In parallel with the international AI summit by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026, the Lisbon Council convened a High-Level Working Breakfast on ‘When AI Becomes the Co-Scientist: Who Validates Discovery?.’ The discussion explored AI-generated discoveries and delved into the debate about how these new findings are validated and by whom.

The quantum act is on the horizon. How do we ensure it truly delivers? The Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on ‘Building a World-Class Ecosystem: How to Make the European Quantum Act a Market Success’ to bring market leaders, startup founders and policymakers together for an open conversation on the path forward.

To spotlight the reality of scaling a digital business today and reflect on how the regulation of digital markets is evolving, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on ‘Born to Scale: How the App Economy Drives Business, Competitiveness and Regional Growth,’ a forum for conversation between those building innovative solutions and those tasked with ensuring that innovation translates into European competitiveness.

Europe has the opportunity to turn biotechnology into an engine of economic competitiveness, but the window to act is short. Regulation is an important enabler, but it must be paired with a collaborative, holistic approach to realise its ambition. To bridge this gap, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Policy Roundtable on ‘The European Biotech Renaissance: The Role of European Policy.’

We rarely hear directly from young people about their online experience. The Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on ‘The Web Young People Want: Building a Digital Future on Agency and Equality,’ an opportunity for decision-makers to listen to young people and discuss how to redesign an online world that works for them.

Competitiveness remains at the top of the policy agenda, and the work of the Lisbon Council to help ensure Europe’s future is shaped for and by its founders continues just as strongly. The Lisbon Council convened the Scaling Europe Summit 2026, bringing together leading European entrepreneurs and policymakers for a dialogue on what comes next for a thriving European startup and scale-up ecosystem.

How to truly achieve digital sovereignty? To answer this question and identify new ways to deliver change, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on ‘Sovereignty in Practice: A New Path for Europe’s Digital Success,’ taking a deep dive into the potential of smart public procurement, automated compliance and flexible innovation funding.

There is no secure and competitive Europe without sustainability. As European cities take the centre stage of this transition, the real challenge lies in delivering it under real economic and political constraints. To explore the path ahead, the Lisbon Council convened the 2026 Sustainable Cities Summit on ‘Squaring the Green Circle: Climate Action, Economic Urgency, Urban Reality.’ The summit served to launch the Sustainable Cities Lab, a new initiative to move from what must be done to how Europe delivers.