BRIDGES 5.0: Final Conference
2026-10-02 00:00 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels) | KBR Brussels (Panorama Room), Mont des Arts 28, Brussels, 1000, Belgium
From vision to action: Unleashing Skills for Industry 5.0

Venue:

Free to attend, in person only, maximum 100 people, first come, first served. Register now.

The BRIDGES 5.0 Final Conference marks the culmination of the project’s four-year journey towards shaping an inclusive, human-centred Industry 5.0 future. The event will present the project’s main achievements, including the proof of concept and business action plan for the Industry 5.0 Platform, and will formally hand over the platform to the Industry 4.0 networks as the main owners of the results.

The conference will bring together companies, social partners, policymakers and stakeholders to exchange lessons learned, showcase concrete outcomes, and discuss how to sustain and scale the project’s impact beyond its lifetime.

Participants will not only be informed about the project’s key outcomes but also contribute to shaping the Industry 5.0 Platform’s next chapter. Attendees will engage actively through polls, live demonstrations, and some of the topics will be selected by co-creation exercises during the masterclass series.

Keynote Speaker:

Judith Kirton-Darling industriALL

Judith is Deputy General Secretary of industriAll Europe, representing manufacturing, mining and energy workers from 38 European countries.She was formerly a Labour Member of the European Parliament for the North East of England (2014-20). Before entering parliament, she was active for 15 years within the Labour and trade union movement, notably she was elected Confederal Secretary at the European Trade Union Confederation in 2011.

Programme: (in development)

Time

Session

08:45 – 09:15

Registration and welcome coffee

09:15 – 09:30

Opening remarksThe Journey of BRIDGES 5.0

09:30 – 10:30

Keynote by Judith Kirton-Darling (industriALL)

10:30 – 11:30

Session 1: Learning from practice – Companies, social partners, sectoral federations and workers testimonials

Speakers: Alexios Papacharalampopoulos, Unai Ziarsolo

Panellists: Tony Schroeder, Unai Elorza, Frank Krause

11:30 – 12:00

Coffee break

12:00 – 13:00

Session 2: Shaping the future together – launch and co-ownership of the Platform

13:00 – 14:00

Lunch & networking

14:00 – 15:00

Session 3: Interactive segment: Industry 5.0 workforce skills

15:00 – 15:30

Session 4: The BRIDGES 5.0 Project book launch

15:30 – 16:15

Closing panel: Sustaining the legacy and the Future

16:15 – 16:30

Closing remarks and coffee

More about Bridges 5.0

Bridging human & digital potential. Bridges 5.0 creates a unique consortium based on active collaboration between researchers, 8 EU industrial companies, 9 Industry 4.0 ecosystems, and the main EU social partners.

Practical information

Meeting venue
KBR Brussels

Mont des Arts 28 1000 Brussels, Belgium Panorama Room

How to get to KBR Brussels

Registration
A link to the registration form can be found here.

This conference is an in-person event only. Please be aware that participation is limited to 100 in-person attendees on a first come, first served basis.

Registration before 25 September 2026 is necessary.

Registration desk
The conference registration desk will be located in the KBR (near Panorama room) and will be open during the whole day of the conference. The staff at the registration desk will be pleased to assist you with all your enquiries.

Name badge
Everybody receives a name badge. Everyone will be kindly requested to wear this badge during all conference activities, as it is your identification and allows you access to the conference venue, conference lunches and coffee breaks.

Hotel accommodation
Hotel accommodation is arranged and paid for by you.

A list of hotels within an acceptable distance of the venue can be found here.

Travel arrangements
The travel arrangements are to be arranged and paid by yourself.

How to reach Belgium?
By airplane

Brussels National Airport is situated in Zaventem. Travelling to and from the airport is easy (see map)

For more information on our international airport, see https://www.brusselsairport.be.

More information about Belgium
Belgium is the best kept secret in Europe. This country is perhaps Europe’s most underrated with some of the world’s best beer and a national cuisine which consists of waffles, chocolate, mussels and French fries. Belgium’s attractions include the capital – Brussels – with its beautiful Grande Place and futuristic atomium; historic Bruges and Antwerp, a bustling port city and centre of the world diamond trade.

Belgium is Europe in a nutshell, multicultural and multilingual. Flanders in the north, a flatland criss-crossed by canals, is proud of its great art cities, Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent. To the south in Wallonia, you will find the rolling hills of the Ardennes, numerous castles, and the cities of Liege, Namur, and Tournai.

See more information on https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium.

Mobile phones
As a courtesy to speakers and other delegates, participants will be requested that all mobile phones be turned off before entering the conference sessions.

Other practical information
Conference secretary: Inge Vanderwaeren HIVA, Parkstraat 47 – Box 5300, B-3000 Leuven Phone +32 16 32 31 35 Email: inge.vanderwaeren@kuleuven.be

Organiser: Laurène Thil HIVA, Parkstraat 47 – Box 5300, B-3000 Leuven Email: laurene.thil@kuleuven.be

If you should have some practical problems during the conference, please contact Inge Vanderwaeren.

We look forward to welcoming you to the conference.

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Photo source
Photo by KBR
