Martel reinforced its commitment to global digital collaboration by actively contributing to the EU-Indo-Pacific Digital Partnership Conference 2025, held on 28-29 October 2025 at the Shaw Foundation Alumni House, National University of Singapore.
The event, organised by INPACE project, National University of Singapore, and the Singapore Academy of Engineering (SAEng), gathered key representatives from research, industry, and government to explore pathways for sustainable and secure digital transformation between Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
Connecting digital innovation across regions
As a dynamic digital innovation agency in EU-funded digital transformation, Martel Innovate participated in the conference to strengthen cooperation on key technologies, from Cloud-Edge-IoT integration and artificial intelligence to digital infrastructure resilience and data sovereignty.
Dr. Monique Calisti, CEO of Martel Innovate and President and Founder of Digital for Planet, moderated the high-level session “Secure Cloud-Edge-IoT Continuum and Protection of Infrastructures.” The discussion brought together experts from Europe and the Indo-Pacific to address how distributed digital services can remain trustworthy, privacy-preserving, and resilient in a hyper-connected world.
Contributions came from distinguished speakers, including:
- Prof. Iaroslav Gnilitskyi (Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ukraine), who presented pioneering work on high-efficient batteries for critical infrastructure protection enabled by femtosecond laser nanostructuring;
- Prof. Jaeseung Song (Sejong University, South Korea), who discussed IoT standards interoperability as a foundation for trusted digital ecosystems;
- Prof. Rui Tan (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), who demonstrated research on resilient autonomous driving perception, ensuring safety and reliability in increasingly automated mobility systems.
Speakers and participants highlighted core priorities shaping this agenda:
- End-to-end trustworthiness: The top priority is ensuring data privacy and resilience across the entire data pathway, from the centralized cloud to billions of decentralized IoT devices. This is crucial for complying with European rules like the AI Act and building confidence in all digital services.
- Strategic autonomy: Partnering to boost the resilience of critical digital supply chains, especially for semiconductors and core components, to reduce single-source dependencies and ensure technological sovereignty.
- Global standards alignment: Establishing common global standards and interoperability for IoT devices and data-sharing frameworks to allow secure, seamless data flows, as discussed in the presentation on Getting IoT Standards to Interwork.
- Protecting Critical Lifelines: Enhancing the physical and digital security of vital infrastructure, such as power grids, smart cities, and submarine cables, which are the digital lifelines connecting Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
Exploring the role of AI in education
In parallel, Karolina Gyurovszka, policy analyst and consultant at Martel, led the session “AI in Education”, exploring the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence on research and education, and focusing on AI skills development. Findings from a comprehensive survey conducted across Europe, Japan, India, South Korea, and Singapore were presented, offering insights into regional strengths, challenges, and emerging needs in the AI talent pipeline. Key speakers of the session were Edmund Lim (Singapore Education Network, Singapore), Caterina Bortolaso (DIGITAL SME, Belgium), Prof. Natalya Shakhovska (Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ukraine), and Prof. Ben Leong (National University of Singapore).
Empowering cooperation through EU Research and Innovation funding
A highlight of the conference was the engaging session “Information on EU Research and Innovation Funding,” where Dr Monique Calisti joined fellow experts to provide an overview of Europe’s most significant research and innovation opportunities. Monique offered a concise yet insightful overview of how international stakeholders can effectively engage with the Horizon Europe framework, encouraging participants to view Horizon Europe as an invitation to connect, collaborate, and co-create.
Her contribution focused on upcoming Horizon Europe Pillar IV calls, and a new opportunity window opening for strategic partnerships between Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
Monique highlighted INPACE as a cornerstone initiative connecting Europe with key Indo-Pacific partners and supporting the practical implementation of Digital Partnerships. She encouraged collaborative initiatives aligned with responsible digital innovation, sustainability and global cooperation and invited participants to stay updated on ongoing activities through INPACE and EURAXESS ASEAN.
The session also featured Dr. Svetlana Klessova from G.A.C. Group (France), who presented evidence of how Indo-Pacific countries are already benefitting from Horizon Europe through active cooperation, and Zi Yan Koe from Enterprise Singapore, who introduced the EUREKA and Celtic-Next programmes as complementary channels for cross-regional innovation.
Shaping the Future of Global Digital Cooperation
Over two days of high-level panels, technical workshops, and networking sessions, the conference spotlighted pressing issues in trustworthy AI, semiconductor innovation, sustainable digital infrastructure, data security, and more.
For Martel, the event reaffirmed the importance of aligning research, innovation, and policy to advance sustainable digital transformation on a global scale. As a partner in multiple Horizon Europe initiatives, Martel continues to translate visionary ideas into practical, impactful results.
Looking ahead
The EU-Indo-Pacific Digital Partnership Conference 2025 marked another milestone in building a shared vision for a secure, inclusive, and sustainable digital future. Martel extends its appreciation to all organisers, partners, and participants for two inspiring days of exchange and collaboration, and looks forward to continuing this work through INPACE, strengthening international cooperation in digital innovation.
