Europe is entering a new era of digital ambition. As global competition intensifies and technologies evolve at an unprecedented speed, the European Union is stepping up with a bold vision: to shape its own digital future through innovation, cooperation, and strategic investment. Rather than relying on external systems, Europe is laying the foundations of a resilient and sovereign tech ecosystem that reflects its values of transparency, inclusivity, and trust.
Within this ambitious landscape, the Digital Europe CISERO project plays a strategic role. It is focused on enabling scalable and federated cloud and edge infrastructures across the EU, aligning with broader European strategies such as the European Data Strategy, the EU Digital Decade, and the European Green Deal. By pioneering decentralised and resilient data infrastructure, CISERO helps reinforce Europe’s leadership in the global tech landscape and showcasing truly Sovereign solutions while staying true to its foundational principles.
At the heart of this transformation is the 8ra Initiative, a strategic European endeavour aimed at establishing a resilient, open, and future-proof digital infrastructure. Central to this initiative is the Important Project of Common European Interest on Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI-CIS), a landmark collaborative project launched in 2023 with €1.2 billion in public funding. Bringing together 12 Member States and more than 100 industrial and research partners, IPCEI-CIS is driving the development of secure, interoperable cloud and edge technologies, key building blocks of Europe’s digital sovereignty. The final goal is to create the first multi-provider cloud-edge continuum that empowers innovation, protects data, and ensures long-term European competitiveness.
Empowering IPCEI-CIS Projects through the CISERO Engagement Workshop
On 26 March 2025 in Gdańsk, Poland, CISERO organised its first Engagement Workshop, bringing together some of the IPCEI-CIS projects to exchange knowledge, foster collaboration and reinforce its pivotal role within the IPCEI-CIS framework to advance Europe’s digital empowerment. This is the first event of this kind organised by CISERO to engage with the IPCEI-CIS community. It was designed as a collaborative effort to connect IPCEI-CIS projects, giving them space to showcase their work during the pitching session and collect relevant information for CISERO’s development. A total of 10 pitches were delivered by Erik Langius for ECOFED (TNO), Antje Rätzer-Scheibe for T-Systems, Michel Sillus for Airbus (AXIS), Bodgan Wiszniewski for CAISE, Kaja Swat for Phoenix-RTOS, Martin Weber for BiGreen, Maurizio Griva for Reply, Jordi Guijarro for OpenNebula (ONEnextgen), Axel Stahlhut for RESCUE, and Roberto Procopio for TIM ECC.
Organised in Gdańsk, renowned as a symbol of freedom and democracy, the “Empowering IPCEI-CIS Projects Through the CISERO Engagement Workshop”, which hosted over 40 participants, was a successful synergised effort amongst all CISERO partners. Trust-IT orchestrated the overall engagement activities and OpenNebula moderated the pitching session. Meanwhile, IDC and Innovalia led and moderated key sessions on road mapping and community building. The coordination team (DLR) played an active role, alongside the other partners: VDI/IT, IMT, UPRC, INRIA and TeraLa, who actively contributed to the discussions.
The workshop served as a hands-on step toward a more connected, strategic IPCEI-CIS ecosystem by providing a unique stage for projects to showcase their solutions in front of a community of peers. Consult the CISERO website for more detailed insights on the workshop discussions, road mapping outcomes, and what’s next for the project.
Reducing dependency, invest in procurement, overcome silos: outcomes from the 8ra General Assembly
Following the workshop, from 27 to 28 March, CISERO members were exceptionally invited to take part in the 8ra General Assembly, hosted at the Gdańsk University of Technology under the Polish Presidency of the EU Council. This was an excellent scenario for IPCEI-CIS projects to align with public administration representatives. Other than CISERO’s coordinator, Matthias Kuom (DLR Projektträger), presenting the project's objectives, project partners had the chance to hear from key industry players such as Airbus, Lindner Group, Reply, Ingegneria Informatica, TIM ECC, and Telefónica, among others.
The key recommendations that came from the Assembly:
- IPCEI-CIS projects are essential in reducing Europe’s dependency on foreign technologies.
- Strategic public procurement is necessary to support European innovation and digital independence.
- Moving beyond competitive silos and embracing an ecosystem-driven approach is critical for future success.
- Technical advancements were demonstrated, providing a clearer understanding of ongoing workstreams and guiding future steps.
Through strategic networking and communication efforts, CISERO’s face-to-face engagement in these events significantly amplified its visibility, leading to an increase in LinkedIn interactions, a rise in newsletter subscriptions, and a growth in web traffic. These positive developments provide a solid basis for sustained outreach, as CISERO remains committed to consolidating its presence and impact through future initiatives.
Gdańsk: A Symbol of European Unity and Digital SovereigntyGdańsk stands as a powerful symbol of European unity and resilience, making it a highly meaningful setting for discussions on digital sovereignty in today’s geopolitical context. Historically, the city marked both the outbreak of World War II and the rise of the Solidarność movement, which played a pivotal role in the democratic transformation of Eastern Europe. Its unique position as a crossroads between East and West, shaped by diverse cultural and political influences, reflects the broader European experience of unity in diversity. |
Stay connected with CISERO for more updates on upcoming workshops and project developments, and be part of the future of Europe’s cloud infrastructure and services: https://www.cisero-project.eu/
