From June 17 to 20, 2026, Saarland will be showcased at Viva Technology (VivaTech) in Paris – Europe's leading trade fair for startups, innovation, and future technologies.
This year's anniversary edition is taking place for the tenth time. Germany will be the official partner country of the event in 2026.
With the joint appearance "Saarland@VivaTech 2026," Saarland showcases its strengths as an internationally connected innovation and AI hub.
Represented are, among others, Saarland startups from the fields of deep tech and artificial intelligence, the SouthWestX initiative with its German-French Startup Leaders program, as well as the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the French research institute INRIA with joint top-tier research projects.
Minister of Economic Affairs Jürgen Barke will visit the fair on June 17 and exchange ideas on-site with representatives from science, business, politics, and the international startup scene.
VivaTech is one of the most important platforms for innovation, technology transfer, and international cooperation in Europe. Saarland showcases what makes our location outstanding: excellent AI research, strong industrial expertise, and a growing ecosystem of innovative companies and startups. Especially in times of profound technological changes, international partnerships and cross-border collaboration are crucial success factors for the future of our economic region.
Minister of Economic Affairs Jürgen Barke
The Saarland and its partners present themselves at Germany@VivaTech in Hall 7.3 at booth 3F29. Visitors can expect a diverse program with expert panels, discussion rounds, networking events, as well as the presentation of new funding and research initiatives focused on innovation, deep tech, and artificial intelligence.
One of the highlights on June 17 is the official launch of the German-French Startup Leaders Program by SouthWestX on the German Stage. The program targets selected high-growth startups from Germany and France and aims to strengthen cross-border collaboration in the field of innovation. Afterwards, experts discuss success factors for European technology leaders in the panel "Scaling Deep Tech Champions – The German-French Innovation Axis."
Also on June 17, Saarland is in the spotlight in the panel "With Steel and AI: How Industrial Regions Reinvent Themselves." It will show how the region successfully positions itself in structural change with its industrial tradition and internationally recognized AI research.
At the Saarland Apéro, representatives from politics, business, science, and international partner regions also come together to exchange ideas about joint innovation projects and future collaborations.
Further information about the Saarland trade fair appearance and the program can be found on site at the Saarland@VivaTech 2026 joint booth for those interested.
