2nd EU-Japan Digital Week 2026

The online Official Launch Event of the EU-Japan Hackathon on Interoperability of Data Spaces and Digital Public Infrastructure will bring together participating teams, technical leads, and partner organisations for a structured introduction to the hackathon — including briefings, team presentations, and a live Q&A.

Whether you want to participate, contribute, or support — this is where it all begins. Don't miss it!

Before the teams get building, they need to get equipped. The Challenge Presentation Webinar Series is a dedicated remote learning phase designed to give all participating teams deep technical insight into the tools, standards, and ecosystems at the heart of the hackathon.

Spanning 3 hours of structured online sessions, this series will bring together 6+ domain experts from leading organisations shaping the future of data interoperability and digital public infrastructure 

Each 30-minute session will walk participants through real-world systems, testbed access points, data trading workflows, and foundational standards - giving teams the knowledge they need to develop seamless, regulatory-compliant prototypes.

The 2026 Hackathon on Interoperability of Data Spaces and Digital Public Infrastructure invites innovators to Tokyo to advance the EU-Japan Digital Partnership and the G7 Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) framework. This event challenges cross-regional teams from the EU, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific to develop seamless, regulatory-compliant prototypes that bridge the European Digital Identity (EUDI) framework with Japan’s digital identity ecosystem and other foundational systems like MOSIP. Participants will gain exclusive access to managed dataspace testbed pre-configured, allowing them to focus on solving complex cross-border identity and data sovereignty challenges.

Register for the Hackathon here.

The 2026 Hackathon on Interoperability of Digital Public Infrastructure invites innovators to Tokyo to advance the EU-Japan Digital Partnership and the G7 Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) framework. Building on the success of the Bengaluru edition, this event challenges cross-regional teams from the EU, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific to develop seamless, regulatory-compliant prototypes that bridge the European Digital Identity (EUDI) framework with Japan’s digital identity ecosystem and other foundational systems like MOSIP. Participants will gain exclusive access to a managed dataspace testbed pre-configured with Gaia-X and NGSI-LD connectors, allowing them to focus on solving complex cross-border identity and data sovereignty challenges. 

Final pitches are scheduled to commence in Tokyo on Thursday, 26 March, at 12:30 JST, where each team will deliver a 6-minute presentation followed by a 5-minute Q&A session. The jury will then evaluate the solutions based on strict success criteria—including EUDI integration and cross-border verification—and innovation potential to select the top teams. Winners chosen during this process will be awarded the opportunity to present at the final INPACE event in Brussels in 2027.

The workshop will focus on key areas of the INPACE Cluster dedicated to “Enabling technologies - Chips for the future” and is aligned with the topics defined in the Digital Partnerships between EU and Japan. The presentations and discussions will cover the many semiconductor challenges (complex value chain, computing and storage needs, novel functionalities for electronic systems, circuit and system integration, energy & material needs, reliability) and possible technological solutions, especially: reductions of energy and material consumption for sustainable electronic systems, advanced logic devices and materials, integration of novel functionalities for future electronic systems (e.g. smart sensing, energy harvesting for autonomous system, power devices, photonics, cryoelectronics for quantum engineering), heterogeneous 3D integration and packaging for high performance, low power, low latency, miniaturisation, integration of new functionalities and lower cost of electronic systems, and possible cooperation on gaps in the semiconductor value chain.

This workshop is associated with the newly launched "Japan and EU Semiconductors: Mutual Innovation & Excellence" JASMINE Project.

This event is by invitation only. If interested, please contact Dr. Eva Pejsova (eva.pejsova@vub.be).

Against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions and the accelerating digital transformation across Europe and the Indo-Pacific, the European Union (EU) and Japan are deepening their partnerships to shape an open, secure, and resilient digital future. This policy workshop will explore how both sides can strengthen cooperation in Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDTs), such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and advanced semiconductor innovation, while safeguarding critical digital infrastructure, including undersea cables and satellite networks.

