Macro-Regional Innovation WeekAt the crossroads of three European Macro-Regions: Danube, Adriatic-Ionian and Alpine Regions

Speakers

26-30 September 2016Trieste, Italy

Giancarlo Caratti

Head of Unit, Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer,

Competences, Directorate-General Joint Research Centre,

European Commission

Dr Ing. Giancarlo CARATTI is heading the "Intellectual Property and

Technology Transfer" department at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of

the European Commission, which manages the Intellectual Property of

the European Commission, including patents, trademarks, copyrights,

denomination of origin, etc.

In his previous assignments, Mr Caratti managed other Commission

departments, namely: "Institutional and International Relations",

"Enlargement" and "Policy Support Strategy". Mr Caratti has started his

career in the European Commission in 1986 within the unit "Renewable

Energy R&D". In 1996 he was appointed Advisor to the Director of the

Institute for Prospective Technological Studies in charge of coordination

of the scientific work programme and stakeholder relations. He then took

over the responsibility of other central units in the JRC, namely the

"Policy Support Strategy" in 1999. Last year, he was Deputy

Commissioner General for the EU participation in the World Expo 2015,

as appointed by the President of the European Commission on 3.5.2013.

He was also leading the EU Expo 2015 Task Force, which coordinated the

participation of the EU institutions in the Expo.

Mr Caratti's educational background is in Mechanical Engineering, with

specialisation in Energy. Before joining the Commission he worked in the

Faculties of Engineering of Florence (1982) and Pisa (1984-1985),

teaching and researching on Industrial Systems and Energetics. In 1983

he spent one year as visiting scholar at the Georgia Institute of

Technology, Atlanta, USA in the field of Energy Modelling. In 1985 and

1986, he worked as project engineer at Techint, Italy's largest private

engineering company based in Milan. Mr Caratti has over 60 publications

in international conferences, journals, etc. and is editor of various

technical books.

Debora Serracchiani

President of the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia

Debora Serracchiani holds a Master of Arts in law from University of

Rome “La Sapienza”. She as work experiences as lawyer in labour law,

is the President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region from

2013 to date. Previously she was Member of the European Parliament,

member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) and

substitute in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

(LIBE) from 2009 to 2013. She also was Council member of the

province of Udine, vice-group leader of the environment and energy

commission from 2008 to 2009, member of the Province Council of Udine

and Member of the Constituency Council of Udine.

She was Secretary of the Democratic Party (PD) of the Municipality of

Udine, from December 2008 to November 2009, and Secretary of the

Democratic Party (PD) of Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region from

November 2009 to May 2013

Alessandra Pastorelli

Deputy Director, Scientific and Technological Cooperation Unit,

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy

Alessandra Pastorelli was born in Siena in 1975. She took a Bachelor

degree in Political Science at LUISS University in Rome in 1999. She

worked as European project consultant for private companies in

Brussels, in Grosseto and in Rome between 1999 and 2001. She became

diplomat in December 2001 and she served in the Directorate General

for Mediterranean Countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome

between 2002 and 2004. In September 2004 she was appointed as

Head of the Economic and Commercial Office at the Italian Embassy in

Addis Ababa and she served in Ethiopia and Djibouti until June 2008.

Between 2008 and 2012 she served at the Italian Permanent Mission to

the International Organizations in Vienna, being responsible for the

relations with UNIDO, UNCOPUOS and Technical Cooperation of the

IAEA. Since October 2012, Ms Pastorelli is Deputy Director of the

Scientific and Technological Cooperation Unit at the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs and International Cooperation in Rome.

Giovanni De Santi

Director, Competences, Directorate-General Joint Research

Centre, European Commission

Since 1985, Giovanni De Santi has been employed at the Joint Research

Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, where he developed his

professional expertise by managing projects and groups of experts in the

fields of energy, transport, mechanical/nuclear engineering,

environmental science, and management.

In 2007, he was nominated as Director of the Institute for Energy of the

JRC based both in Petten (The Netherlands) and Ispra (Italy). The

Institute represents the reference centre of the European Commission

for research in the energy field. It provides technical and scientific

support for the conception, development and monitoring of community

policies related to the production, security, safety and sustainability of

energy. In particular the Institute focuses on nuclear reactor safety,

renewable (solar) energy, hydrogen and fuel cells, energy system

modelling and energy security.

In January 2011, the Institute for Energy was transformed into the

Institute for Energy and Transport and its portfolio consequently

expanded to include sustainable transport. As Director of the Institute,

Dr. De Santi is responsible for the coordination and management of key

energy and transport activities within the Joint Research Centre of the

European Commission and in the frame of international co-operation

between Europe and key stakeholders - both in the research and

industrial sectors - from third countries. He is member of steering

committees and governing boards of numerous European initiatives,

such as the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan, the Hydrogen

and Fuel Cell Joint Technology Initiatives, European Technology

Platforms (solar energy, biofuels, etc.), the U.S.- Europe Energy Council,

as well as chairman of international Task Forces UNECE-TF for the

standardisation of heavy duty transport emissions.

Giovanni De Santi is author of many peer reviewed publications in high

level scientific journals and chairman of many international conferences.

Since 1st of July 2016, Giovanni De Santi became Director of the

Direction I in charge of Competences and is based in Ispra.

Sergio Paoletti

President of AREA Science Park

Sergio Paoletti is Full Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Life

Sciences of the University of Trieste, where he was elected member of

the Board of Directors (2006-2009), Deputy Vice-Chancellor (September

2009-May 2013) and Acting Rector (May-July 2013). Since April 2016 he

is President of AREA Science Park, major Science and Technology Park in

Italy, under the aegis of the Italian Ministry of Education, university and

Research.

On 13 May 2013 he has been awarded the title of "Doctor Honoris

Causa" by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

in Trondheim and the following year he was elected foreign member of

the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters.

Professor Sergio Paoletti was Post-Doc at the Department of Physical

Chemistry of the University of Leiden (the Netherlands) (1974), Visiting

Scientist at the Institute of Biochemistry Marina del Norwegian National

Institute of Technology (NTH, now NTNU), Trondheim (Norway) (1981),

Visiting Professor at the Department of Chemistry of the Brooklyn

Polytechnic, now Polytechnic University of New York (USA) (1984).

He has been Chairman of the Bachelor degree in Biotechnology, and that

of the Master of Science in Medical Biotechnology at the Faculty of

Medicine of the University of Trieste. He was member of several boards

such as the Board of Directors of Electra - Synchrotron Trieste S.C.p.A.,

of AREA Science Park, of the Italian Consortium for Biotechnology (CIB),

as well as member of the Scientific Council of the Portoconte Searches

S.C.r.L. (SS) and of the Consortium of Trieste Molecular Biomedicine

(CBM).

He was an expert of the Commission U.E. for the polysaccharides from

algal sources and is responsible for Research Funds of various national

and international public institutions, particularly in several European

projects in the 6th and 7th Framework Programme.

He has directed and directs several research projects in collaboration

with the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries.

Member of several scientific societies, Italian and foreign ones, co-

organizer of congresses, workshops and advanced schools both in Italy

and abroad (USA) and a speaker at a number of national and

international conferences.

Professor Paoletti is author or co-author of over 200 papers in

international scientific journals and 8 patent families.

Furio Honsell

Mayor of Udine and professor of Informatics at the University of

Udine, Committee of the Regions

Furio Honsell, is full professor of Informatics at the University of Udine

(ITALY) since 1990. From 2001 to 2008 he served as Rector of Udine

University and has been President of the Science and Technology Park of

Udine. In 2008 Honsell was elected Mayor of Udine (pop 100,000) with a

centre-left coalition and re-elected in 2013. In 2009 he joined the

Covenant of Mayors 202020 and recently the Mayors Adapt. He is vice-

president of the Italian W.H.O. “Healthy Cities” Network. He is strongly

committed to implementing policies for health and energy efficiency,

combatting climate change and inequities, as well as promoting co-

operation at International level. In 2015 he was elected President of the

EU Covenant on Demographic Change. He is also President of “Giona”,

Italian national Association which promote public toy libraries and

games.

Mark Nicklas

Acting Head of Unit, Innovation Policy and Investment for

Growth, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry,

Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission

Mark Nicklas is the Acting Head of Unit "Innovation Policy and

Investment for Growth" in the European Commission's DG Internal

Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROWTH). His unit

aims at fostering the modernisation of Europe's industrial base by

stimulating investment in innovation and new technologies, promoting

new sources of growth, improving the business environment for

innovation and monitoring Member States' and regions' innovation

performance. He has been Deputy Head of Unit for Innovation Policy for

Growth since 2012.

Before entering the field of innovation policy, Mark was closely involved

in the European industrial policy development as the Assistant to the

European SME Envoy and Director-General for Enterprise and Industry.

Previously, he spent several years in the European Commission's

transport department, dealing in particular with the liberalisation of

international air transport.

Prior to joining the European Commission in 2003, Mark held several

posts in the telecommunications industry in Germany. Mark holds a

Ph.D. in industrial economics.

Patrizio Bianchi

Regional Minister for Coordination of European Policies for

Growth, Education, Vocational training, University, Research and

Employment – Emilia-Romagna Region (ADRIATIC-IONIAN),

FVG/Bavaria regions representatives (ALPINE REGION)

Patrizio Bianchi is an Italian Economist, full professor of applied

economics and politician.

