About the Festival
About the Festival
Future Cleantech Festival 2026
The Future Cleantech Festival on June 17-18, 2026 will take participants into the heart of Europe’s industrial landscape, where the challenges and opportunities of decarbonization are most visible. Unlike any other event, the festival blends rigorous research with direct, on-site experiences in heavy industry, machine rooms, and utilities. Through immersive tours, live demonstrations, and tech- and policy-driven discussions, the festival creates a unique platform to test ideas against reality. By entering control rooms, standing next to forging ovens, and exploring structural innovations, participants will gain a rare, hands-on understanding of the innovation gaps ahead and of the solutions already within reach.
The Future Energy System
The transformation of Europe’s power system is central to industrial decarbonization. At the festival, participants will step into the control room of a utility and discover what tomorrow’s power grids and energy systems might look like. Discussions will focus on grid flexibility, capacity expansion, and the critical role of clean firm power in delivering a resilient energy system.
The Future of Heavy Industry
Steel, cement, and other heavy industries remain among the hardest to abate. Through visits to electric arc furnaces and high-temperature steel forging sites, participants will explore pathways for electrification and innovation in industrial processes. The experience will highlight both the barriers and the potential for decarbonizing high-temperature heat, an essential frontier on the road to net zero.
The Future of Construction
Our modern environment drives enormous demand for steel and cement. During the festival, participants will see how smarter design and structural efficiency can cut material use, and emissions, by more than 50%. Walking across bridges built with these principles and engaging directly with innovators, participants will gain insight into how the construction sector can radically reduce its footprint while maintaining functionality and scale.
The Future Cleantech Festival Journey
2021
What started it all: The UNIDO Global Call 2021 in Remscheid, co-hosted with Future Cleantech Architects (FCA).
2022
FCA's First Future Cleantech Festival, The ARC, with 14 sessions, co-hosted with UNIDO ITPO Germany and UN Climate Change.
2023
Focus on aviation, cement, long duration energy storage, and innovation, co-hosted with UNIDO, UNIDO ITPO Germany, and UN Climate Change.
2024
Zooming in on cutting-edge strategies and approaches in transport, construction, and the future energy system, for the European Union.
2026
Coming on June 17-18! The Future Cleantech Experience.
Who we are
Future Cleantech Architects is a climate innovation think tank that exists to close the remaining innovation gaps to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. To reach this objective, we accelerate innovation in critical industries – such as cement, aviation, or shipping – where sustainable solutions are still in very early stages. We urge policy-makers to intensify and better prioritize their R&D activities. Moreover, we initiate and actively drive high-level research consortia on critical technologies for these neglected technological sectors.
Together with international partners and co-hosts from the public and private sphere, the Future Cleantech Festival brings together the brightest minds and best ideas in cleantech worldwide. The festival looks towards a net-zero 2050, zooming in on the innovation processes in different sectors.
Europe’s most ambitious cleantech innovation festival aims to identify specific steps that will remove roadblocks and bridge the innovation gaps to reach net zero by 2050. The Festival will bring together private industries, policymakers, and research institutes to discuss and collaborate. Join us in this ambitious endeavor!
