Multimodal sensing & AI for industrial innovation: Sirris Innovation Day 2026
On 8 October, more than 50 participants from industry, research, ITEA and the Belgian Public Authorities VLAIO and Innoviris gathered in Brussels for the Sirris Digital Innovation Day 2026. Under the theme “Multimodal Sensing & AI for Industrial Innovation”, the event showcased how combining advanced sensing technologies with AI can improve industrial safety, security and decision-making, and explored how these innovations can create real value for industry.
From multiple data sources to smarter security
A central highlight was the ITEA project SINTRA. The project is developing a new approach to protecting critical infrastructure by combining data from multiple sensors with AI to detect complex and potentially suspicious behaviour that traditional camera systems may miss. By bringing this information together in a dynamic digital twin, SINTRA aims to provide security operators with better situational awareness and more relevant alerts.
In his keynote lecture, Prof. Egor Bondarev from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) presented SINTRA's approach to detecting and tracking suspicious activities in port environments. By analysing sequences of behaviour and combining information from multiple sensors, AI can distinguish potentially relevant incidents from routine activities. Advanced reasoning adds context to these observations, helping security operators focus on events that genuinely require attention.
Complementing the recent results presented by the Dutch SINTRA consortium, the Belgian partners showcased their innovations across three use cases: construction site monitoring, port security and railway safety. Citymesh demonstrated privacy-preserving data collection, Macq highlighted intelligent monitoring of railway crossings, and Sirris presented its integrated platform, including moving-object detection and pedestrian behaviour analysis. Turkish partner INOSENS also shared its work on intelligent passenger flow management, with potential applications in airports. Live demonstrations brought several of these innovations to life during the break.
Innovation is not just about technology
ITEA Chairman Dirk Elias broadened the perspective by introducing ITEA's vision of the Cyber-Physical-Metaverse and the opportunities created by connecting the physical and digital worlds.
Ludwig de Locht, Business Unit Manager Digital at Sirris, closed the presentations with a inspiring message: technology is advancing faster than ever, but the most important question is no longer simply “Can we build it?” but “Are we building the right thing?” Creating genuine value, developing solutions that stand out and ensuring long-term security and trust are becoming increasingly important. His conclusion reinforced the value of international collaboration through programmes such as ITEA: companies do not have to address these challenges alone.
Connecting ideas and partners
The day concluded with a brokerage session, where seven project ideas from Sirris were presented through posters and participants had the opportunity to exchange ideas, explore potential collaborations and engage directly with Public Authorities and ITEA.
The event demonstrated both the progress of collaborative innovation and the opportunities ahead, bringing together technology, industry needs and international partners.