Currently he is the Regional Minister for Coordination of the European

Policies for Growth, Education, Vocational training, University, Research

and Employment of the Emilia-Romagna Regional Government. Prior he

was the Rector of the University of Ferrara and Chair of the Foundation

of the Italian Universities and formerly served as Dean of Faculty of

Economics at the University of Ferrara. In addition, he has been chair of

the industrial policy think tank of Nomisma, member of the board of

directors of IRI, the main Italian public holding company, president of

the Italian agency Sviluppo Italia and member of the Commission for

labour policies and manufacturing sectors at the National Council of

Economy and Labour (CNEL). Internationally, he has been an Economic

Advisor to the Governor of Guangdong Province of China and member of

several European and OECD working groups, scientific and expert

councils. Patrizio Bianchi is the author or editor of more than 30 books

and more than 200 scientific paper, many of them on industrial policies,

European policies, international economics and economic development.

He is honorary professor at the South China University of Technology

(China) and he has been visiting professor at UCLA (USA) and at the

University of Toulouse (France).

Patrizio Bianchi was awarded by the President of Italy the recognition of

knighthood ”Commander of The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic”

and received the award of "Minister of Heritage and Culture and Tourism

for the political and social sciences" from the distinguished Italian

Accademia dei Lincei (Lincean Academy).

Patrizio Bianchi earned his degree, summa cum laude, in economics and

political science from the University of Bologna, then he specialised,

among others, at the London School of Economics.

Miroslav Vesković

Coordinator scientific support to macro-regional strategies,

Directorate-General Joint Research Centre, European Commission

Between June 2010 and December 2014 Miroslav Vesković was Priority

Area 7 Coordinator (PAC) of the European Union Strategy for the Danube

Region EUSDR with main responsibilities to coordinate macro-regional

policies in higher education, research and information and

communication technologies. As EUSDR PA7 Coordinator he dedicated

significant efforts to the issues highly relevant for the development of

knowledge society in the Danube Region: promotion of the platform for

Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3),

combating brain drain and supporting brain circulation through more

balanced mobility within the Danube. Since February 2015 Miroslav

works at DG Joint Research Centre in Brussels as Coordinator of

Scientific Support to Macro-regional Strategies.

Viktor Nedović

Assistant Minister, Ministry of Education, Science and

Technological Development, Republic of Serbia

Prof. Dr. Viktor Nedović is Assistant Minister in charge of international

S&T cooperation and EU integration in the Ministry of Education, Science

and Technological Development. His portfolio has comprised of

coordination of international programmes with particular focus on

Horizon 2020, coordination of National Contact Points network, creation

of policies and programmes related to the international cooperation and

integration into European Research Area. He is coordinator of the

negotiation process related to the Chapter 25 (“Science and Research”).

He is co-author of “The Strategy of Scientific and Technological

Development of the Republic of Serbia, 2010-2015, Focus and

Partnership” and “The Strategy of Scientific and Technological

Development of the Republic of Serbia, 2016-2020, Research for

Innovation”. As representative of the country he is a member of many

committees and bodies at the European Commission that are responsible

for the creation and implementation of EU policies in the fields of

science, research and innovation, such as European Research Area

Committee (ERAC), Board of Governors of Join Research Centre, (JRC

BofG), H2020 Programme committee on food, Joint Programming Group.

He is coordinator of Priority Area 7 (PA7) of the EU Strategy for the

Danube Region (EUSDR), Knowledge Society that is related to the

regional cooperation in research, higher education and ICT.

He is full professor at Department of Food Technology and Biochemistry,

Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade.

His research areas belong to biotechnology, food technology, and

biochemical engineering. As author and co-author he has published

around 400 scientific papers, out of which more than 70 articles

published in SCI journals and 30 as book chapters. In addition, he has

edited four books for the renowned world scientific publishers (Kluwer

and Springer). His articles have been cited more than 1600 times, his h-

index is 22 (Google Scholar). He has been coordinating or participating

in more than 50 research and networking projects, out of which 30 are

international.

Prof. Viktor Nedović is founder and president of the Serbian Association

of Food Technologists (SAFT) and coordinator of Serbian National

Technology Platform “Food for Life”. He has been a member of scientific

boards of 40 international food and biotechnology congresses.

Roko Andričević

Professor, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy,

University of Split, Croatia

Roko Andričević is a full professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering,

Architecture and Geodesy, University of Split. From 2014-2016 he was a

Vice-Minister of science, education and sports of the Republic of Croatia

responsible for developing programs for scientific infrastructure projects

for the higher education system in Croatia and coordinating the Science

and Technology Project by the World Bank in Croatia. He was Vice-rector

of the University of Split between 2008 and 2014 and Dean of Civil

engineering and architecture Faculty (2006-2008). During 2002-2004 he

was Assistant Minister for environmental protection in the Croatian

Government and Founder of Environmental Protection Agency of the

Republic of Croatia and Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency

Fund and president of Board of Directors for both institutions. Prior to

that, he spend 12 years at the Desert Research Institute, USA, in the

position of research professor developing environmental research

programs at the Nevada Test Site (USA) funded by Department of

Energy and Department of Defense, USA. In parallel, he had a long-

academic and research carrier being full professor in the US and Croatian

universities. He published one book and more than 120 scientific papers

in peer reviewed journals.

Lucian Brujan

Senior Scientific Officer International Relations, Speaker of the

Western Balkans Process - Joint Science Conference, German

National Academy of Sciences - Leopoldina

Lucian Brujan works as Senior Scientific Officer and Programme Director

for International Affairs at the German National Academy of Sciences

Leopoldina. Since 2014 he acts as Speaker of the Joint Science

Conference of the Berlin Process, an intergovernmental initiative to bring

the Western Balkans closer to the European Union and support

intraregional cooperation.

Since 2012, his activity covers different fields of international science

affairs, such as science diplomacy, stakeholder relations, science policy,

research cooperation as well as science-based advice to policy-makers

and civil society. Previously, Lucian worked as Lecturer at the Institute of

Geography of the University of Tübingen (Germany), specialising in

international relations (border research, migration issues, conflict

research) and spatial sciences (local and regional development, post-

socialist transition), at the interface between natural and social sciences.

As a visiting fellow, he taught and conducted research at different

universities throughout Europe. Between 2010 and 2012, he worked in

parallel as a science manager (Director of International Affairs) at the

University of Tübingen, where he was involved in internationalisation,

change management and the German University Excellence Competition.

Lucian graduated in Geography and German Studies in 2003, studying at

the West-University of Timișoara (Romania) and the University of

Tübingen. He received several scholarships from funding organisations,

before and after graduation. He was born in Romania (1981), in the

multicultural Banat region.

Anna Giorgi

Driving innovation growth (Pillar 1), EU Strategy for the Alpine

Region (EUSALP)

Anna Giorgi is a Researcher at the University of Milan and the Director of

GeSDiMont – a department of the University of Milan located in the

central Italian Alps, promoting the sustainable development and

valorisation of mountain areas. She is experienced in the management of

public institutions dealing with research and experimentation activities

promoting innovative approaches to territories exploitation and

governance. She was the general director of the Italian mountain

institute, a national research institute, the president of ISCAR,

international scientific committee for research in the Alps, for 4 years

and now I’m the Italian delegate. She is the vice-president of ERSAF, the

public institution controlled by Lombardy Region providing services to

agricultural and forestry sectors and she represents Lombardy Region in

the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region – EUSALP, launched on January

2016 - as leader of the action group 1, aimed at developing an effective

research and innovation ecosystem in the “Alpine Region”.

Željka Babić

Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Unit, Directorate-

General Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission

Željka works for the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC)

since 2008 and is expert in Technology Transfer. She is now responsible

for policy and analysis and coordinates macro-regional activities in TT.

Before that, she worked in the Stakeholder Relations Unit dealing, inter

alia, with the Enlargement and Integration Action, a programme that

supports the transfer of the EU acquis to national legislation and

facilitates scientific and technical exchange with Western Balkans

countries. Željka graduated from the College of Europe and has degrees

in International Relations and Diplomacy from Collegium Civitas, Warsaw

and in Japanese Language and Literature from the University of

Belgrade.

Andrea Mairate

Head of Unit Competence Centre Macro-regions and European

Territorial Co-operation, Directorate-General for Regional and

Urban Policy (DG REGIO), European Commission

Dr Andrea Mairate was born in Tangier (Morocco) in 1957. He studied

Economics in Grenoble, Turin and Paris where he got a Ph.d. After

qualification, he started an academic career as lecturer and researcher in

applied economics in Paris. In 1989, he worked in Rome as research

director in a research centre in a variety of areas including industrial and

innovation policies as well as European regional policies. In 1994 he

joined the European Commission in the area of regional policy, held

managerial posts in evaluation, economic analysis, policy coordination

and audit. He is currently head of the Competence Centre on European

Territorial Cooperation and macro-regions. During his professional

activity, he held several academic positions as associate professor in

Padua (Jean Monnet chair), Milan (Bocconi university) and currently in

the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) where he teaches a master course on

European Integration and Regional Development.

Christina Bauer

Head of the Managing Authority of the Alpine Space Cooperation

Programme

Christina Bauer studied law and economics and holds a post-doc in

business law. Since more than 15 years she has been working for the

Land of Salzburg (Austria) in the field of regional development and EU

cohesion policy. Christina Bauer is deputy head of the unit "regional

development and EU regional policy" in the Government Office´s

department for economy, tourism and municipalities. This unit is

amongst others responsible for the development and implementation of

the region´s strategies for economy and research as well as ERDF-

cofounded programmes such as regional competitiveness/investment in

growth and jobs, cross-border and transnational cooperation

programmes. Already for the third programming period (after 2000-2006

and 2007-2013) the unit acts as Managing Authority of the Interreg

programme Alpine Space. Since 2015 Christina Bauer is head of the

Managing Authority of this programme.

Lodovico Gherardi

ADRION Cooperation Programme, Emilia-Romagna Region

Lodovico Gherardi is a directorial public official of the Emilia-Romagna

Region.

