APPLY & INNOVATE 2026

The international technology conference

Review of Apply & Innovate 2026

Apply & Innovate 2026 took place in Karlsruhe from September 16 to 17, 2026. With more than 300 registrations, the international technology conference had already set a new record prior to the conference. Numerous experts from the automotive and supplier industries as well as research used the event as a platform for professional exchange and new perspectives on the future of vehicle development.

A special emphasis was put on software-defined vehicles, ADAS and automated driving, virtual verification and validation, as well as data-driven development and artificial intelligence. Participants gained insights into current developments and practical use cases demonstrating how virtual methods are already transforming development processes today.

Presentations

Over the course of two conference days, speakers from industry and research presented current development approaches, use cases and research findings in 36 presentations. Key topics included shift-left, end-to-end virtual validation, automated testing processes and the increasing use of data-driven methods.

The first keynote was delivered by Ulrich Schulmeister from Robert Bosch GmbH and Klaus Hassel from Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. In their presentation, “A New Way of Collaboration Between OEM and Tier 1 to Push Virtual Development,” they explored collaboration between automotive manufacturers and suppliers and its importance for advancing virtual development processes.

On the second day, Pierre-Marie Damon from Euro NCAP demonstrated how virtual testing can be more closely integrated with established assessment procedures in the future in his keynote “Virtual Testing in Euro NCAP: Current Status and the 2029 Vision.” Further presentations addressed topics including data-driven modeling of customer behavior, the generation of simulation-ready scenarios, generative AI in virtual validation, cloud-based simulation environments and scenario-based validation chains for ADAS and AD systems.

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Trade exhibition

The accompanying exhibition gave participants the opportunity to explore current solutions and applications and delve deeper into topics from the presentations through personal exchange. Direct conversations with experts allowed them to discuss specific use cases, share experiences and make new connections.

The exhibition complemented the conference program by providing a practical perspective on current developments while also serving as a central meeting point for exchange between the automotive industry, suppliers and research.

Demo Experience and Guided Tours

Another highlight was the Demo Experience at our site in Karlsruhe. Here, participants had the opportunity to experience our solutions for virtual vehicle development live in action and discuss their individual questions and use cases with our experts.

In addition, Guided Tours took participants through the exhibition at the event venue. Focusing on shift left and open loop, the two tours provided a concise overview of selected solutions and enabled participants to gain targeted inspiration for their own projects.

Evening event

At the end of the first conference day, participants came together for the evening event at the Gartenhalle. Dr. Manaswini Rath from KPIT Technologies opened the evening with her keynote, “Building Trustworthy Autonomy and End-to-End AI with World Foundation Model.” She explored the use of artificial intelligence for trustworthy automated systems and the role of end-to-end AI and World Foundation Models in the development of autonomous driving functions.

The evening then provided an opportunity to continue the day’s technical discussions in a relaxed atmosphere, strengthen existing networks and make new contacts.