DigitalEU to spotlight AI support and data opportunities at Web Summit 2026

The European Commission’s digital policy department, DG Connect, is set to bring a practical EU support agenda to Web Summit in Lisbon, scheduled for 10 to 12 November 2026. Its programme will include two Masterclasses aimed at businesses and startups: one on support for organisations working with artificial intelligence, and another on how European data spaces can help small and medium-sized enterprises grow and innovate. The programme will explain support available through EU-level guidance and infrastructure.

Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen is also due to participate in a 10 November fireside chat on Europe’s technological sovereignty at the event’s Centre Stage. The planned discussion is framed around Europe’s ambition to develop a globally competitive technology ecosystem while setting rules for the digital economy. According to the programme, it will address areas including AI, cloud, chips and digital infrastructure, alongside the Commission’s work on platforms and AI systems. The event listing presents this as a discussion of policy themes; it does not announce a new decision or outcome.

For SMEs, the data-focused Masterclass will concentrate on opportunities to access and use data from connected products and on support linked to the EU Data Act. The Commission’s framing connects access to and use of data from connected products with business opportunities: the question is how companies can access and use such data. However, the published agenda does not set out which individual firms will participate, what projects they may develop, or what commercial results might follow. Those questions remain outside the information announced for Web Summit.

The AI session is intended to present practical support for professionals and businesses, including regulatory guidance, testing facilities, infrastructure, expertise, funding and tools. The programme describes support designed to help companies turn AI ideas into real-world solutions, including the forms of support outlined above. The programme does not claim that every participant will receive funding, infrastructure access or a particular regulatory assessment. Instead, it offers an opportunity to learn about forms of support described by the Commission and the routes through which they may be available.

The wider EU presence at Web Summit will extend beyond DG Connect. Other Commission services and EU bodies are scheduled to hold Masterclasses, panels, meetups and stands. DG GROW and HaDEA will have stands in Pavilion 4, while EuroHPC will also be present. HaDEA’s planned workshop will focus on EU funding opportunities connected with technological sovereignty. A separate EuroHPC session will cover ways industry can access European supercomputers, AI Factories and quantum computers free of charge, as well as applications and support available through the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. Attendance for that session is indicated as first-come, first-served.

The agenda also includes a discussion on intellectual-property-backed finance and an informal meetup for startups, entrepreneurs and creators focused on intellectual property and networking. DigitalEU Ambassadors are expected to create content and share their perspectives from Lisbon. Taken together, the programme includes sessions on data, AI, computing capacity, finance and intellectual property. The announcement sets out the planned programme and does not report outcomes of the discussions or their impact on participating businesses.