Engineering Better Lives: Landmark Conference Comes to Belfast
As part of the countdown to the Euro-CASE 2026, we caught up with Gillian Gregg, Royal Academy of Engineering.
As the Associate Director for Regional Engagement at the Royal Academy of Engineering, I have the privilege of working across all parts of the UK to strengthen innovation ecosystems and support emerging engineering and technology talent. While based in Northern Ireland, I divide my time between the Academy’s regional Enterprise Hubs and London, championing excellence in engineering from Glasgow to Swansea and beyond.
In 2026, we are proud to be co-hosting the Euro-CASE (The European Council of Academies of Applied Sciences, Technologies and Engineering) - a major gathering of global experts in engineering and technology innovation, research and policy - at ICC Belfast. This is a significant milestone, not only for the Royal Academy of Engineering but also for Northern Ireland and the wider island of Ireland.
To be able to convene leading voices in innovation around the theme of Resilience of Digital and Physical Infrastructure, is a big deal. It’s a topic that speaks to Belfast’s strengths as a cybersecurity hub and also brings cross-European concerns about safety and security of energy, communications and transport infrastructure onto the table.
Why the Royal Academy of Engineering Matters
The Royal Academy of Engineering is the UK’s national academy for engineering and technology. We are a unique organisation, combining the roles of National Academy, Charity, and Fellowship - with over 1,600 Fellows elected by their peers for their outstanding contributions to engineering. From trailblazing academics to industrial giants and innovation investors, our Fellows shape the future of technology and society.
At the heart of our work is a commitment to “engineering better lives”. We do this by supporting high-potential deep tech startups through our Enterprise Hub, advising policymakers on complex challenges, and facilitating research that drives sustainable and inclusive growth.
One of the most powerful ways we support these goals is through our Regional Hubs, which amplify excellence outside the London-South East corridor and help build place-based engineering ecosystems across the UK.
Belfast: Our First Regional Hub and a Proven Model
In 2020, we piloted our first Regional Hub in Belfast. We saw early on that the region had all the ingredients for success: a strong industrial heritage, world-class universities, a diverse and skilled workforce, and an agile, tightly connected innovation ecosystem.
Northern Ireland’s size is a strategic advantage - it’s large enough to think globally, yet small enough to foster tight-knit collaboration between academia, industry, investors, and government. That powerful mix has enabled the region to punch well above its weight. The Academy’s Enterprise Hub ranks 3rd leading startup hub and 1st for networking in UK in the Financial Times / Statista “Europe’s Leading Startup Hubs” rankings 2025.
In fact the success of the Belfast Hub has become a blueprint. We've since launched Hubs in Swansea, Glasgow, Newcastle and Liverpool, with Sheffield joining soon and two more planned for 2026. Each Hub reflects the unique strengths of its region, but all share a mission: to build inclusive, resilient, and high-performing deep tech ecosystems.
When it came to choosing a venue for the 2026 European Academies conference, ICC Belfast was the clear front-runner.
Why ICC Belfast?
I’ve experienced ICC Belfast first-hand through events hosted by others. It’s a venue that consistently delivers - offering world-class facilities, an outstanding mainstage, flexible breakout and exhibition spaces, and a team with real expertise in delivering complex, high-profile events.
For an event of this significance - bringing together 200 to 300 delegates from across Europe, Ireland, and the UK - venue selection is about more than logistics. It’s about impact. We needed a place that could showcase the best of UK engineering and the unique strengths of Northern Ireland to an international audience. I know that ICC Belfast will deliver on every front.
Its central location, proximity to George Best Belfast City Airport, Belfast International Airport, and even Dublin Airport just over an hour away, ensures ease of access. Add to that a thriving hospitality sector and walkable city centre, and it becomes a perfect setting for networking, collaboration, and discovery.
A Cross-Border, Cross-Academy Vision
This event is a joint initiative between the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Irish Academy of Engineering - a collaboration that reflects our shared vision for inclusive innovation on the island of Ireland.
Together, we’re striving to address significant challenges: building sustainable societies, driving inclusive economic growth, and leveraging engineering to improve lives.
By hosting the conference in Belfast, we’ll be shining a spotlight on a region that exemplifies excellence in these.
What Will Make the Conference a Success?
Our goal is to create a dynamic, engaging agenda that sparks new ideas and collaborations and builds lasting and inspiring connections.
There are three key outcomes we’re focused on:
1. Elevating research and collaboration: Providing a platform for European innovation leaders to discuss crucial challenges and opportunities around the main theme. And we’ll be tapping into the region’s academic powerhouses - Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University - as well as its industry leaders and Fellows of the Academy. Northern Ireland names on our Fellows list are not just heavy hitters locally, they are truly global innovators, so they’ll play an important role in the event too.
2. Showcasing local innovation: Northern Ireland is home to pioneering companies like Artemis Technologies and Spirit AeroSystems. If we can get a hydrofoil moored outside ICC Belfast or display aerospace innovations inside it, we will. This is our chance to spotlight the region’s advanced manufacturing and engineering excellence, and we have it in spades.
3. Impressing our peers: We want our European counterparts to leave inspired - feeling that Belfast has raised the bar even further from previous signature events from across Europe.
Engineering Better Outcomes
This conference is more than a gathering. It’s a platform to grow networks, inspire action, and elevate ambition. The real magic of these events happens in the conversations - in panels, over coffee or at a dinner showcasing Northern Ireland’s fabulous local produce - where delegates will connect, challenge assumptions, and leave with something new to build on.
By choosing ICC Belfast and the wider city as our stage, we’re not just hosting a conference - we’re making a statement: that the future of engineering is happening everywhere, not just in London, Berlin or Paris. It’s happening in Belfast too.
And we can’t wait to welcome the world to see it for themselves.