Gathering policy experts, industry leaders, and researchers, the workshop seeks to examine avenues for joint Research and Development (R&D) initiatives, investment, technology governance, and trusted connectivity frameworks. Participants will discuss practical collaboration mechanisms under the EU-Japan Digital Partnership and identify strategies for aligning standards, resilience measures, and innovation ecosystems in an evolving geopolitical and technological landscape, so as to jointly promote a rules-based, human-centric digital order in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

In this invitation-only exchange and networking event, representatives of the EU and Japanese administrations connect with tech industry leaders to discuss opportunities of effective joint market exploration in third countries. The discussion will map existing EU and Japan digital business offers and their complementarities as well as address market entry considerations, partnership models, and business development strategies. 

ETSI, leveraging the trusted and functioning relationship it has built over the years with Japanese partners, organises the workshop together with TTC in order to explore the role of standardisation and SDOs in supporting the EU-Japan Digital Partnership.

The ETSI-TTC event will focus on key digital technology domains and highlight notable success stories, tangible impact and commonalities, and forward-looking perspectives and synergies. This will demonstrate the instrumental roles of ETSI (with its European roots, dual role and global reach), and TTC (representing Japan) in advancing global digital standardisation through trusted, consensus-based global structures aligned with market needs. The domains targeted include QKD/Quantum technologies, Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Wireless/Telecommunications. 

This half-day event explores high performance computing collaboration between Europe and Japan, with specific focus on “Fugaku” (RIKEN, Japan) and “Jupiter” (hosted by Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany). These flagship supercomputers enable AI-driven solutions for societal challenges through unprecedented computational capabilities for climate and health and one health applications.

What to expect:

This session is designed for learning across topics, making new connections, and understanding what comes next in EU-Japan digital cooperation.

In December 2025, the European Commission and the Government of Japan successfully concluded negotiations on Japan’s association to Pillar II of Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research and innovation funding programme. With the agreement expected to be signed in mid-2026, this milestone opens a new chapter in EU–Japan cooperation in science, technology, and innovation.
Already today, entities based in Japan can lead and coordinate their own research projects under Horizon Europe, apply for and receive funding, and deepen collaboration with partners across the EU and other Associated Countries.
With an EU contribution of EUR 93.7 billion, complemented by contributions from soon 23 Associated Countries, Horizon Europe is the world’s largest and most internationally open civilian research and innovation programme. Its cross-sectoral and mission-oriented approach creates strong opportunities for alignment and synergy with Japan’s own research and innovation priorities, offering a powerful platform for joint solutions to global challenges.
The seminar will bring together European and Japanese policymakers, researchers, and other science, technology, and innovation stakeholders to explore new opportunities for collaboration. Participants will discuss Japan’s association to Horizon Europe, identify concrete synergies and partnership pathways, and gain inspiration from successful examples of past cooperation under previous EU Framework Programmes.

The ICT Stakeholder Roundtable is a closed, in-person event organised by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Japan (MIC). More details will be shared at a later stage. As this is a ministry-led event with limited access, participation is by invitation only.

If interested, please contact Adam Kapovits (kapovits@eurescom.eu).

Technologies and notably digital technologies have moved into the centre of all economic and societal developments. Economic growth today is tied to mastering advanced technology, societal developments are firmly in the hands of tech companies. 

Digital and tech diplomacy responds to that trend and infuses digital and tech into the conduct and practice of international relations, dialogue, and negotiations regarding digital policies and technological advancements.

It involves a broader set of stakeholders, including governments, tech companies, privacy and rights groups, the broader civil society organizations, think tanks and academia; working together to address challenges and opportunities presented by technology in the global arena. 

Digital and tech diplomacy also encompass questions related to digital sovereignty, negotiations related to cyberspace, cybersecurity, and digital governance. It involves governments, international organizations, and diplomats working to establish norms, treaties, and cooperation mechanisms to address challenges in the globally connected digital realm.

This panel will take digital and tech diplomacy as a starting point for reflecting on how foreign policy increasingly evolves around technology. Collaboration in innovation and technology becomes ever more important and now happens before the background of an increasingly complex world.  Digital and tech diplomacy are practised in the context of digital sovereignty, the protection of critical infrastructure, and questions of national security.

The panel will aim to update knowledge and create awareness in roles that promote the Digital Economy, share tools and practices to become more effective and efficient in a world driven increasingly by advanced digital technologies.