He is currently coordinator of the Managing Authority of the ADRION

European Territorial Cooperation Programme

PhD in Economics and forest management, after some experiences in the

Universities of Florence, Palermo and Venice, he has been in charge of

Interreg programmes on behalf of Emilia-Romagna Region.

In particular, in the previous 2000-2006 programming period, he was

appointed deputy chairman of Italy's National Committee of the Interreg

IIIB Cadeses Programme and official member of the Monitoring

Committee and of Financial Control Group. He has represented Emilia-

Romagna in the Steering Committee of Adriatic Crossborder Interreg III

A Programme and has been chosen by the Ministry of Infrastructures as

external expert on behalf of the programme's national coordinator for

the projects' evaluation within the interreg III B Archimed Programme.

In the 2007-2013 programming period he was chairman of the National

Committee, National Contact Point of the SEE (South East Europe)

European Transnational Cooperation Programme, member of the

Monitoring Committee within the SEE (South East Europe) Programme

and Italy-Slovenia Crossborder Programme.

Thanks to the various positions he has been in charge of, he was called

to take part in the Task Forces for the implementation of the South East

Europe (2007-2013) and Adrion (2014-2020) Programmes; moreover,

since the candidacy and identification of the Emilia-Romagna Region as

Managing Authority of the Adrion programme he has been coordinating

the organizational team and has been following the building up of the

administrative Unit.

Valentina Pinna

Lombardy Region – Vanguard Initiative and Regional S3

Valentina is the responsible for Research Innovation and

Competitiveness of Lombardy Region (delegation to the EU) seconded

from Finlombarda, Lombardy Financial Agency and responsible for

implementation of the Regional Development Program.

Valentina was involved in the launch of Vanguard Regions Initiative and

she is currently member of the Coordination Group. She was also

member of the Management Board of ERRIN (European Regions

Research and Innovation Network). She is supporting Lombardy

involvement in several ETPs, EIPs & Joint Programming Initiatives.

Before taking up this responsibility, she worked for the European

Commission DG Research & Innovation, where she was in charge of the

regional dimension of innovation. She was involved in the launch,

monitoring and implementation of Innovation Union and, in particular, of

European innovation Partnerships (EIP Water-Efficient Europe) and the

JPI on Water.

Before joining the EC, Valentina was Manager of the EU office of

Unioncamere Lombardia.

She holds experience in working for Banks and Science Parks. She is an

active member of the European Networks’ Ecosystem and facilitator for

Lombardy participation in several European platforms/partnering

initiatives (S3P, EIP, ETPs, JPIs, JTIs, PPPs).

Eduardo Barreto

Competence Centre Smart and Sustainable Growth, Directorate-

General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), European

Commission

Policy analyst in the Competence Centre Smart and Sustainable Growth

in the Directorate-general Regional and Urban Policy, European

Commission

Anwar Aridi

Innovation Specialist, World Bank

Anwar Aridi is an Innovation Specialist at the Europe and Central Asia

(ECA) unit of the Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice at the World

Bank in Washington DC. Anwar specializes in science, technology, and

innovation policy issues, R&D design, implementation, and collaboration,

technology entrepreneurship, and regional economic development. He

previously worked as an Economic and Technology Policy Analyst at SRI

International Center for Science, Technology, and Economic

Development and at the World Bank Middle East and North Africa

Country Management Unit. Anwar holds a Ph.D. from the Trachtenberg

School of Public Policy and Administration at the George Washington

University (GWU) in Science and Technology Policy. He also has an MA

degree from the Elliot School of International Affairs in International

Science and Technology Policy at GWU and an MS degree in Information

and Telecommunication Systems from Ohio University. Anwar is the

coeditor of Innovation Policy: A Practical Introduction (Springer Books

2014 with Vonortas, N. & Rouge, P.).

Désirée Pecarz

Danube INCO.NET, ZSI

Ms. Desiree PECARZ is project and communication manager within the

Research Policy and Development Unit of ZSI GmbH. She joined the

Centre for Social Innovation in 2007 to deal with international RTD/S&T

co-operation, SME competitiveness and innovation aspects. In addition

to project management, her work focuses also on dissemination,

monitoring and evaluation; it includes drafting studies and briefs for the

support of policy processes, as well as designing and implementing

events to support strategic collaboration activities.

She is currently communication manager of Danube-INCO.NET, has

previously coordinated the FP7 funded WINS-ICT project, and had WP

managing role for the following FP initiatives: WBC-INCO.NET, SEE-

Innovation, SCORE, INCONET EECA, BILAT-UKR; and BILAT-RUS. Her

educational and professional background includes a degree in Economy

of the international trade and value markets at the University of Trieste

(Italy), a specialisation in International Marketing at MIB–School of

Management, and a position at INFORMEST - Italian Agency for

International Economic Cooperation.

Ales Gnamus

S3 Platform, Unit for Territorial Development, Directorate-

General Joint Research Centre, European Commission

Dr. Ales Gnamus is a scientific policy analyst at JRC Seville since

February 2008. Since January 2012 he is closely involved in the

activities of the Smart Specialisation Platform. He has been working for

the European Commission (DG RTD, DG REGIO, DG JRC) since 2004. He

has long-standing analytical experience with European trans-regional

and international S&T cooperation, renewable energy technologies,

smart cities, eco-innovations and sustainability issues as a whole. His

interests include policy analysis, benchmarking, qualitative and

quantitative assessment of policies and on modern internet-based

communication / dissemination information platforms. He holds a Ph.D.

in natural sciences and had been previously working as researcher

dealing with different research topics at universities and research

institutes in various countries.

Armin Mahr

Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economics, Austria

Armin Mahr is a senior public manager and political advisor. In the

Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy he is

heading the strategy unit, responsible for research locations and regional

policies. Armin has an international track record as a science, research

and innovation expert involved in peer reviews of innovation systems

and in strategy projects at national, regional and European level.

He has been an early partner of the EU Commission’s S3 Platform; he

was among the initiators of the OECD project on smart specialisation

that helped to connect the concept of smart specialisation to practical

implementation. His easy-to-use brochure “RIS3 KEY” (together with

Joanneum Research), aimed at unlocking the S3 concept to regional

developers, the science and business sectors, was published in seven

languages and can be downloaded from www.era.gv.at/regions.

At EU level, Armin has been advocating for the inclusion of HEI and the

research sector, at equal terms with business and industry, in finding

smart regional specialisations.

Armin believes in a dynamic multi-level governance model that connects

the European, national and regional with the institutional level, and

encourages universities and research centres to become 'lead

institutions', shaping the future of their region. As a political scientist

(London School of Economics, University of Vienna) he was previously

involved in various international research and technical assistance

projects both in the business consultancy and non-profit sector.

Armin says:

‘When old policy silos crumble, we need new thematic and territorial

references to communicate policy interventions in a tangible way and

turn stakeholders into partners. That is why we have seen a renaissance

of place-based policy concepts like smart specialisation, lately.’’

Peter Wostner

Government Office for Development and Cohesion Policy,

Slovenia

Dr. Peter Wostner is the head of the Smart Specialisation Coordination

Unit in the Slovenian Government. He was also the team leader for its

preparation. Dr. Wostner is an expert on EU budget and EU Cohesion

Policy were he has been, for last 12 years, directly involved from the

MFF and regulatory negotiations to setting up of the programming

framework and implementation arrangements. He is a lecturer and a

moderator and also author of number of articles, especially as regards

EU budget and development policy. Dr. Wostner is also the chairman of

the OECD’s Working Party on Rural Policy and Vice-Chair of the Regional

Development Policy Committee.

Ketty Segatti

Director of the Education, Right to Study, High Learning and

Research Office, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy

Ketty Segatti is the Director of the Education, Training and Research

Area of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the Managing Authority of

the 2014-2020 European Social Fund Programme.

Graduate in Economic and finance, from 1996 to 2006 she was the head

of the Economic and finance department of the Municipality of

Tavagnacco (Ud). In 2006 she began to work at Friuli Venezia Giulia

Region as Director of the University, Research and Innovation Office,

which became the Education, University and Research Office in 2010 and

the Education, Right to study, High Training and Research Office in 2013.

From 2015 she has been in charge of the Education, High training and

Research Area, which has included from September 12th 2016 all the

Training sector too.

Over the years of regional activity, her main responsibilities have been

represented by managing links between research and higher education

bodies, regional clusters and financing them; supporting regional

networks between national and international research centres, regional

universities and science and technology parks; overseeing the regional

planning and development of actions supporting higher education,

scientific research and technological development, research and

initiatives for scientific divulgation and internationalization; overseeing

the regional actions concerning education and higher education, ensuring

the coordination between the Region and local bodies, supporting schools

in developing their educational offer; developing international and

European cooperation projects; overseeing the planning and

management of regional actions to promote public services for the right

to study in education and higher education.

To these assignments it has been currently added the responsibility to

lead the whole Training sector, performing the functions of Managing

Authority of the 2014-2020 European Social Fund Programme too.

Tomislav Radoš

Managing Director, Croatian Centre for Industrial Development

(CIRAZ )

Tomislav Radoš, vice president of Croatian Chamber of Economy, was

born on 2nd April, 1971, in Požega, Croatia. Radoš attended the Faculty

of Economics and Businesses in Zagreb earning a bachelor's and a

master’s degrees as well as a Ph.D. with the thesis “The Relationship

between Strategy and Business Performance of Croatian Companies”.

After working as a head of the Risk Management Sector at Unicredit

Bank, Zagrebačka banka d.d., Zagreb, Croatia, he was management

board member in the automotive industry firm, AutoZubak ltd. In 2003

he became chairmen and CEO of AutoZubak ltd. and was responsible for

500 employees. Six years later he establishes and manages his private

company named Strategic Plan Ltd, focusing on counselling services in

the area of strategic management and finances, management of financial

restructuring projects, development and implementation of business

strategies as well as projects on renewable energy resources.

