The 2026 edition of Voices of Innovation featured inspiring contributions from distinguished guests and speakers, including Anne Calteux, Head of the European Commission Representation in Luxembourg, and Stéphanie Obertin, Minister of Research and Higher Education.
A series of dynamic Spark Talks delivered by LIST experts showcased transformative research across key interdisciplinary domains. In seven-minute presentations, they shared how science and innovation are addressing major societal and technological challenges.
At LIST, we work where technology meets humanity. We design AI systems that can explain their decisions, resist bias, and operate safely in complex real-world environments. The LIST AI Sandbox lets organizations test AI in real conditions, evaluating safety, ethics, fairness, and resilience. We also empower anyone to create AI applications, helping businesses and individuals harness AI’s productivity and innovation potential. As a founding partner of the Luxembourg AI Factory, we guide companies from ideas to deployment, connecting disciplines, sectors, and technologies to turn research into trustworthy, impactful AI.
Francesco Ferrero| Leader of the Flagship Initiative on Artificial Intelligence and Head of the Human-Centred AI, Data and Software Research Unit
Richard Keim | Head of Catchment and Eco-hydrology Research Group
At LIST, we work where ecology meets technology. We turn forests into living laboratories, combining sensors, satellite data and field research to understand how ecosystems respond to drought, pests and human activity. In Luxembourg’s forests, this vision becomes real. We are building a new generation of monitoring systems to track tree health, water and carbon cycles, air quality and biodiversity. These insights support sustainable forest management—protecting drinking water, preserving biodiversity, and keeping forests resilient for future generations. Through digital solutions and environmental science, LIST helps Europe move from observation to action. From data to decisions. From vulnerability to resilience.
At LIST, we work where networks become thinking systems. We design future connectivity that can adapt, learn and make decisions in real time. Our research turns digital infrastructure into an active partner for mobility, health, industry and public services.
In Luxembourg, this vision becomes concrete. We develop new ways to plan and optimize networks using AI, ensuring performance while respecting safety and exposure limits. We build digital twins of networks that can monitor themselves, predict failures and adapt automatically. And we bring intelligence to the edge—so vehicles, robots and medical systems can react instantly, close to where data is created.
Sebastien Faye |Head of the Distributed and Intelligent Connectivity Research Group
Levent Kirkayak | Head of the Structural Composites Research Unit
At LIST, we work where materials meet meaning. We develop the next generation of structural composite materials that make these objectives real, lighter, stronger and more sustainable. In the transportation sector, these materials reduce fuel consumption, lower emissions and improve performance across entire value chains.
Our research transforms how materials are designed and manufactured. Using AI-driven modelling, digital design and advanced manufacturing, we create composite structures that balance high mechanical performance with recyclability and industrial scalability. We rethink supply chains from the inside out, designing materials that are not only efficient, but responsible.
At LIST, we work where innovation meets the cosmos. We develop the technologies, materials, and instruments that enable safe, durable, and sustainable space missions. From lightweight, radiation-resistant composites to advanced coatings, printed sensors, AI-powered navigation tools, and remote sensing instruments, our research ensures space systems operate reliably in harsh environments.
We train the next generation of space explorers, support startups, and provide ground-based infrastructure that de-risks future missions. Every project contributes to a vision of a resilient, responsible, and thriving in-space economy.
Kathryn Hadler | Director of the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC)
