The U-SPACE 2026 Workshop will bring together researchers and practitioners to explore the frameworks, technologies, and applications needed for safe, dependable, and secure UAV operations in low-altitude urban environments. The workshop invites contributions on U-Space architecture, regulatory and policy developments, communication and navigation infrastructures, and methods for safety, security, and assurance. Emphasis will be placed on verification and validation techniques, alongside advances in autonomy, swarm intelligence, and AI-driven traffic management. Application areas of interest include urban air mobility, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, emergency response, logistics, and other critical urban services. By addressing both technical and societal challenges, the workshop aims to critically evaluate the feasibility, resilience, and long-term impacts of U-Space deployment. In doing so, it seeks to establish a collaborative platform for advancing research and shaping future directions in secure, safe, and sustainable UAV integration within urban airspaces.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• U-Space Framework, Policy, and Integration
This track invites contributions on the design, architecture, and implementation of U-Space services, including regulatory frameworks, standardization, and integration with traditional air traffic management. Topics also include data governance, privacy, ethics, and societal acceptance of U-Space as Europe and beyond prepare for large-scale UAV adoption. Example areas include:
• Architectures, services, design, and implementation
• Regulatory frameworks, policy developments, and standardization efforts
• Interoperability challenges and integration with traditional ATM
• Data governance, privacy, ethics, and public acceptance
• Future policy and societal directions for global adoption
• Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS)
This track focuses on the communication, navigation, and surveillance technologies that underpin U-Space, from 5G/6G, satellite, and mesh networks to resilient positioning and cooperative surveillance systems. Papers addressing spectrum challenges, vulnerabilities, and AI-enabled CNS for smart cities and IoT ecosystems are especially welcome. Examples include, but are not limited to:
• UAV communication technologies (5G/6G, satellite, mesh)
• GNSS vulnerabilities, alternative navigation, and multi-factor positioning
• Cooperative surveillance and tracking systems
• Spectrum management and interference mitigation
• AI-driven CNS solutions and emerging technologies for smart cities/IoT
• Dependability, Safety, Security, and Risk Management
This track will showcase work on ensuring dependable, safe, and secure UAV operations in U-Space. Relevant topics include detect-and-avoid technologies, collision and risk assessment, cybersecurity, resilience frameworks, and methods for verification, validation, and certification, as well as sustainability in dependable UAV systems. Key areas of inquiry include:
• Detect-and-avoid (DAA) technologies and collision risk assessment
• Cybersecurity in UAVs and U-Space systems
• Safety, resilience, and risk assessment frameworks
• Verification, validation, and certification of U-Space services
• Green/sustainable technologies for resilient operations
• Validation, Autonomy, and Applications
This theme focuses on experimental validation and real-world applications of U-Space. Topics may include digital twins, testbeds, flight trials, autonomous UAV operations, swarm intelligence, AI-driven traffic management, and use cases in UAM, BVLOS, emergency response, logistics, inspection, and smart cities. Potential areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Digital twins, testbeds, flight trials, and simulation platforms
• Autonomous UAV operations, swarm intelligence, and AI-driven traffic management
• Urban air mobility (UAM), BVLOS, and emergency/disaster response applications
• Industrial applications: logistics, inspection, agriculture, surveillance
• Integration of UAVs with advanced technologies (blockchain, edge, etc.)