In year 2013, Radoš took a position of an Advisor to the Minister of

Economy as a head of the working group for Industrial strategy

development and a head author of the Republic of Croatia’s Industrial

Strategy 2014 – 2020.

Following this assignment, he became an Assistant to Minister of

Economy in charge for industry, investments and EU programmes and

projects and was responsible for development of Innovation strategy and

Smart specialization strategy of the Republic of Croatia.

Currently he is a Vice President of Croatian Chamber of Economy for

Industry, and IT and Energy and Environment.

In his career he has published various scientific, research and

professional papers.

Marija Vujaković

Director, BSC Centar, Serbia

Marija Vujaković is the Director of the Information Centre for Business

Standardisation and Certification (abbr. the BSC Centre) in Novi Sad,

Serbia.

What is of particular relevance for the Innovation’s Week Tutorial

Session - Smart Stories: S3 from Design to Implementation is her

experience in IPA HU-SRB INTERRIS PROJECT where she was project

manager, in IPA HU-SRB CROSS-CLUSTER where she was a project

manager, too. Her experience in creating The Regional Innovation

Strategy of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina 2015-2020 (RIS-APV)

where she was a co-author and in creating The Cross-Border Innovation

Strategy of South Great Plain (Hungary) and Vojvodina (Serbia) where

she was also a co-author can also contribute to the success of this

Conference.

She has considerable professional experience of implementing national

and international projects in the field of increasing competitiveness of

the national economy in terms of lifelong learning and innovation, as well

as in areas related to business standardization and certification. She is

an engineer - a leader with a vision and motto: People are in the centre

of anything we do.

Jan Larosse

Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO),

European Commission

Jan Larosse works as a policy analyst for the Competence Centre Smart

and Sustainable Growth in the DG REGIO of the European Commission.

He is responsible for the development of the Thematic Smart

Specialisation Platforms.

He is a seconded national expert from the Flemish Government, where

he was coordinator of industrial policy as a Senior Scientific Advisor. He

has been working on smart specialisation policy from the early start in

2008, as a national expert in DG RTD.

Leda Bologni

Regional Technology Platforms and Projects Dept. Manager –

ASTER, Emilia Romagna Region (ADRION)

Leda Bologni is an Engineer with a PhD in Robotics. Her skills concern

innovation policies and transnational R&D and technology transfer

programmes. She is external expert, independent evaluator and

reviewer for the European Commission.

Recently she managed the Technology Foresight exercise and the

Entrepreneurial Discovery Process in the framework of the regional

Smart Specialization Strategy. In ASTER, the in-house providing

company for innovation of the Emilia-Romagna region, she is the

manager of the Industrial Research Unit and responsible for the S3

Technical Assistance. Moreover, she is the manager of the High

Technology Network. Leda is also national expert in Italy for S3.

Lydia Alessio-Vernì

Deputy Director, Industry, Tourism and Cooperation Department,

Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy

Lydia Alessio-Vernì holds a degree in law (Trieste University, IT), is a

post graduate in the forensic field (Trieste University, IT), qualified as a

lawyer and in 2009 did master’s degree (Bocconi University, Milan, IT).

The title of her thesis is “Measures to support competitiveness, research,

development and innovation in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.

Elements to readdress policies: analysis of activities in the period 1998-

2008”

She first was a lawyer’s apprentice in a law firm: (1998: President of the

Association of practicing lawyers) before being a lawyer from 2000

onwards.

She worked as administrative officer (management of European co-

funded programs) in Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Central Directorate for

Productive activities, coordinator for state aid and EU policies in the

Central Directorate for Productive activities, Director’s Staff, Director of

the Economic policies and territorial market office in the Central

Directorate for Productive activities and Director of the Industrial support

and promotion Office in the Central Directorate for Productive activities.

From April 2014 to date she is the Deputy Director of the Manufacturing

Area at the Central Directorate for Productive activities. She also is

since November 2014 onwards the Managing Authority of FVG Region

ERDF O.P.s 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 at the Central Directorate for

Productive activities, Manufacturing Area.

Aleš Hančič

S3 for Industrial Modernisation - Smart mechatronic tools and

dies, TECOS, Slovenia

In 2005 dr. Aleš Hančič joined TECOS Slovenian Tool Development

Center, first as a young researcher and PhD student in the field of

biopolymer composites, and then as Director of Research and

Development. In November 2006, he was hosted by the University of

Minho in Portugal, where he completed a part of the experimental work

on the doctoral thesis at the Department of Polymer Engineering. In

August 2012, he received his doctorate at the Faculty of Mechanical

Engineering in Ljubljana. In 2013 he was appointed a Director of the

Slovenian Tool Development Centre TECOS. In the recent year he has

also been employed at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University

of Ljubljana as a research and teaching assistant and as a research

associate lecturer at the College of Polymer Technology in Slovenj

Gradec. He is also the president of Board of Directors of Centre of

Excellence for Polymers CO PoliMat.

Martina Hartl

EUSALP Action Group 1 “To develop an effective research and

innovation ecosystem”

Martina Hartl is Senior Policy Officer within the Austrian Ministry of

Science, Research and Economy dealing with international research co-

operation and macro-regional strategies specifically.

Her scientific background lies within the Social Sciences and Humanities

where she holds a master degree in sociology from the University of

Vienna.

She has extensive experience in national and EU research programme

development and has served as EU Programme delegate for Socio-

Economic Sciences and Humanities as well as Science in Society in FP6

and FP7.

Within Horizon 2020 she is expert for issues of international co-operation

and she also serves as delegate for the Strategic Forum for International

Science and Technology Cooperation.

In her 4 years as national expert at the European Commission´s DG

Research and Innovation she has worked intensively on issues of

Widening Participation and Smart Specialisation which she now follows

up in the macro-regional contexts of the Danube and Alpine strategies.

Mathilde Konstantopoulou

EUSAIR co-coordinator Pillar “Blue Growth”

Mathilde Konstantopoulou has studied Economics at the Athens

University of Economics and has a postgraduate degree in Finance from

Lancaster University in the UK. She has worked at the banking and

financial sector for a decade and is now employed at the Special Service

for Strategy, Planning and Evaluation of the Operational Programmes at

the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism. She is the national

representative and member of the Monitoring Committees of the

European Territorial Cooperation Programmes: URBACT and ESPON.

During the preparation of the current programming period 2014-2020,

she was responsible for the relevant trialogues and the adoption of the

European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) and the European Grouping of

Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) Regulations. She is currently involved in

Cohesion Policy issues and especially, territorial cohesion, sustainable

urban development and strategies of the territorial cooperation

programmes. She is also responsible for the preparation and

implementation of the Regional Operational Programme of Western

Macedonia in Greece. She participates to the team of the National

Coordinator of the Ministry for the Adriatic-Ionian macro-regional

strategy (EUSAIR) and its incorporation in the Partnership Agreement

and the national operational programmes. She represents the Greek

project partner at the strategic project EUSAIR FACILITY POINT, which

will be implemented in the context of the ADRION transnational

programme and will provide support and technical assistance to the

EUSAIR Institutions (Governing Board and Pillar Coordinators),

facilitating also the exchange of information among stakeholders and

potential beneficiaries. She is also Deputy Coordinator of the Thematic

Steering Group (TSG) of pillar I – Blue Growth of the EUSAIR Strategy.

Stefano Casaleggi

Director-General, AREA Science Park

52, from Friuli, Italy, degree in electrical engineering, master's degree in

business management from SDA Bocconi, executive education at INSEAD

in Fontainebleau, after ten years' experience in IBM, both in Italy and

abroad, in the areas of marketing & sales and consulting for businesses,

moved to the Edison group to guide the commercial activities of the

electricity sector. During a four-year period as general manager, he

leads Edison Energia to be the first operator within the energy free

market. Left the group, he establishes Hyperlynx, consulting company,

that reckons among its major customers electrical domestic players and

former municipal companies. In 2009 he co-founded Aither, a company

operating in electricity production from renewable sources, then in 2010,

establishes Castel, a company for strategic and process consulting. He is

currently Managing Director of the AREA Science Park, Italian Public

Research Body, as well as member of the board of Elettra Synchrotron

Trieste and member of APSTI Executive Council.

Nicola Buonanno

Territory Sales Manager , Google for Work, Italy

Nicola Buonanno is the Territory Sales Manager at Google for Work. After

graduating in Public Administration and International Institutions

Management at Bocconi University of Milan he started his career at

Autodesk Italy as Sales Rep. focusing on the CAD software business.

After this experience he joined Tech Data Italy, covering different roles.

Before joining Google Inc. he held the position of Business Development

Manager for the Autodesk Media & Entertainment solutions at Tech Data

Italy. He has been working at Google since 2009, covering several roles

both abroad (European Headquarters) and in Italy. Nicola is now

responsible for the sales of the Google for Work Solutions to medium and

large Clients in Italy with focus on messaging and collaborations tools

and devices. Google for Work solutions include products like Google

Apps, Google Maps for Work, Chrome for Work, Android for Work and

Google Cloud Platform.

Pier Luigi Dal Pino

Director of Institutional and Industrial relations, Microsoft Italy

and Austria

As Managing Director for Institutional and Industrial Relations, is the

main Italian referent dedicated to institutional relations in the political

and regulatory environment. The figure covered with Pier Luigi was born

to better interpret the epochal digital transformation represented by

cloud computing and destined to change the way the products use and

the relationship with users.

Its role is very important because the main objective is to communicate

with one voice industry, market and Government: creates and maintains

the high-level relationships to create project initiatives that put ICT to

overall innovation centre Country System.

