XXVI ADR Forum Bilbao 2026

The Annual ADR Forum holds its twenty-sixth edition on 13 and 14 May 2026 in Bilbao, consolidating itself as the main annual meeting of Regional Development Agencies in Spain. The Forum continues its path as a reference space for the exchange of knowledge, interterritorial cooperation and the alignment of strategies within the framework of European regional development policies. 

Organised with the support of SPRI – Basque Business Development Agency, the Forum will take place at the Technology Park of Euskadi – Zamudio Campus, and will bring together representatives of the RDAs, public administrations, European entities, financing bodies, innovation centres and agents of the entrepreneurship and regional competitiveness ecosystem.

The programme will address some of the major strategic challenges of regional development in Europe, such as innovation financing, the circular economy, the dual use of defence and security, data management in public decision-making and the role of talent and entrepreneurship as drivers of sustainable growth. 

The first day will open with an opening keynote by Jade Connoly, Head of Policies and Projects at EURADA, focused on the European Competitiveness Fund and its implications for RDAs. This will be followed by the General Assembly of the General Directorates, together with the parallel sessions of the Working Groups, key spaces for strategic coordination and technical debate among agencies.

The second day will delve into the opportunities of the 2026-2030 European framework, with an interview-format keynote on Horizon Europe, round tables on the value of data in public policies and on talent and entrepreneurship, as well as the already established Panel of Novel Experiences in 300-second format, which will highlight innovative initiatives promoted from the territories. 

The Forum is once again configured as a space for shared reflection, alliance-building and strengthening the role of Regional Development Agencies in economic competitiveness and territorial cohesion, giving continuity to the work initiated in the previous edition held in Salamanca.