Many well-known guests

In this context, numerous well-known guests lend ERF additional significance. The current Federal Minister of Economic Affairs, Robert Habeck, is announced for the official opening on March 25, 2025. Professor Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, will also be part of the official opening of ERF. Contributions by Baden-Württemberg's Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism, Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, and by Lucilla Sioli, Director for AI and Digital Industry at the European Commission, are further official items on the program. The local Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism is a co-organizer of the ERF 2025. Finally, the state capital Stuttgart, and the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation are also supporting the ERF. Stuttgart’s Lord Mayor Frank Nopper will be giving a welcome speech at the pre reception that will be hosted by the City of Stuttgart.

Press conference and panel discussion

Following the opening on March 25, a press conference and panel discussion about Europe’s status and possibilities with respect to robotics and AI technologies is planned, which is aimed in particular at media representatives. The General Chair of the event, Werner Kraus from Fraunhofer IPA, as well as the Co-Chairs Matthias Peissner (Fraunhofer IAO), Professor Alexander Verl and Professor Marco Huber (both from the University of Stuttgart) and Rebecca C. Reisch (Managing Director of Cyber Valley GmbH) will also take part. From euRobotics, Bernd Liepert will join. Journalists from the daily, weekly and trade press can register free of charge for ERF.

Further information for interested parties, media representatives, potential sponsors, and exhibitors, as well as all program and registration details: www.erf2025.eu

Event co-organisers

euRobotics aisbl is a Brussels based international non-profit association for all stakeholders in European robotics. It was founded in September 2012 with the aim to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and to ensure industrial leadership of manufacturers, providers and end-users of robotics technology-based systems and services. The objectives of euRobotics are to boost European robotics research, development and innovation and to foster a positive perception of robotics. It aims at:

• strengthening competitiveness and ensuring industrial leadership of manufacturers, providers and end users of robotics technology-based systems and services;
• the widest and best uptake of robotics technologies and services for professional and private use;
• the excellence of the science base of European robotics.

Fraunhofer IPA: With around 1,200 employees, Fraunhofer IPA is one of the largest institutes in the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The “Automation and Robotics” research division has been developing automation solutions, for example for production and intralogistics, for over 50 years and has led numerous groundbreaking national and international research projects, focusing in particular on the transfer of research results relating to AI-based robotics into applications.

Fraunhofer IAO: Digital technologies are changing our working world and have a profound impact on the economy and society. Long-established methods and processes are being modernized and revolutionized by digitization in the shortest of time periods. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO works with companies, institutions and public-sector organizations to develop strategies, business models and solutions for the digital transformation.

University of Stuttgart: The University of Stuttgart is a leading technically oriented university with a worldwide reputation. With its 22,000 students and approximately 5,500 employees, it pursues the vision of “intelligent systems for a sustainable society”. With its strong research profile, its successful collaborative research and its currently two clusters of excellence, it is one of the most successful universities in Germany. Its special profile, the “Stuttgart Way”, stands for the consistent interdisciplinary networking of complementary subject areas and the integration of engineering, natural sciences, humanities and social sciences.

Cyber Valley GmbH: Cyber Valley is Europe’s largest and leading center for excellence in artificial intelligence and modern robotics. Its mission and public mandate are to advocate for research, development, application, and acceptance of technologies and methods in the field of intelligent systems. Cyber Valley encourages entrepreneurship by uniting scientific excellence with innovation and technology transfer. In addition, Cyber Valley facilitates critical reflection on the ethical and social implications of AI through public engagement. Cyber Valley envisions a future in which the full potential of intelligent systems is leveraged for the greater good of the world.

State capital Stuttgart: Stuttgart is an important center of science. The city is the scientific centre of Baden-Württemberg with a high density of scientific institutions. According to the State Statistical Office, 45 percent of the state's research and development capacity is concentrated in Stuttgart, making it one of the strongest research locations in Germany. The city is the only city in Baden-Württemberg with two universities, in addition to five public colleges and a large number of private universities. With around 59,000 students, Stuttgart is the largest student city in Baden-Württemberg. In addition, numerous research-based companies contribute to Stuttgart's scientific strength and form an essential basis for the city's prosperity.