and further measures targeting vulnerable regions.
The address also highlighted the importance of international cooperation in strengthening Europe’s technological and economic resilience. In particular, the EU intends to deepen cooperation with Canada across strategic areas including artificial intelligence, critical raw materials, clean technologies, energy and climate.
Together, these priorities point towards an increasing interconnected European agenda in which research, technological development, industrial capacity, climate resilience and international cooperation will need to work together to strengthen Europe’s long-term competitiveness and capacity to act.
Turning European ambitions into action
The priorities presented during SOTEU 2026 reinforce the growing connection between research and innovation, industrial competitiveness, technological sovereignty and resilience.
From artificial intelligence and strategic technologies to climate adaptation, clean technologies and critical raw materials, many of the challenges identified in the address require solutions that cannot be developed by policy or industry alone. They depend on collaboration between researchers, companies, public authorities, innovators and society across Europe.
European research and innovation programmes therefore have an important role to play in translating these strategic ambitions into knowledge, technologies, demonstrators and solutions capable of reaching real-world application.
At Contactica , we work within this ecosystem by supporting European research and innovation initiatives and helping projects communicate their knowledge, results and impact to the stakeholders and communities that can put them into practice.
As Europe defines its priorities for the year ahead, collaborative research and innovation will continue to play a key role in turning those ambitions into action.
