CEI-Sphere Webinar: Understanding
the CEI ecosystem
via the Hourglass
Model

12 January 2026 15:00–16:00

Online
webinar

Understanding the CEI Ecosystem via the Hourglass Model 

📅 12 January 2026  |  đŸ•’ 15:00–16:15 (CET)  |  đŸŒ Online webinar 

Digital ecosystems spanning Cloud, Edge and IoT are becoming increasingly complex. Energy, mobility, manufacturing and smart city systems now rely on a dense mesh of technologies, platforms, standards and stakeholders that must work together seamlessly. Yet understanding how these elements connect, and where organisations truly sit within this landscape, remains a major challenge. 

This webinar introduces the Hourglass Model, developed within CEI-Sphere, as a practical framework to help stakeholders make sense of complex digital ecosystems. By visualising how capabilities, platforms and actors align across layers, the model provides a shared language for collaboration, innovation and strategic positioning. 

Why attend?

The Hourglass Model is designed for anyone working with or within Cloud–Edge–IoT ecosystems who needs to understand: 

  • How digital ecosystems are structured;
  • How different stakeholders depend on each other;
  • Where interoperability and coordination matter most; and
  • How value is created across layers. 

During the webinar, participants will learn not only what the Hourglass Model is, but also how it is already being applied in European research and innovation projects and how it can be adapted to domains such as energy, mobility and data-driven services.

Trust-IT’s Role

Trust-IT Services supports the CEI-Sphere project by leading communication, dissemination, and community-building activities. Within the project, Trust-IT works to foster an open and engaged ecosystem, ensuring effective interaction among stakeholders and facilitating knowledge exchange across the CEI-Sphere community. Trust-IT is responsible for the design and implementation of outreach strategies, the organisation and promotion of strategic events such as this webinar, and the development of digital platforms and collaborative tools that translate technical expertise into accessible, practical insights for the CEI-Sphere ecosystem. This webinar is part of the CEI-Sphere event series, which aims to provide relevant stakeholders with timely insights and practical perspectives related to the project’s objectives and activities. 

Further details on the agenda and registration are available on the CEI-Sphere website.