He graduated in Economics and Master in European Public Relations,

Young Leaders 2006 Italy-US Council for over 15 years is the director of

Institutional Relations of Microsoft, from 2001 to 2006 at the direction of

the Southern Europe and from 2015 also responsible for Austria and

Switzerland.

Before joining Microsoft, he served for four years as Corporate Affairs

Manager at Philip Morris, dealing with institutional communication and

development programs for the American tobacco company in Italy and

two years at Procter & Gamble with the responsibility of marketing

communications for Health and Beauty Care sector.

Fabrizio Renzi

Director, Technology, Innovation & Research, IBM Italy

Fabrizio Renzi is the Director of technology, innovation and Research of

IBM Italy since 2014. In this role he leads all the IBM Italy technical

activities, for partnering with Italian clients and institution around ICT

solutions, digital transformation initiatives and Research.

From 2011 to 2013 he was Director of technology and innovation for

Italian banks, insurances and financial institutions.

In 2009-2010 he was, based in Dubai, and was IBM Director of Systems

and Technologies for emerging markets (Russia, Eastern Europe, Middle

East and Africa)

Since 1997 he worked on leading edge technologies and transformation

initiatives for IBM, with increasing managerial responsibilities in areas

such as: on demand, e-business, ecommerce, network computing

solutions, client server.

He joined IBM in 1990 as System Engineer in charge of introducing in

Italy new products technologies and solutions developed in our R&D labs

in USA, where he also spent some years of his professional life in

international assignments.

Master degree in Electronic Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, he

also got an International Executive Program MBA from INSEAD in Paris.

Keynote speaker in several scientific and technology related events,

Renzi is author of several publications and he taught in several Italian

universities

Luis Sanz

Director General, International Association of Science Parks and

Areas of Innovation (IASP)

Luis Sanz (Spain, 1952) is Director General of the International

Association of Science Parks since 1996, and member of its Executive

Board. A trained sociologist, he is an expert consultant and senior

adviser to different Science Parks worldwide and chief co-ordinator of

over 30 international conferences on Science and Technology Parks,

regional development and innovation policies.

He is author of numerous papers, books, articles and presentations on

this topic and has participated as invited speaker in over 100

international conferences and seminars all over the world. Formerly he

was the co-director of Valencia Technology Park (Spain) which he

founded in 1987 and as positions of trust he has been Vice-President of

the Spanish Association of Science Parks and President of the European

Division of the IASP.

Luis Sanz is also the head co-ordinator of the World Alliance for

innovation (WAINOVA).

Josep Miquel Piqué

International President, IASP

Josep Miquel Piqué is a Telecommunication Engineer from La Salle and

UPC and MBA from ESADE. He holds also diplomas from Massachusetts

Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California-Berkeley and

Universitat Ramon Llull.

He is a disciple of Professors Henry Etzkowitz (co-founder of Triple

Helix), Francesc Solé Parellada (Entrepreneurship) and Jerome Engel

(Clusters of Innovation).

He is the President of XPCAT (Catalan Network of Science Parks), Vice-

President of APTE (Spanish Network of Science Parks) and Vice-President

of IASP (International Association of Science Parks and Areas of

Innovation).

He is expert of the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy

(DG REGIO) of the European Commission and member of the Team of

Specialists on Innovation and Competitiveness Policies of the United

Nations Commission for Europe (UNECE).

His long professional experience in university management has leaded

him to promote and lead Postgraduate Programs, Technology Transfer

Centers, University Incubators and Innovation Science and Technology

Parks. He has promoted several hybrid organizations taking the

partnership model University-Industry-Public Administration.

In the field of public administration has been CEO of the District

Innovation - 22 @ Barcelona, Director of Strategic Sectors of the Agency

of Local Development - Barcelona Activa and CEO of the Office of

Economic Growth of the Barcelona City Council. Among other projects he

has participated in teams of Barcelona European Capital of Innovation

and Barcelona Mobile World Capital

He has published several papers in publications and congresses on

Innovation Ecosystems. He has participated in several international

forums in Europe (Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Italy and

UK), America (Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, U.S.A.) and

Asia (Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Japan and China).

The central line of his activity is the promotion of Knowledge-based

Economy and Society in order to consolidate Knowledge Cities on Smart

Cities.

Paris Kokorotsikos

Head of Greece-based Euroconsultants

Dr. Paris Kokorotsikos is CEO of Athens Stock Exchange listed

Management and Technology Consulting Company EUROCONSULTANTS

S.A. with subsidiaries in most of Central, East European and MENA

countries and owner of i4G incubation for Growth Technology and ETEP

Incubators, as well as shareholder of Thessaloniki Technology Park and

numerous technology start-ups in the sectors of IST, life sciences and

environment.

Dr. Kokorotsikos through EUROCONSULTANTS Group participates in the

development of Technology Infrastructure and funds Initiatives in SE

Europe (Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Czech Republic), and GCC countries

(Technology Parks in Bahrain Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Oman).

During the past years he was involved in many PPP and ERDF projects

conception and development and aiming at University and research

centres Infrastructures, Innovation Zones, Technology Parks private

sector infrastructures, Industrial parks, University preincubators and

accelerators in EU and precession countries.

Dr Kokorotsikos has extensive experience in Croatia as developer of

Euroconsultants Croatia and has been involved in several projects

conception as well as in the preparation of the 2007-2013 operational

programmes, in addition to projects preparation with universities.

Dr. Kokorotsikos was member of the board of the Technology Transfer

Association of EU. He has coordinated technical assistance teams at top

government level on planning, management and evaluation of

Operational and Development programmes for more than 40 countries

and regions aiming at Private Investments increase, for SMEs, for

Technology Transfer, for Quality in industry, for Interregional and Cross-

Border Cooperation and especially for promoting entrepreneurship from

Research Institutes, in the framework of EU, WB, EBRD and government

programmes. He has been author at several papers on development

issues and addressed in many relevant conferences in the EU.

Dr Kokorotsikos started his career (in parallel in PhD research) as

industrial liaison officer of the Chemical Process Engineering Research

Institute (CPERI) of the National Foundation for Research, and has

taught courses on the Energy technologies and Technology Transfer at

the Engineering School of the Aristoteles University of Thessaloniki.

Stephen Taylor

Director of Marketing, Communication and Business Development

Unit, AREA Science Park

Mr. Stephen Taylor has over twenty five years-experience as a Director

and Senior Consultant, helping major firms and government agencies in

Europe and North America to access the latest knowledge and expertise

for analysis and planning for new business, market research, new

product development, and technology commercialization.

He has negotiated sales, joint ventures and partnership agreements with

other organisations, both public and private, to further the strategic

objectives of the organisations he has represented. As well as extensive

face-to-face closure of key account sales, he has also successfully

negotiated non-cash deals with other organisations to achieve mutually

beneficial partnerships.

His collaboration with AREA Science Park (Trieste) started at the

beginning of 2009 and in September of the same year he was appointed

as Director of the Technology Transfer Department to optimize strategic

activities for technology transfer.

Since January 2010 he sits on the board of Innovation Factory S.r.l., the

in-house incubator of AREA Science Park, with specific responsibility for

business competitiveness and internationalization and in May 2011 he

was named CEO. In 2015 he became Director of Marketing,

Communications and Business Development.

Mauro Giacca

Director-General International Centre for Genetic Engineering

and Biotechnology (ICGEB)

Education. 1984, Degree in Medicine; Faculty of Medicine, University of

Trieste, Italy. 1985, Professional License; Admitted to the Medical

Doctors and Surgeons Register, University of Bologna Medical School.

1989, Ph.D. in Microbiology and Virology; University of Genoa, Italy.

Positions. Since 2014, Director-General of the International Centre for

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy, an

international, intergovernmental organisation for advanced research and

training in the United Nations Common System, with seats in Trieste,

Italy, New Delhi, India and Cape Town, South Africa. 2004-14, Director

of the Italian Component of the ICGEB in Trieste. Since 1995, Group

Leader of the Molecular Medicine Laboratory at ICGEB Trieste. 2000-04:

Founder and Director of the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Scuola

Normale Superiore, in Pisa, Italy.

Other appointments. Since 2012, Expert Member in the National

Committee for Biotechnology, Biosafety and Life Sciences (CNBBSV), an

advisory body to the President of the Council of Ministries of the Republic

of Italy. 2005-2010, member of the Scientific Council of the National

Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) of Bangkok,

Thailand. 2001-2005, member of the Executive Committee of NEST

(National Enterprise for NanoScience and NanoTechnology) at the Scuola

Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy. Since 1998, member of the Ethical

Committee of the University Hospital, Trieste, Italy.

Since 1996, Scientific consultant for the Italian Association for the

Prevention and Cure of Handicaps (AIRH). 1995-1997, member of the

Scientific Board of the Italian Society of Molecular Biology and Biophysics

(SIBBM).

Teaching and mentoring activity. Since 2005, Full Professor of Molecular

Biology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Trieste, Italy.

2000-2005, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology at the Scuola

Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy. Member of the PhD School Faculties of

several Italian Universities.

Scientific interests. Current research interest focuses on the

development of novel biotherapeutics for cardiovascular disorders, with

special emphasis on the identification of cytokines and microRNAs able to

induce new blood vessel formation and cardiac regeneration in patients

with myocardial infarction or heart failure. He also maintains a strong

interest in the molecular biology of HIV-1 infection, with particular

reference to the molecular mechanisms governing HIV-1 latency and

reactivation.

He has published over 280 full papers in peer reviewed international

journals and is the author of the book "Gene Therapy", Springer ed.,

2010. He presents his research activity at meetings and seminars

worldwide and regularly contributes articles to national newspapers and

popular science magazines.

