Moderators:
Giorgio Metta, Scientific Director, Italian Institute of Technology
Cecile Huet, Head of Unit, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Excellence, European Commission
Participants:
Alin Albu-Schäffer, Professor, Technical University of Munich (TUM); Director, Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Marco Hutter, Full Professor, ETH Zurich
Anna Valente, Professor, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)
Daniele Pucci, Chief Executive Officer, Generative Bionics
Serena Ivaldi, Research Director, Inria, Head of the Human Centered Robotics Team (HUCEBOT)
Description:
As part of ICRA 2026, this panel highlights how long-term, excellence-driven robotics research can translate into impactful industrial innovation. Through several case studies, such as the EU Commission’s funding of the iCub project, the NASA Valkyrie project, and others, we trace the path from foundational research to startup creation. Recently, iCub contributed to the launch of Generative Bionics, a startup from the Italian Institute of Technology. NASA’s Valkyrie and the DARPA Robotics Challenge were instrumental in the creation of Appronik, a university spinout at the University of Texas at Austin.
The panel highlights the strategic role of public research funding and “patient” investment in enabling the transfer of technologies to the market. We aim to showcase the value of public funding, exemplified by Horizon Europe, NASA, and DARPA. Although different in nature, these funding programs are designed to address challenging technological problems and potentially support their transformation into innovative applications. Public funding helps de-risk early-stage research,supports technology transfer, and provides the time horizon required for disruptive ideas to mature beyond short-term market logic. By connecting public funding, long-term vision, and entrepreneurial execution, our speakers’ experiences illustrate a viable pathway from science to its applications.
Through invited contributions and a moderated discussion, the panel conveys a core message: to remain innovative and competitive, continued investment in basic research is essential, supported by stable mechanisms that translate frontier science into scalable innovation. Long-term investment is not a cost, but a prerequisite for shaping the next generation of transformative technologies.