Promwad at “Successful R&I in Europe 2026”: When Innovation Means Smart Application

Ivan Kuten

Managing Director & Tech Advisor at Promwad GmbH

Alex Worobjow

Commercial Director at Promwad GmbH

On 19–20 February 2026, we attended the 13th European Networking Event “Successful R&I in Europe 2026” at the Van der Valk Airporthotel Düsseldorf. 

The event brought together innovators, SMEs, research institutes, and funding stakeholders to initiate new partnerships within Horizon Europe. For Promwad, it was more than a networking opportunity — it was a strategic checkpoint on how applied AI, embedded systems development, and electronics design services are evolving across Europe. 

A European Platform for Research & Innovation Partnerships

For the thirteenth time, the conference gathered researchers and technology companies from North Rhine-Westphalia and across Europe to shape future R&I consortia. NRW remains one of Europe’s strongest scientific ecosystems, with dense university networks and close industry–research collaboration. 

The event format focused on short project pitches and targeted networking sessions across multiple clusters, including: 

• Digital Technologies 
• Industrial Technologies 
• Energy & Mobility 
• Health 
• Civil Security 
• Bioeconomy & Environment 

In addition to innovators, decision-makers responsible for funding instruments and project development were present, including our partners from ZENIT GmbH and Horizon Europe-related institutions. 

The goal was clear: pre-pitch promising ideas, identify consortium partners, and accelerate the path toward funded European innovation projects. 

For Promwad, headquartered in Germany, participation in such events is strategically important. Being present in NRW allows our engineering teams to observe firsthand how technologies are applied in real industrial environments — from manufacturing automation to digital infrastructure. This proximity strengthens our ability to deliver electronics design services aligned with real market demands, not abstract technology trends. 

 
A Simple Technology, A Powerful Live Demo

Among the many project pitches, one moment stood out — not because of technological complexity, but because of how the idea was demonstrated. 

The team behind Liki AI Kiosk (Poland) chose to present their solution as a live, interactive demo rather than a conventional slide presentation. Instead of describing capabilities, they invited participants to experience the system in real time. That shift — from explanation to interaction — completely changed the perception of the project. 

Technologically, the platform relies on familiar building blocks such as LLMs and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). However, seeing the assistant respond live and maintain a natural conversational tone created an immediate emotional response that a slide deck simply could not deliver. 

As Alex Worobjow observed during the session: 

In today’s innovation landscape, technology alone rarely surprises. What captures attention is experience. A live demo transforms an abstract solution into something concrete, relatable, and memorable — even when the underlying tech stack is relatively straightforward. 

For engineering-driven companies, this is a valuable reminder: how you present your innovation can be as influential as the innovation itself. 

AI Engagement in Practice: Our Experience

The impact of emotionally engaging AI experiences is something we have observed directly in our own projects. 

For example, in our internal innovation initiative — the AI Photo Booth for tech exhibitions — we combined hardware development, embedded software, and AI-driven personalization to transform traditional trade show engagement. 

Deployed at Embedded World, ANGA COM, and IBC in 2025, the system turned static exhibition stands into interactive conversation starters. Instead of passively displaying PCBs and datasheets, visitors participated in a short AI-powered photo session and received a personalised branded image — creating a natural entry point for technical discussions. 

The principle mirrors what we observed in Düsseldorf: emotional engagement enhances brand visibility, increases retention, and improves conversion into meaningful technical dialogue. 

From Technology Innovation to Application Innovation

Our broader takeaway from the conference was clear: Europe no longer lacks access to advanced technologies. Еmbedded AI solutions, edge computing platforms, and scalable hardware systems are widely available. Open-source frameworks, cloud APIs, and AI accelerators have lowered technical entry barriers significantly. The real constraint has shifted. 

Today, the bottleneck is not technology — it is awareness, domain-specific knowledge, and the creativity to apply existing tools in new contexts. 

The most compelling projects presented in Düsseldorf shared a common trait: they did not necessarily introduce groundbreaking algorithms. Instead, they reimagined how established technologies could solve long-standing operational challenges in specific industries. 

This distinction is critical for companies investing in digital transformation. 

Successful innovation in 2026 is increasingly about: 

• Identifying friction points within real workflows 
• Reframing them through AI-enabled automation 
• Integrating hardware and software into cohesive, scalable solutions 

As an engineering company specializing in embedded systems development, Promwad sees this shift clearly across automotive, telecom, industrial automation, and broadcasting sectors. Clients no longer approach us solely with fixed technical specifications. Increasingly, they seek co-creation partners capable of identifying new product opportunities. 

From Engineering Contractor to Innovation Partner

Promwad’s headquarters in Germany positions us at the heart of one of Europe’s most industrially advanced regions. NRW’s dense concentration of manufacturing, research institutes, and technology SMEs provides continuous exposure to real operational challenges. 

Historically, many engineering service providers were engaged primarily to execute predefined technical specifications. That model is changing. 

Product companies today require partners who can: 

• Propose new hardware–software product concepts 

• Integrate AI into embedded systems securely and efficiently 

• Anticipate regulatory and funding frameworks 

• Co-develop market-ready solutions, not just prototypes 

With over 21 years of experience and a team of 100+ engineers, Promwad combines deep electronics expertise with cross-domain application insight. Our strength lies in bridging concept design, hardware engineering, embedded software development, testing, and production support into a unified product development cycle. 

At the next edition of the European Networking Event, we intend not only to participate — but to take the stage with our own project concepts, co-developed with our clients and partners, and ready for Horizon Europe collaboration and funding.

Let’s Build the Next Application Together

If you are: 

• Preparing a Horizon Europe proposal
• Exploring AI-driven product innovation 
• Seeking an experienced hardware design company to bring your idea to life 

Let’s start a conversation. 

Technology is accessible. The real differentiator is how creatively and precisely it is applied. 

At Promwad, we combine engineering depth with strategic thinking — turning emerging technologies into practical, scalable products for European and global markets.