What is this international Summit?
A strategic response to ever more complex systems challenges
On 27–28 October 2026, international leaders from industry, academia, government and professional organizations will gather in Delft for a Systems Workforce Summit.
This is a unique, high-level working meeting focused on one of the most critical bottlenecks of our time: the growing shortage of systems professionals required to architect and realize complex societal and industrial transformations and of Systems of Systems.
This Summit builds on a widespread recognition: the ability to deliver holistic results in areas such as energy, healthcare, mobility, agriculture, and digital infrastructure all of which increasingly depend on holistic system approaches which are led by professionals who can integrate technology, engineering, business, policy, and risks across complex, interdependent and software intensive Systems of Systems.
Why this Summit ?
It addresses a fundamental capability gap, i. e. the ability to architect, design, integrate, and manage complex systems across their full life cycle.
Modern systems are software-defined, interconnected, interdependent, and continuously evolving. Their successful realization requires an integrated set of capabilities, including:
- Systems analysis and engineering
- Project and program management
- Business and value management
- Risk, complexity, and life-cycle management
Summit objectives
This Summit is designed as a catalyst for alignment and action. It brings together decision-makers and thought leaders across domains and technologies to move beyond fragmented initiatives and toward a shared, system-level response.
The focus is not on exchanging views, but on:
- Aligning perspectives across policy, industry, agencies, professional organizations, and education
- Identifying structural gaps in system competencies
- Defining coordinated actions which can strengthen the systems workforce
Key themes
Policy Theme: Global Systems Context and Needs
Highlight Impulse Presentations: Impact of the digital Ecosystem upon global economic and industrial Transformations
Industry Implementation Theme: System Competencies – as Drivers of Industry Innovation
Academia and Education Theme: System Competencies Education needs a Paradigm Shift
Government and Agencies Theme: Policy Guidance and Systems Implementation
Professional Organizations Theme: Cooperation for growing scarce System Workforces
Why now?
The gap is not just technological – it is integrative and systemic. While educational, professional, and industrial enterprises continue to develop deep specialists, the need to connect disciplines, manage trade-offs, and ensure coherent system realization grows but system competent workforces remain scarce.
This impacts and limits:
- Innovation capacity
- Economic resilience
- Societal transitions (energy, health, mobility, digital, and more)
The challenge ahead
Addressing this challenge requires a systemic approach to system workforce developments, aligned across institutions and industrial sectors.
The Summit’s ambition is to:
a. contribute to building more system workforces capable of successfully realising complex systems while balancing performance, cost, risk, sustainability, and societal impact across the life cycle and
b. stimulate global efforts to strengthen systems capabilities for mastering ever growing challenges .