STEAMDRY will take part in the 2026 Feedback-to-Policy (F2P) Stakeholders’ Workshop, co-organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) and the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The event will take place on 4–5 November 2026 at the Conference Centre Albert Borschette in Brussels.
The workshop will bring together Horizon Europe Cluster 4 projects, policymakers and innovation stakeholders to share practical lessons on how EU support can strengthen the journey from research and innovation to investment and market deployment. The outcomes will inform discussions on synergies between the future Horizon Europe Framework Programme for 2028–2034 and the European Competitiveness Fund.
Sharing STEAMDRY’s experience
Representatives of the STEAMDRY project will contribute to two thematic breakout sessions, sharing insights from the development and piloting of superheated steam drying technologies for energy-intensive manufacturing industries.
Harri Kiiskinen (VTT) will contribute to the session on Industry–academia collaboration. He will highlight how effective cooperation between research organisations, technology providers, digitalisation experts and manufacturers can accelerate the development and industrial uptake of low-carbon process technologies.
STEAMDRY brings these complementary actors together to develop and validate superheated steam drying solutions for the paper, board, tissue and nonwoven sectors. This collaborative model creates a continuous feedback loop between scientific knowledge, engineering design, industrial operating conditions and market needs, helping ensure that innovation responds to real manufacturing challenges.
Teresa Sixto Anello (FEUGA), STEAMDRY’s IP and Exploitation Manager, will take part in the session on How public and EU support can facilitate and accelerate the innovation-to-investment journey. Her contribution will focus on the factors that determine whether sustainable industrial technologies can progress beyond successful technical development and reach the market.
From innovation to market uptake
Drawing on STEAMDRY’s exploitation activities, Teresa will underline the value of engaging industry, SMEs, investors and public authorities at an early stage. Alongside technical performance, market uptake depends on addressing barriers related to investment, regulatory conditions, skills, standardisation and the integration of new technologies into existing industrial processes.
The project will also emphasise the need to create stronger links between research and innovation funding, demonstration activities, scale-up finance and support for market replication. Integrating exploitation planning, IP management and stakeholder dialogue from the outset can help innovative technologies move beyond individual projects and contribute more effectively to Europe’s green industrial transition.
About the workshop
The two-day programme includes plenary success-story presentations, thematic breakout sessions and networking opportunities. STEAMDRY will contribute to the breakout sessions on:
- Making technologies move up the TRLs and How public/EU support could facilitate and accelerate the innovation-to-investment journey on 4 November.
- Industry–academia collaboration on 5 November.
The workshop agenda includes a dedicated focus on the experience of Energy-Intensive Industries projects, alongside other Horizon Europe areas such as advanced manufacturing, advanced materials and clean steel.