The European journey toward freight transport decarbonization made its next stop in Germany. On May 27th-28th, 2026, the UPS Integrad Training Center in Cologne hosted the HOLOGISTICS Annual Meeting. This pivotal event gathered consortium partners, members of the project’s prestigious Advisory Board, and external stakeholders to validate technological progress, refine methodology, and map out the course for upcoming operational trials.

By combining physical and digital innovation, artificial intelligence, and shared standards, HOLOGISTICS proposed an innovative ecosystem that accelerated the transition to zero-emission logistics, optimizing transport flows while cutting costs and environmental impact.

The Event Agenda: Bridging Strategy and Validation 

The two-day event in Cologne featured a dense agenda of operational working sessions and interactive discussions designed to stimulate partner alignment and turn methodological plans into concrete action lists.  

Day 1,  May 27th: State of the Art and Pilot Sessions 

The meeting kicked off with an introduction to the project, followed by an overview of the progress achieved during the previous months, up to Month 11 (May 2026).

The session also provided insights into the ongoing activities across the open work packages, highlighting the developments, key achievements, and strategic perspectives that emerged from the project.

Day 2, May 28th: Strategic Evaluation & Municipal Logistics 

The second day brought active collaboration to the forefront. The morning opened with a crucial, collaborative evaluation milestone: “WP1: Workshop – Validation of Stakeholder Requirements, Barriers & KPIs (D1.3)”. Moderated by UNIMORE, this session featured an open feedback roundtable directly involving the Advisory Board and external stakeholders.

Following the workshop, external speaker Mr. Christopher Köhne from IHK Köln (Cologne Chamber of Commerce) presented a keynote titled “Requirements of Cologne’s business community for a sustainable municipal logistics plan,” bridging the project’s goals with local urban commercial needs.

Spotlight on Mubea: Last-Mile Commercial Cargo Mobility 

A major highlight of the Annual Meeting took place at the end of Day 2, where theoretical planning shifted into live operational capability during the UPS Training Facility Tour & Demonstrations. Led by Sebastian Bächer (Hypabox) and David Feldmann (MUBEA), this session featured the official presentation and interactive test drive of the innovative Mubea Cargo Bike.

Mubea (Muhr und Bender KG), a global leader in lightweight automotive engineering, developed the Mubea U-Mobility Cargo Pack, a heavy-duty, emission-free micro-mobility solution engineered precisely for modern urban logistics.

Consortium partners had the opportunity to test-drive the vehicle firsthand, evaluating how its physical performance aligned with the digital synchronization models developed within the HOLOGISTICS frameworks.

The HOLOGISTICS Advisory Board 

The committee was composed of globally recognized experts who provided critical validation on project metrics and technical frameworks:

• Dr. Hein Chetcuti: Chief Transformation Officer at Malta Freeport. He acts as a Container Terminal Operations & Transhipment Logistics Leader, ensuring solutions are implementable within complex port environments.  

• Mitja Jermol: AI Research Leader & Deputy Head of the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) under the auspices of UNESCO. He supports solutions that mirror physical supply chains with digital intelligence.  

• Prof. Rochdi Merzouki: Full Professor at Polytech Lille (University of Lille) and leader of the SOFTE team. Expert in autonomous robotic systems, his vision guides the project toward realizing the Physical Internet. 

The External Stakeholders 

Key European commercial, industrial, and municipal representatives actively contributed to aligning the project with real market and urban needs:

• Mr. Christopher Köhne: Representative of IHK Köln (Chamber of Commerce Cologne). He connects the project with local urban commercial needs, outlining the requirements of Cologne’s business community for a sustainable municipal logistics plan.  

• Mr. Sebastian Bächer: Representative of Hypabox. He bridges physical transport assets with innovative external logistics frameworks, leading the interactive tour and practical showcase of last-mile vehicle technologies.  

During the WP1 Validation Workshop, these two bodies operated in synergy during an interactive feedback roundtable. Their collective insights ensured that the AI deployment, digital twins, and synchromodal frameworks remained highly resilient, standardized, and commercially viable for real-world deployment across European ports, cities, and freight hubs.

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