The EPIIC consortium convened on 2–3 December 2025 at the THALES facilities in Mérignac, near Bordeaux, for the project’s Annual Event—an important milestone bringing together close to 100 participants from across Europe. The meeting hosted consortium partners, representatives from the European Commission, and delegates from the Ministries of Defence of France, Germany, Sweden, and Spain, reflecting the growing strategic significance of EPIIC within the European Defence Fund (EDF).
Day 1 — Project Results & General Assembly
The first day focused on presenting the progress achieved during the second year of the project. All work packages shared updates on scientific, technical, and integration activities, highlighting advancements across EPIIC’s key domains—including multimodal interaction, pilot state monitoring, intelligent assistance, and display technologies.
The day concluded with the General Assembly, ensuring that all partners maintained a unified view of achievements, challenges, and the upcoming path toward system consolidation. The discussions provided an opportunity to align workstreams and reinforce collaboration between technical teams and management structures.
Day 2 — Technology Demonstrations Featuring 40 Mock-Ups
The second day was dedicated to technology demonstrations, showcasing the increasing maturity of EPIIC’s outputs. Partners presented around 40 mock-ups, illustrating the evolution of concepts into components and integrated functionalities that move closer to real-world cockpit applications.
These demonstrations covered a wide range of domains central to the EPIIC vision:
- Pilot cognitive and physiological monitoring
- Adaptive and multimodal interaction concepts
- Advanced display technologies
- Human-machine teaming functions
- Assistance mechanisms designed for future fighter environments
The demonstrations provided a clear picture of how EPIIC is progressing from exploratory research toward integrated, operationally meaningful technologies.
A Collaborative Effort for Future European Air Combat Systems
The presence of representatives from several European Ministries of Defence and the European Commission underscored the importance of collaborative research in shaping next-generation cockpit capabilities. Their participation facilitated valuable exchanges on expectations, operational needs, and the path to adoption within future defence frameworks.
Looking Ahead
With the third year of the project now successfully completed, EPIIC moves into the final phase focused on integration, validation, and further refinement of its technologies. The Annual Event in Mérignac served as a key checkpoint, demonstrating the strong momentum of the consortium and the maturity of the results achieved.
The project continues to work toward enabling intelligent, adaptive pilot interfaces and interactions that enhance awareness, reduce workload, and support decision-making in increasingly complex mission environments.
