As modern societal and industrial infrastructures become more interconnected and software-intensive, organizations worldwide are encountering a defining bottleneck: a critical shortage of skilled systems professionals capable of architecting and realizing complex, software-defined Systems of Systems (SoS).
To address this global challenge, international leaders from industry, academia, government, and professional organizations will gather in Delft, Netherlands, for the Systems Workforce Summit 2026 on 27–28 October 2026.
From energy transition and healthcare delivery to advanced mobility, agriculture, and digital infrastructure, delivering sustainable, holistic outcomes relies heavily on systems-level perspectives. The Systems Workforce Summit is an international, curated leadership-level forum designed to align perspectives across sectors and establish shared directions for action in workforce development.
The Summit works from a core baseline definition of the System Workforce: professionals who evaluate complex stakeholder needs, develop robust system requirements and architectures, create digital twins and design prototypes, and oversee end-to-end lifecycle management—balancing performance, cost, risk, policy, and long-term sustainability.
Building on the foundation laid during the inaugural 2024 Summit and the strategic insights captured in the white paper Building the Systems Workforce of the Future, the 2026 edition deepens the dialogue and expands its international reach.
Unlike traditional technical conferences or training workshops, this executive meeting focuses on strategic implications and cross-sector alignment. Participation is designed for decision-makers and senior leaders responsible for innovation strategy, systems development, education, and workforce policy, alongside systems experts, interested practitioners, and students looking to contribute to the global systems community.
INCOSE is proud to actively attend and support this high-level international gathering. In addition to contributing to discussions, INCOSE will have a dedicated film production crew on-site to document the Summit and interview key leadership for a short docuseries slated for release in 2027.
Learn more and register today.