Funding. He has obtained grants for his research activity from various

public and private bodies, including the European Union, the Italian

Ministry for Education and Research, the World Antidoping Agency

(WADA), Montreal, Canada, the Ataxia UK Charity, UK, the Consiglio

Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy, the Telethon foundation Italy, the

Istituto Superiore di Sanita' Italy, and others. Since 2010, he is the

recipient of an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council

(ERC). Since 2012, he is the European Coordinator of a Leducq

Foundation Transatlantic Network of Excellence grant.

David Pitschmann

Lakeside Science & Technology Park GmbH, Klagenfurt am

Wörthersee, Austria

Mr. Pitschmann is responsible for Marketing and Communication at

Lakeside Science & Technology Park since 2014, requiring knowledge

about tenants concerns, wishes and needs as well as understanding the

role of STPs.

Gordana Danilović Grković

Science and technology Park Belgrade, Serbia

Ms. Gordana Danilović Grković has over twelve years’ experience in the

SMEs support, especially start up support, business incubation and

innovation, and eight year experience in the management of

technology development projects – including long term research,

development, innovation projects and transfer technology. She has

graduated on the Faculty of Economic and finished master studies in the

field of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

She has initiated the first Business technology incubator programme and

established the first Business Incubator of the Technical faculties

Belgrade with the purpose of providing the support to start ups as well

as the spin off companies coming from the Technical faculties. During

the 8 years of BITF functioning, in total the establishment of the 60

startups has been supported, over 300 engineers employed out of 30

returners from abroad. Furthermore, through the BITF programmes over

600 students was trained on the entrepreneurship, management,

marketing and Intellectual properties.

Today, Ms. Gordana Danilović Grković is acting director of the first

Science technology park Belgrade, established in June 2015 through the

partnership of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, City of

Belgrade and the University with the mission of creating the strong

technology core and fostering the innovation development of the

Republic of Serbia.

Iztok Lesjak

General Manager, Technology Park Ljubljana

Iztok Lesjak M.Sc. is an international expert in business development

and establishing knowledge-based SMEs, incubation and regional policy

development and initiator as well as the CEO of Technology Park

Ljubljana in Slovenia. He obtained his postgraduate M.Sc. degree in

economics while his B.Sc. degree is in computer science, both from the

University of Ljubljana.

After working as a researcher in the digital communication field, he was

involved in marketing the Slovenian national institutes’ research

capabilities on the Italian market. His next activity was leading the

Technology Park at the Jozef Stefan Institute, the predecessor of

Ljubljana Technology Park Ltd where he was appointed General Manager

in 1996.

He managed a 43 million EUR investment project, partially financed by

ERDF, for the design, development and implementation of the park

infrastructure and value added services. He was actively involved in the

evaluation process for more than five hundred hi-tech company start-up

initiatives and is also a recognized international expert in the fields of

national and regional innovation and/or technology transfer and regional

development strategies. In 2010 he took on the role of a senior lecturer

in business planning and entrepreneurship at the University of Nova

Gorica.

He was the initiator for the establishment of the National Association of

Technology Parks, Business Incubators and Technology Centers and was

President of this Association from 2005 to 2008. He was President of the

European Division of International Association of Science Parks from

2010 to 2012. Additionally, form 2011 he has been appointed as a

president of entrepreneurial development body at Regional development

agency and a vital member of a group which established a national

Initiative Start:up Slovenia.

Fabrizio Rovatti

Director, Innovation Factory, AREA Science Park Incubator

Fabrizio Rovatti is currently Managing Director of Innovation Factory,

incubator and in-house company of AREA Science Park, and Responsible

of the Innovation Center of AREA Science Park.

The main activities of Fabrizio Rovatti are the management and the

implementation of strategic actions focused on Innovation.

These activities, especially the valorisation of research and the

technology transfer, help strengthen the competitive potential of

companies and create a connection between the research world and the

entrepreneurial system, through enhancing research results, promoting

company development activities, and supporting the creation of new

high-tech companies.

In the previous years, after a period as Project Manager of EU Projects,

Fabrizio Rovatti worked in the Technology Transfer Department of AREA

Science Park, developing and managing projects with a strong focus on

new technologies and innovation; some of these projects were in

collaboration with M.I.T. Massachusetts Institute of Technology and SRI

(Stanford Research Institute) International.

Theologos Prokopiou

Managing Director, business incubator i4G S.A

Dr. Theologos Prokopiou is a senior international expert on innovation

and entrepreneurship support infrastructure projects and especially

Incubators/Accelerators and Science & Technology Parks. His unique

skill-set that emanates from a perfectly interwoven industrial and

consulting experience, focuses on the promotion of competitiveness and

innovation and on commercialization of R&D. Dr Prokopiou is currently

the Managing Director of the Technology and New Economy Incubator

i4G-Incubation for Growth (www.i4gr.gr) member of the Euroconsultants

Group, overseeing the services provided to incubatees in the fields of

management consulting, technology management, popularization of

investment possibilities, seeking and securing of funds for business

development. He has successfully participated in the establishment and

management of numerous incubation and S&T Parks initiatives, and is

highly experienced in the development and delivery of high-end SME

training and consultancy services. Dr. Prokopiou has worked on projects

and initiatives in Greece and the Western Balkans, and also in Turkey,

Bulgaria, Georgia and the Middle East with substantial projects in

Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering

from University of Notre Dame, he served of the Board of Directors of TII

(www.tii.org) and participates in the activities of IASP (International

Association of Science Parks, www.iasp.ws). Dr Prokopiou is a certified

Business Coach under the EU SME Instrument.

Juan Antonio Bertolin

Innovation and Projects Director, Science, Technology and

Business Park of the Universitat Jaume I of Castellón (ESPAITEC)

Since 2007, Juan Antonio Bertolin is responsible of Innovation and

Projects Management in Espaitec, Science and Technology Park of

Universitat Jaume I in Castellon (Spain) providing mechanisms to

connect companies settled in the Science and Technology Park (start-

ups, spin-off, tractors) to the Global Innovation EcoSystem, strategies of

technology scouting, open innovation, hybridization management and

project management protocols.

He focuses in Hybridization Management, co-creation approaches, High

Productivity Team Management and Innovative approaches for Regional

Innovation Ecosystems and is currently preparing his PhD related to

"Science and Technology Parks as promoter agents of Territorial

Development into Areas of Innovation ecosystem".

International Association of Science Technology Parks and Areas of

Innovation Advisory Council member; Deputy Convener of the Thematic

Research Group University-Industry Partnership of the Triple Helix

Association, Council member of ENoLL (European Network of Living

Labs).

Previously, Juan Antonio was Project Manager at Accenture, where he

developed his professional consulting career in international ICT projects

and at GRUPO IT DEUSTO, as Account Manager in Mobility, Health and

ICT projects.

Physicist by University of Valencia, Master in Local Development

Promotion Management at UJI (Universitat Jaume I Castellon) and

Postgraduate in General Business Management at Universitat Oberta de

Catalunya (UOC).

He has published several papers to conferences and innovation

magazines about Advanced Management in Science and Technology

Parks and Open Innovation.

Tim Hart

Managing Consultant for Isis Enterprise

Tim has gained >25 years’ experience in technology commercialisation,

particularly from university environments, and in the life sciences. He

has worked as an academic researcher, technology transfer professional,

and entrepreneur, having spun-out and managed two investment-backed

life science companies from university research.

Tim’s current role is as Managing Consultant for Isis Enterprise, the

international innovation management consulting group within Oxford

University Innovation Ltd, the University of Oxford technology transfer

company. Tim’s experience is truly international, having worked for and

with some of the largest technology corporates and leading universities

across Asia, Russia, Europe, North and South America, Australia, and

Africa.

Tim is passionate about scientific innovation and entrepreneurship and

over the last 25 years has developed deep insights from a local to global

scale. He has advised and supported the private and public sector across

the world with strategies and implementation support for innovation and

entrepreneurship instruments and programmes.

Maurizio Fermeglia

Rector, University of Trieste

Maurizio Fermeglia is full professor at the Department of Engineering and

Architecture of the University of Trieste, where he holds the course in

Chemical and Biochemical Reaction Engineering and Process and Product

design. From 2006 to 2012 he was the head of the Department of

Industrial Engineering & Information Technology, from 2010 to 2012 he

served as president of the Research board of the University of Trieste.

He was the director of the Ph.D. School of Nanotechnology at the

University of Trieste from 2007 to 2013. From 2013, he is the Rector of

the University of Trieste.

Professor Fermeglia research interests are focused: on multiscale

modeling for materials design and life science, applied thermodynamics,

process simulation, molecular modelling for nanotechnology and

nanomedicine.

Maurizio Fermeglia is member of the EFCE working party on

thermodynamics and transport properties, IUPAC fellows, member of the

AIChE, member of Italian associations GRICU and AIDIC. He received

the Italy meets Asia Science Award in 2015. He was scientific consultant

of ICS - UNIDO within the Subprogram 'Process Simulation and

sustainable development' from 1999 to 2011 and of UNEP for the

implementation of PRTR in different countries from 2005 to 2013.

Cristina Marullo

Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy

Cristina Marullo is PhD in Innovation Management and she is a post-doc

researcher at the Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna

in Pisa.

Her research topics are R&D and innovation management in technology-

based SMEs.

Actually she’s interested in the impact of collaborative R&D strategies

and business model innovation on SMEs growth.

Previously she has been working as a data analyst for public government

research centres on regional innovation systems and ICT-enabled SMEs

development.

She’s currently involved in International Research Projects in

collaboration the IPTS JRC, other European Universities and the

European Investment Bank.

Mattias Dinnetz

Directorate-General Joint Research Centre (JRC), European

Commission

Mattias Dinnetz (Policy officer, JRC) is a research commercialisation

professional with a strong focus on creating value in the interface

between public research and private enterprise across a number of

technological fields. During his career he has been involved in all stages

of the innovation cycle, which entails access to risk finance, brokering

deals – in essence transferring technology – between universities and

companies, including the establishing of start-up companies, licensing

deals, and contract research. Managing the innovation process entails

identifying novel ideas with business potential in research, IPR

management, and industrial liaison, as well as negotiating terms and

conditions for equity-based risk capital with seed and venture capital

partners.

