Electronic Specifier will host a dedicated Cyber Security Forum at electronica 2026, bringing together industry experts to help engineers prepare for the European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) as its compliance deadline draws closer.
Rather than treating the CRA as an abstract regulatory exercise, the sessions are designed to give design engineers and technical decision-makers a clear, practical understanding of what the Act means for their day-to-day work – and, crucially, what solutions already exist to help them get there.
The Forum takes place on Tuesday 10th November, 09:00-12.30pm, on the Future Tech Stage in Hall C6, hosted by Mark Gradwell, Contributing Editor at Electronic Specifier.
The programme at a glance:
9.15-9.20am
Welcome & opening remarks
9.20-9.40am
CRA in practice: what manufacturers need to do today to succeed tomorrow
Florian Schmidt, Senior Cyber Security Expert, TÜV SÜD
This session provides a pragmatic view of the CRA from the perspective of an independent assessment body. Drawing on experience in product and cybersecurity assessments, plus a comprehensive CRA testing approach, it highlights the challenges OEMs face today and the mistakes that are already emerging across the industry.
9.40-10.00am
How the CRA influences MCU/SoC/FPGA selection
Gavin Lofts, Field Applications Engineer, Altera
This session will cover the ways your component selection can help you to meet the requirements of the CRA, and the information manufacturers will need from silicon suppliers to ship products into the European market.
10.00-10.20am
Future-proofing the automotive supply chain under the EU CRA
Heinz-Peter Beckemeyer, Director of Cybersecurity & Functional Safety Marketing, Texas Instruments
For the automotive industry, the primary impact of the CRA lies in the evolving landscape of component procurement. This session will discuss the roadmap for navigating these regulatory shifts and how collaboration between semiconductor vendors and automotive partners can ensure a resilient and compliant ecosystem.
10.20-10.40am
Cyber resilience starts in silicon: securing AI-enabled IoT systems through hardware roots of trust
Nicolas Demoulin, Senior Marketing Manager – Secure Products Group, Microchip Technology
This session examines how hardware-based security architectures help establish and scale cyber resilience in modern IoT and embedded systems. Through real-world examples, it will explore how hardware roots of trust, cryptographic authentication of device identity, secure boot, firmware attestation, and secure lifecycle management can reduce attack surfaces and provide a foundation for trustworthy operation.
11.05-11.25am
CRA: the new rules of engineering connected product
Preeti Ohri Khemani, Senior Director, Standards & Regulatory Program, Edge Systems Division, Infineon Technologies
This session translates the CRA’s core requirements, secured-by-design, vulnerability handling, SBOM transparency, and conformity assessment, into concrete engineering and organisational actions. It unpacks where manufacturers underestimate effort, where enforcement pressure lands first, and why security built into your product from day one is becoming your most powerful market differentiator.
11.25-11.45am
From CRA requirements to action: how AI can help companies comply with CRA
Hari Vigneswaran, Senior Product Manager, IoT & Cybersecurity, u-blox
This session explores practical ways AI can help lean organisations address CRA obligations, including security documentation, risk assessments, vulnerability monitoring, supplier information management, and customer security questionnaires. It will also discuss the limitations of AI and highlight why human expertise, governance, and accountability remain essential for achieving and maintaining CRA compliance.
11.45-12.05pm
Building trust in frontier technologies: cyber resilience for Edge AI
Christophe Nicolas, Senior Vice President, Kudelski Labs & Group Chief Information Officer, Kudelski Group
This session will examine how new product development must build cyber resilience into frontier technologies and embedded systems from the start. It will cover hardware-rooted trust, secure boot, device identity, key management, authenticated updates, secure debug, and post-quantum cryptography, with a focus on protecting devices throughout their lifecycle.
12.05-12.25pm
Cybersecurity, AI, & regulation: are engineering teams ready for the CRA era?
Matthias Ecker, R&D Director, Integrated Products, NI Test & Measurement, Emerson
This session will explore how manufacturers and test engineers can balance innovation, compliance, and time-to-market while preparing for stricter cybersecurity requirements. It will examine a key question facing industry: will cybersecurity become the defining engineering challenge of the decade – and how can companies prepare before regulation and threats outpace their development processes?
Engineers, technical leaders, and procurement professionals attending electronica 2026 are encouraged to put the date in their diary.
Event details:
📍 Future Tech Stage, Hall C6
📅 Tuesday 10th November 2026
🕐 09:00-12.30pm
Electronics Excellence Awards
The Forum also incorporates a moment of celebration for the industry. Electronic Specifier’s Electronics Excellence Awards winners will be announced live on stage between 12:30-13:00pm, hosted by Paige Hookway, Managing Editor of Electronic Specifier.
The Awards are recognised for a rigorous and transparent judging process, drawing on a curated panel of thought leaders and specialists from across the electronics industry.
