DroneHorizon is the anchor event of a multi-year European collaboration between three key innovation hubs: DronePort Rotterdam (Port of Rotterdam), The Beacon (Port of Antwerp-Bruges), and Windrove –Hamburg Aviation (Hamburg Port Authority).
The summit rotates between these leading port cities, starting in Rotterdam in 2025, moving to Antwerp-Bruges in 2026, and then to Hamburg in 2027.
At its core there's one shared mission: leading the acceleration and adoption of autonomous and unmanned systems in critical domains.
"The innovation gap is at the root of Europe’s slowing productivity growth … We must bring innovation back to Europe – through reforming the whole innovation ecosystem."
At DroneHorizon, Mario Draghi and the European Commission's vision takes shape through a shared commitment to strengthen Europe’s autonomy and resilience. By combining the expertise of three major port innovation ecosystems, we are laying the foundation for an aligned European approach to innovation: one that is secure, future-ready, and globally connected.
This collaboration is grounded in three strategic pillars:
Strategic autonomy: Reducing dependence on non-European technologies and supply chains.
Digital autonomy: Building trusted systems, secure data-sharing frameworks, and regulatory leadership.
Resilience: Enhancing Europe’s preparedness across civil, industrial, and defence domains.
DroneHorizon is an international platform for drones and autonomous systems in infrastructure, logistics, and port operations, with a strong focus on European cooperation in unmanned systems.
A day full of demonstrations and showcases. What you can expect during this second edition:
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DronePort Rotterdam
Maaskade 127A
3071NK ROTTERDAM
The Netherlands