Mattias is increasingly doing social, economic, and legal research with

the aim of improving policy for technology transfer, in areas such as

biotechnological innovation and intellectual property exchange and

finance.

Elena Andonova

Directorate-General Joint Research Centre (JRC), European

Commission

Technology Transfer Advisor at the Joint Research Centre, European

Commission

Elena is a multi-disciplinary expert engaged in innovation management

and international commercialization projects. Her expertise lies in

business planning, deal structuring, financing and marketing. Currently,

Elena works as an policy officer and advisor at DG Joint Research Centre

of the European Commission engaging in technology transfer capacity

building programmes and policy support. Beforehand, Elena worked for

Oxford University Innovation where she developed technology transfer

programmes and collaborations with industry, academia and

governments around the world with a focus on Latin America. Elena

joined Oxford University Innovation in October of 2009 as a fellow from

the Said Business School at Oxford University, where she had completed

her MBA. Before coming to Oxford, Elena spent few years working for

the capital markets division of Lehman Brothers in London, involved in

negotiating and trading of sovereign bonds. Elena has experience in

macroeconomics and corporate finance and graduated from the

American University in Bulgaria with a double major in Economics and

Business Administration.

Mauro Lattuada

Technology transfer Manager, École polytechnique fédérale de

Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland

After graduating at the Milan Polytechnic in 1998, Mauro Lattuada

worked for Alcatel in the radio links department.

In 2000, he joined EPFL in Lausanne, for a new project on wireless

systems for digital newsgathering. During the same year, Mauro

Lattuada co-founded Livetools Technology a company developing

compact and portable digital systems for TV production of sports events

like Olympics games or Tour de France. In 2004 he obtains his doctoral

thesis in the field of signal processing.

In 2006, he joins by Abilis Systems, a fabless semiconductor company of

the Kudeslki group (now ALI Tech Corporation), where he covers

different positions ending as technical manager for the definition of new

products and the business development.

Mauro Lattuada joined the team in March 2013 TTO as a Technology

Transfer Manager.

Michel Morant

General Manager, Interface Enterprises, University of Liège,

Belgium and Vice President, ASTP-Proton

Michel Morant is presently the Managing Director of the Knowledge

Transfer Office of the University of Liege and University Hospital. Michel

Morant graduated in electromechanical and electrical engineering at

University of Liege in 1979, than a MBA in 1982 and a PhD in 1984.

During this period, he has been working at the ULg as a Research

Engineer in the Electrical Engineering Department, in charge of

collaborative research. In 1986, he joined the Power Transport and

Distribution Division of the AEG Daimler-Benz group, became member of

the board in 1990, and vice-president in charge of the technique and

commercial departments in 1995. In 1998, he joined the University to

boost the technology transfer office. With about 45 staff members, more

than 125 spin off companies created, 20 licences a year, the Liege office

is one of the more active KTO of Belgium. In Belgium, he the President

of LIEU, the network of KTO’s association, is a member of the board of

Creative Wallonia Engine, and he is a member of the Science and

technology Policy advisory board of Wallonia. He is in the board of

several spin offs companies, and he is chairing the board of the spin off

company Symbiose Biomaterials. Michel Morant is member of several

international associations, ASTP-Proton, TII, AUTM, LIEU, SPOW, IASP,

Curie. He is also currently Vice-President of ASTP-Proton, the merged

paneuropean association for Tech transfer.

Alberto di Minin

Associate Professor of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna,

Pisa, Italy

Alberto Di Minin is Associate Professor of Management at the Scuola

Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa and he is Research Fellow with the Berkeley

Roundtable on the International Economy, University of California –

Berkeley.

Di Minin is currently the Italian Representative on the SMEs & Access to

Finance Programme Committee, for Horizon 2020, with the European

Commission.

At Sant’Anna, Alberto is teaching innovation management and innovation

policy. Alberto’s research deals with Open Innovation, appropriation of

innovation and science and technology Policy.

Alberto writes for Nòva, Il Sole24Ore.

Koen Jonkers

Directorate-General Joint Research Centre (JRC), European

Commission

Dr ir Koen Jonkers is currently working as Deputy Head of Unit of the

Innovation Systems Analysis (ISA) unit of DG JRC. The unit's aim is to

provide comparative country analysis of the European Member States on

selected R&I topics to assess the impact of specific R&I policies through

econometric, macro-economic and qualitative policy analysis. This is

done in order to place Country Level analyses into context and to draw

policy lessons through benchmarking and the identification of good

practices. The ISA unit provides inputs to DG Research and other policy

DGs involved in the Research and innovation part of the European

Semester process. Through its various projects the ISA unit also aims to

support other parts of the R&I policy making process of the European

Commission.

Before joining DG JRC, Koen worked at the CSIC Institute for Public

Goods and Policies in Madrid, Spain and made 25+ publications on topics

related to Scientific Mobility, Highly Skilled Migration, Scientific Careers,

Research Collaboration, Public Funding of R&D, Research Organisations,

scientometrics and various other topics in the field of research and

innovation studies.

In addition to a PhD from the European University Institute, he holds a

research master in political studies and international relations from the

University of Birmingham, an MSc in Science and Technology Studies

from the University of Amsterdam and an engineering (MSc) degree in

Biotechnology from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Petra Püchner

Executive Manager, Steinbeis Foundation

Dr. Petra Püchner is Director of a Steinbeis Enterprise. She holds a

degree in Biology and a PhD in Environmental Engineering. After 5 years

as researcher in contract research for industry and on national and

European Research Projects (topic: biodegradable plastics), she started a

career as consultant for innovation and technology transfer at Steinbeis-

Europa-Zentrum (SEZ), where she climbed the position of director in the

year 2000. Petra has been engaged in innovation and related policy

issues for more than 20 years. The topics range from exploitation of

research results to industry applications to innovation systems and their

role to trigger competitiveness. She is working as advisor to industry and

policy – latest in regard how to answer the knowledge transfer challenge

in regard to key enabling technologies and their applications towards

SME. Open Innovation for SME is another expert area, in which she just

developed a specific coaching process for SME.

Together with her co-directors and a team of 50 staff members, she

develops concepts and strategies in regard to enhance the use of key

enabling technologies with a view to emerging industries and smart

specialisation.

Petra is appointed member of the H2020 Advisory Group for Energy

Research and the AG for Gender Issues. She founded the European

Network of Women for Innovative Energy Solutions – Women4Energy. In

FP7, she was appointed member of the SME Research Advisory Group.

Aamir Butt

Chief Executive Officer at Tumour Trace Ltd

Building a tested customer centric go-to-market strategy and executing

it through focused organisational alignment is in Aamir’s DNA. With 20-

years of experience of starting and selling his own businesses, and

supporting over 90 other businesses, taking new products to new

markets is at the heart of his expertise. Aamir has built scalable business

models across several verticals including health, medtech, digital and

service industries. Goal focused and results oriented, Aamir knows tools

and processes deeply enough to teach, consult, coach and execute.

Vittorio Venturi

Group Leader, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and

Biotechnology (ICGEB)

Dr. Vittorio Venturi (born in Treviso, Italy on the 06 August, 1965)

graduated from Edinburgh University, UK, and received his Ph.D. degree

in Microbiology from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. During

his PhD research he focused in the regulation of iron-transport processes

of beneficial plant associated bacteria which promote plant growth; the

monopolization of iron nearby plant roots is an important trait which

keeps microbial pathogens away. He then moved as a postdoctoral fellow

to the International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology

(ICGEB), Trieste, Italy, where he started investigating intercellular

signalling among bacteria. He then went on to become Group Leader at

ICGEB continuing his studies on intercellular signalling. He is now

particularly interested in (i) how plant associated bacteria undergo

interspecies communication and interkingdom signalling with plants and

(ii) plant microbiomes and the development of microbial products for a

more sustainable agriculture.

Alessandro Marcello

Group Leader, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and

Biotechnology (ICGEB)

Alessandro Marcello is the Head of the Molecular Virology Laboratory at

the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

(ICGEB) based in Trieste, Italy (http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/molecular-

virology.html). Essentially a virologist, Dr Marcello’s research experience

ranges from the investigation of the molecular basis of viral disease, to

the study of the cellular response to viral infection, to the development

of antiviral strategies and innovative diagnostic tools in collaboration with

industry.

Jana Kolar

Executive Director, Central European Research Infrastructure

Consortium (CERIC-ERIC)

Dr. Jana Kolar is Executive Director of CERIC-ERIC, a research

infrastructure dedicated to advanced characterisation of materials. Dr.

Kolar has been Director General of Science and Technology at the

Ministry in Slovenia, chairman of the board of Slovenian Technology

Agency and a member of the board of Slovenian Research Agency. She is

currently a member of the board of European Institute of Technology and

Innovation (EIT), a member of the ERA Council Forum Austria, a high-

level expert body advising the Austrian Minister responsible for Science

and Research, and a member of Horizon 2020 advisory group Innovation

in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Bernard Denis

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

Bernard Denis has more than 10 years experience in innovation,

intellectual property and knowledge transfer. He joined the Technology

Transfer group of CERN in 2005 as section leader with responsibilities for

all technology transfer operational activities. In 2007, Bernard was

appointed deputy group Leader. He is a founding member of the High

Energy Physics Technology Transfer Network (HEPTech) regrouping the

TT Offices of institutes active in High Energy Physics.

