The 2030s sound so far off, but in reality, we are hurtling towards them at a rate of knots, and as technology advances rapidly, the next decade will not only bring new technologies but entirely new systems of living, working, and governing. Dell Technologies’ ‘Realizing 2030: A Divided Vision of the Future’ report suggests that 85% of the jobs in 2030 are yet to be invented!
However, movement towards this high-tech future is already happening. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer something that happens in the background, it is restructuring everything from healthcare to defence. The EU has recently announced plans to pool funding and expertise in quantum computing in a bid to build a competitive European Quantum ecosystem. Biotechnology is moving swiftly from research to real-world applications, while the promised transformations in neurotech, blockchain, next-gen robotics, carry a mix of hope and risk.
But what is really different is how deeply these technologies are starting to connect, overlap, and feeding into one another. It is creating ripple effects not yet mapped out. This is not just a moment of disruption, but a structural shift, that is already underway. In this first article of two, we will take a look at three emerging tech fields.
Robotics & Intelligent Automation
Robotics in Europe is shedding its industrial-only image and stepping into everyday life. AI is teaching machines to observe, adapt, and safely collaborate with people—again and again. In regions from Bavaria to Catalonia, research funded by EU initiatives like Horizon Europe and the SPARC public-private partnership is bringing next-gen robots into factories, hospitals, and even disaster zones. Run by the International Space Alliance (ISA), the Robotics in Space course is one of the winning proposals from the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative’s Call for Training Proposals 2024 offers an immersive introduction to the cutting,-edge technologies propelling space exploration and their profound impact on our daily lives. With a focus on robotics, satellites, advanced materials, and cybersecurity, it brings together the latest advancements in deep tech to explore how humanity ventures to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Adding to this momentum, companies such as Spanish-based PAL Robotics and German-based Franka Robotics are delivering collaborative robots ‘cobots’ which are designed to work alongside humans in a shared workspace, such as sorting parcels, assembling electronics, or assisting in surgical suites, often with safety features that allow for close interaction.
The 2030s could herald a future where industries are not just enhanced by robots, but reimagined around their capabilities, and Europe is positioning itself right at the centre of that transformation.
Space Tech & Off-Earth Industry
Europe is stepping into an era where space is no longer reserved for nation-states, it is becoming big business. Morgan Stanley’s Space Team estimates that the roughly $350 billion global space industry could surge to over $1 trillion by 2040.
With the cost of launches falling thanks to partners like Arianespace’s Ariane 6, Vega-C, and emerging reusable technologies, the European space economy is poised to grow dramatically, with the EU’s Space Strategy for 2021–2027 setting ambitious goals for competitiveness and autonomy in space services.
Satellite mega-constellations, think connectivity from orbit, are already transforming agriculture, logistics, and maritime operations. The EU’s €2.4 billion Copernicus programme provides Earth observation and environmental data to governments, farmers, and researchers, underscoring how space data is central to policy and commerce. Meanwhile, NASA’s Artemis-era ambitions are not just transatlantic. The European Space Agency (ESA) is developing the European Large Logistics Lander to support sustainable Moon missions, while private firms like Germany’s OHB and Finland’s Iceye are focusing on lunar payload delivery and small-satellite tech.
Mars is not being left out either, as the ESA–Roscosmos ExoMars collaboration, is helping Europe push robotic exploration and, potentially, preparing the ground for human missions in the 2030s. Additionally, with a growing market in space tourism, satellite servicing, and asteroid prospecting, off‑Earth economy is also growing. By the end of the decade, space will be a domain of innovation, infrastructure, and interplanetary commerce driven in part by European leadership, not just be a realm of wonder and science.
Immersive Realities: XR, Metaverse & Spatial Computing
Imagine attending a board meeting in Brussels without leaving your living room, or wandering through a centuries-old European museum from your sofa. That is the future of immersive technology, one that Europe is actively building and shaping. The European Commission predicts the virtual worlds market could generate up to €800 billion by 2030 and create as many as 860,000 jobs by 2025.
Public investment is already in motion. Horizon Europe-funded VOXReality fuses voice recognition and spatial AI to enable seamless interaction in immersive spaces, while the CitiVerse initiative is a European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC) that is building an EU ecosystem of advanced AI solutions for cities. The ‘Citiverse’ is a next-level digital space where citizens, communities, and city officials can interact in a whole new way by applying AR/VR to participatory decision making, such as exploring planned urban projects before they are built, participating in virtual town halls, or even testing solutions to reduce traffic and pollution – all from your smartphone, tablet, or computer!
Europe’s XR ecosystem has grown into a powerhouse, with the XR4Europe Industry Report 2025 revealing that public funding for XR has grown in recent years, both at the national and EU levels, examples include national film funds and the Horizon Europe programme. However, it also highlights that public funding is not utilised by most XR companies in Europe, regardless of the immersive technologies they work with, their business models, or the sectors they serve.
By the 2030s, as hardware evolves, and connectivity expands via next-gen 6G networks, immersive technologies are set to revolutionise European life. Education, healthcare, remote work, cultural engagement, and urban planning will increasingly be shaped by spatial computing environments that blend the real and the virtual in meaningful ways.
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