The OpenTwin International Ideathon 2026 offers practical insights into how Digital Twins are implemented across Europe and how these experiences can inform future projects.

The Ideathon brings together projects and stakeholders from public administration, infrastructure, research and practice who are working with Digital Twins or are planning related initiatives. It focuses on insights from ongoing projects, as well as the discussion of successful approaches and shared challenges.
The event provides an opportunity to gain hands-on insights, exchange experiences and connect with projects and stakeholders from across Europe.

By participating, you will gain:
• Insights into current approaches to developing and implementing Digital Twins across Europe, including cross-border projects
• A shared understanding of key challenges and enabling factors
• Opportunities for exchange on data infrastructure, interoperability, governance, scalability, and mobility data spaces and standards.
• Insights into a wide range of application projects, as well as networking opportunities.

Programme Overview
The programme features a keynote, three interactive workshop sessions (each held in two consecutive rounds) and a panel discussion. It combines project presentations with interactive discussion formats.
Please note: The programme is currently being finalised. Additional speakers and project contributions will be confirmed shortly.

Workshops:
Current insights into Digital Twins for future development
The workshops explore different thematic perspectives and provide insights into practical experiences from all over Europe. Each session includes short project inputs followed by a discussion of lessons learned and key challenges.

Workshop 1: Data, Interoperability and Technical Infrastructure
This session explores how data, interoperability and technical infrastructures are implemented in practice. Drawing on concrete project examples, it examines how data is shared, integrated and used across systems and organisations. The discussion focuses on key challenges, lessons learned and what is needed to build scalable and interconnected Digital Twin approaches.

Workshop 2: Organisation, Governance and Scalability
This session explores how collaboration around Digital Twins is organised in practice, particularly in complex multi-actor and cross-border settings. It examines governance structures, coordination challenges and approaches to scaling from individual projects to broader ecosystems.

Workshop 3: Mobility Data Spaces and Standards
This session examines how mobility data spaces can function as enabling data infrastructures for Digital Twin applications, including cross-border contexts. Based on practical examples, it explores how mobility data can be made more findable, accessible, interoperable, and usable in practice. The discussion focuses on how data is shared and connected across actors and systems, the challenges that arise in implementation, and the factors that support scalable and interoperable Digital Twin approaches.

The event is organised by iRights.Lab as part of the mFUND-funded OpenTwin project, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Transport.