Sustainable aviation can only take off if the energy system and the right infrastructure is ready. This session explores the capacity, production and system choices that will shape the future of flight. Join experts and peers to unpack what must happen next. What are in your view the three system decisions we can’t delay?

Step in, challenge assumptions, and help define the system choices that will determine sustainable aviation’s future.

Aerospace is being asked to scale production while time and operational capacity remain limited. The challenge goes beyond finding more people or preserving specialist knowledge: it requires rethinking how work gets done. AI offers possibilities, but possibilities do not change operations. In this breakout, Bit explores how AI can help aerospace do more in the same amount of time and support growth. We challenge assumptions and identify what is worth prototyping next, with human expertise at the centre.

In this interactive breakout session, you will explore what strategic autonomy means for different stakeholders as geopolitical shifts, technological breakthroughs, and changing policy priorities reshape the future of aviation in Europe. Working in teams, participants will step up into the roles of key players in the aviation ecosystem and develop strategies for realistic future scenarios. But don’t get too comfortable. Along the way, real-time disruptions will force you to rethink, adapt and act. 
The session combines strategic thinking with execution and collaboration with a healthy dose of competition. With one central question: what actions can we take today to strengthen the strategic position of the Netherlands and Europe in the global aviation landscape?

This breakout session will be facilitated by the innovation team of nlmtd.

Bringing breakthrough technologies to market is often harder than developing them. Between innovation and commercial success lies the ‘Valley of Death’: the gap where promising technologies struggle to attract investment, customers, and the right conditions to scale. This session explores how we can bridge that gap through new approaches to innovation, policy, and collaboration. From public interventions and smarter deployment strategies to spin-ins, spin-offs and dual-use opportunities, discover how industry, investors and policymakers can work together to accelerate market adoption while strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and Dutch earning power.

How can synergies between defense and civil strengthen both sustainable aviation and Europe's strategic resilience? This interactive session explores where civil and defence innovation can reinforce one another, creating new opportunities for technology development, collaboration and investment. Together, participants will identify the most promising technologies, partnerships and strategic opportunities through facilitated discussions and collaborative exercises. The outcomes will help shape future roadmaps and inspire new project initiatives that strengthen both the Dutch aerospace ecosystem and Europe's technological leadership.

International cooperation in aerospace can unlock greater effectiveness in technology development and strengthen supply chain ties. However, challenges such as mismatched program structures, intellectual property concerns, and administrative burdens may arise. In this session, we will explore solutions and share experiences.

While traditionally startups pitch themselves to investors, in this breakout we flip this well-established tradition on its head. Unpitch is a format in which investors pitch themselves to startups. In effect this means startups get the opportunity to connect with investors in a casual, no-pressure context in which you can discuss your business, get meaningful feedback and make valuable connections. The investors pitch themselves because each of them acknowledges that without great founders, there are no successful investors.

IMPORTANT: Please note that this session is on invitation only. Are you a startup or investor and interested in joining this session? Please register for this breakout, and we will contact you about availability.