The SESAR Innovation Days (SIDs) 2026 will take place in Cork, Ireland, from 7 to 10 December 2026, hosted by University College Cork (UCC).

A landmark event in the European aviation research calendar, the SESAR Innovation Days bring together researchers, industry experts, policymakers and academics from across Europe and beyond to share the latest research and innovation shaping the future of air traffic management (ATM).

This year’s event is included in the official calendar of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and is organised with the support of Cork Airport, Visit Cork, Fáilte Ireland and Atlantic Flight Training Academy (AFTA).

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Why attend?

With a strong focus on exploratory research and open knowledge exchange, the SESAR Innovation Days offer a unique opportunity to:

  • Discover the latest developments in ATM research and innovation
  • Hear from leading researchers, industry experts and decision-makers
  • Exchange knowledge and build connections across the European ATM research community
  • Explore peer-reviewed research through technical paper and poster sessions
  • Experience demonstrations showcasing innovative concepts and technologies
  • Visit a leading aviation partners 

Beyond the conference programme, participants can look forward to a range of networking opportunities, including the SIDs welcome event and a special networking evening at Jameson Distillery Midleton.

The 2026 edition will also host the SESAR Young Scientist Award, recognising outstanding contributions from early-career researchers working in ATM and aviation-related fields.

Registration

Participation in the SESAR Innovation Days is free of charge, but registration is required. Places for the site visits and networking activities are limited, so early registration is encouraged.

Register for SESAR Innovation Days 2026

Special accommodation rates are also available for SIDs participants at selected hotels in Cork. 

Please note that the registration to the site visit on Monday 7 December is now closed, if you would like to be added to the waiting list, please contact perrine.lumen@sesarju.eu 

Previous SIDs editions 

If you are interested in previous editions of the SIDs, it's all here in the SIDs archives.

We are currently evaluating all Papers and Posters proposals we received. 

Notification of acceptance will be sent on:

16 October 2026 for poster contributions

12 November 2026 for scientific papers

General Chairwoman: Olivia Nonez (SESAR JU)

Programme chairman (Drik Schaefer)

Members of the programme committee

Sameer Alam NTU
Sara  Bagassi University of Bologna
Luis Barbero GATCO
Cristina Barrado UPC
Juan Alberto  Besada Portas UPM Madrid
Tatjana  Bolic Westminster University
Lorenzo Castelli University of Trieste
Ramon Dalmau Codina EUROCONTROL
Francesca De Crescenzio University of Bologna
Paolino de Falco EUROCONTROL
Daniel Delahaye ENAC
Gabriele Enea MIT Lincoln Lab
Antonio  Franco University of Seville
Eduardo Garcia CANSO
Philip Harris Collins
Peter Hecker TU Braunschweig
Ricardo Herranz Nommon
Jacco Hoekstra TU Delft
Gokhan Inalhan The Sloane Institute
Radosav Jovanovic University of Belgrade
Biljana  Juricic  University of Zagreb
Dirk Kuegler DLR
Rose Leahy MTU
Javier Lopes Boeing Research & Technology Europe
Guglielmo Lulli Lancaster University
Efstathios  Malakis Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority
Stephane Marché  Honeywell Aerospace
Max Mulder TU Delft
Jose Muñoz  Autonomous University of Barcelona
Rocco Nannavecchia Pipistrel
Fedja  Netjasov University of Belgrade
Xavier Olive ONERA
Renée Pelchen-Medwed EUROCONTROL
Goran Petrovic SMATSA
Simone Pozzi Deep Blue
Xavier Prats UPC
Jose Javier Ramasco University of the Balearic Island
Sergio Ruiz EUROCONTROL
Michael Schultz University of the Bundeswehr Munich
Rita Somogyi Tern
Junzi Sun TU Delft
Damiano Taurino Deep Blue
Georg Trausmuth Frequentis 
Alfonso Valenzuela University of Seville
George Vouros University of Piraeus
Massimiliano Zanin University of the Balearic Island