Michiel Scheffer says mobility, soils, AI and quantum computing hardware are possible topics for 2026 pilot challenges
Photo credits: DARPA’s Grand Challenges to build self-driving cars in the early 2000s is credited with seeding the autonomous vehicle industry / DARPA
The Advanced Innovation Challenges to be piloted in 2026 by the European Innovation Council (EIC) are starting to take shape, according to EIC president Michiel Scheffer. Speaking at a Science|Business webinar at the end of September, he said there would be “continuity” between the issues the EIC tackles now and the challenge topics, with mobility, soils, artificial intelligence and quantum computing hardware as possible topics.
How open the goals of the challenges are will depend on whether a likely procurer exists for the technology in question, he said. “When there is, let's say, a potential buyer at the end, it is…
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