In 2012, Bernard was seconded to the European Commission. He joined

the Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer unit of the Joint

Research Centre where he provided expert advice for the IPR strategy of

the Galileo Satellite Navigation programme and for the management of

the Technology Transfer sector.

Bernard is now a member of the CERN unit in charge of the relation

between CERN and the European institutions with a specific role in

relation with EU research and innovation policy.

Before working in the area of knowledge transfer and innovation,

Bernard has been working in various positions at CERN including IT

project leader for the development of the SPS and LEP accelerators

control systems and deputy group leader of the unit in charge of the

CERN outsourcing policy.

Bernard regularly acts as an expert for WIPO in technology transfer fact-

finding missions and capacity building workshops. He also acted as

international evaluator of project proposals for the establishment of

Technology Transfer Centres in the Czech Republic.

He is accredited Registered Technology Transfer Professional by the

Alliance of Technology Transfer Association (ATTP). He has an

engineering background in electromechanics, an MBA and an Advanced

Diploma in Management Consultancy from the Henley Management

College. He developed and delivered negotiation training programmes for

the CERN knowledge transfer and purchasing services, for the JRC

Technology Transfer unit and for the PhD symposium of HEPTech.

Bernard is also lecturing on project management at the Geneva School of

Economics and Management, Geneva University. In May 2016, he

became a member of the Professional Development Committee of ASTP-

Proton.

Giancarlo Panaccione

National Research Council, Institute for Materials Manufacturing

(CNR-IOM)

Giancarlo Panaccione holds a PhD in materials science. He is senior

researcher at IOM Institute-Lab. TASC- Trieste of National Research

Council (CNR) Italy. From 2006 to present, he was Coordinator of the

CNR research activity “Phase transition and magnetic properties in

strongly correlated oxides, metal-semiconductor interfaces, and

anomalous metals”, he was scientific coordinator of EU-FP5-VOLPE-

Project, local responsible of I-FOX FP7 and Prin-Oxide projects,

coordinator of the Miur-Elettra PIK project Ultraspin. He is now

coordinating the CNR-project SPRINT focused on time resolved magnetic

spectroscopy and he is member of the EXC-board and Joint Research

Activity leader of the Nanoscience Foundry and Fine Analysis NFFA-

Europe H2020 project (2015-2019).

The research activity of Dr. Panaccione is mostly devoted to the

exploitation of Synchrotron Radiation spectroscopies for the study of

correlated systems and novel quantum materials, following three main

axes: (1) electronic and magnetic properties of low dimensional sys-

tems (surfaces and interfaces), (2) electron confinement, and (3)

complex oxides. He has more than 160 publications in peer reviewed

journals.

Alberto Morgante

Director General, CNR – IOM

Alberto Morgante holds a Degree and a Phd in Physics from the

university of Trieste.

He is since February 2010 the Director of the CNR-IOM Institute.

Previously he was Director of National TASC Laboratory INFM. He also is

since November 1999 associate professor of Physics at Trieste University

while before he was researcher at Trieste University, researcher at

Laboratorio TASC-INFM, Trieste and had fellowships at Alexander von

Humboldt Foundation and Max Plank, at Fritz-Haber-Institut der MPG

Berlin in collaboration with prof. G. Ertl. He also was a visiting scientist

at the Nanoscience and Engineering Centre of Columbia University New

York USA.

Alberto teaches courses on “Electrodynamics and relativity” for physics

students, “Surface physics” for PhD students, “General Physics” for

Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology students

He is a member of PhD School in nanotechnology of Trieste University,

from 2008 to 2013 deputy director of the School and member of the

Scientific committee of the School.

He also is supervisor of more than 16 PhD students and more than 20

degree students, member of final examination boards for PhD students

at international and national PhD schools.

Furthermore, he is since October 2014 member of Board of Directors of

Sincrotrone Trieste Company that runs the Elettra synchrotron and Fermi

FEL.

Alfonso Franciosi

President and Chief Executive Officer, Elettra Sincrotrone

Alfonso Franciosi, a national of Italy and of the U.S., currently serves as

Chairman of the Board (Presidente) and Chief Executive Officer

(Amministratore Delegato) of Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., and is

a Full Professor of Physics with the University of Trieste. He was born in

1955 and graduated summa cum laude in Physics from the University of

Rome "La Sapienza" in 1978. He was a postdoctoral fellow with the

University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1980 to 1981.

In 1982 he joined the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials

Science of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis as an Associate

Scientist. He was promoted to tenured Associate Professor in 1988.

During his years in the U.S. he was Principal Investigator of numerous

research projects funded by the U.S. Army Research Office, the Office of

Naval Research, the National Science Foundation (NSF), 3M, Honeywell,

Sperry, Control Data Corporation, etc., and from 1987 through 1993

served as Nucleation and Growth Focus Leader of the NSF Center for

Interfacial Engineering, a private-public 50-50 partnership that

developed a major infrastructure in Minneapolis to host joint industry-

University research teams.

From 1993 to 1999 professor Franciosi held concurrent part-time

appointments as Director of the TASC National Laboratory of the Istituto

Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia in Trieste, Associate Professor of

Physics with the University of Trieste, and Associate Professor of

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science with the University of

Minnesota.

In 2000 he became a Professor of Physics with the University of Trieste.

In 2001 he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society.

Starting in 2004 professor Franciosi served as Chief Executive Officer of

Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A. in his capacity of managing director

on the company's Board and since 2014 he serves also as Chairman of

the Board.

The publication list of professor Franciosi includes more than 300 articles

in refereed international journals on the physics and materials science of

semiconductors, semiconductor heterostructures, superlattices, quantum

wells, metal/semiconductor contacts, thin film nucleation and growth,

lasers and optical modulators, synchrotron radiation spectroscopies and

microscopies, and he holds 3 U.S. patents in such fields. Professor

Franciosi has been the advisor of more than 30 doctoral and master

students in Italy and in the U.S. Most of his former students are now

employed by industrial concerns such as Intel, 3M, IBM, Xerox, Cypress

Semiconductor Corporation, Bosch, Insiel, etc. A few hold faculty

positions in Cambridge, Bristol, Cork, Linz, Minneapolis, Nova Gorica, etc.

Maria Cristina Pedicchio

President, National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental

Geophysics, INTERREG Programme

Maria Cristina Pedicchio is Professor of Algebra at the University of

Trieste and since 2011 she is President of the Institute of National

Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS), one of the research

institutions supervised by the Ministry of Education, University and

Research, located in Trieste.

After a long international experience as a researcher in mathematics,

today she is mainly devoted to the management and promotion of

research institutions and of research and innovation policies.

Previously she was President of AREA Science Park, the first Italian

scientific and technology park, she has promoted and presided for 8

years the Centre for Molecular Biomedicine (CBM), a public-private

company managing the Molecular Biomedicine Technology District of

Friuli Venezia Giulia region.

She is Chairman of the Technical Scientific Committee of the National

Agency for the Promotion of European Research (APRE) and a member of

several Boards of Directors. She has a wide participation history in

international institutions and expert groups such as the participation to

the ERAB – European Research Area Board and to the Strategic Forum

for International S&T Cooperation of the European Commission.

In recognition of her merit she was honoured with the title of

Commander in “Merit of the Republic of Italy”.

Olga Spasić

Counselor, Technology Transfer and IP Commercialization, SMEs

and Entrepreneurship Support Division, Department for

Developed and Transition Countries (TDC), World Intellectual

Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva

Olga Spasic is a Counsellor for Knowledge Transfer and IP

Commercialization in the WIPO SMEs and Entrepreneurship Support

Division, Department for Transition and Developed Countries (TDC),

which provides assistance and support to WIPO Member States and their

innovation stakeholders in establishing innovation structures in the form

of ecosystems of interconnected and interdependent public and private

structural elements (policies, organizations, funds and people) and

relationships. Ms. Spasic deals with issues related to the development of

innovation intermediary organizations such as technology management

units and IP Hubs to foster systematic innovation, creation and

knowledge transfer, as well as with programs and projects focusing on

the development of human capital and professionals in the area of

innovation and technology management. Her work and competencies

address challenging issues such as designing customized pilot projects

related to the development of knowledge transfer infrastructures in

various countries and regions, such as the WIPO Pilot Project on

“Establishment of Technology Transfer Offices (TTO s) in Arab Region,”

as well as the creation, management and delivery of tailored capacity

building programs in the area of IP commercialization for universities and

R&D institutions (for example IPR Management for Universities, IP

Marketing, IP Valuation and Successful Technology Licensing (STL). In

addition, Ms. Spasic analyses the interactions between intellectual

property and development, and uses that analysis to propose new

platforms for IP-based collaboration and knowledge transfer among

innovation stakeholders in WIPO Member States.

Ulf Petrusson

Director, Centre for Intellectual Property, Chalmers University of

Technology, University of Gothenburg

Ulf Petrusson is a Professor of Law at the University of Gothenburg as

well as the Director at the Institute for Innovation and Social Change at

the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg. In

addition, Professor Petrusson is the director for the Centre for Intellectual

Property (CIP) and Program Director at the Intellectual Capital

Management (ICM) Master program at Chalmers University of

Technology/University of Gothenburg. Professor Petrusson is engaged in

research focused on law and technology with specific interest in how

technology and other knowledge can be claimed and managed as assets,

property, and capital in early and open innovation projects. Professor

Petrusson has experience in working as a Company Lawyer/IP consultant

at Göteborgs Patentbyrå AB. He is a co-founder, senior advisor and

board member at CIP Professional Services Ltd, a development and

business consultancy company.

Frédéric Caillaud

Scientific Director, National Institute of Industrial Property

(INPI), Courbevoie, France

Frédéric Caillaud joined INPI (French Patent Office) on April 2015 as

Director of Innovation in charge of developing IP awareness, IP

landscaping and IP rating. Prior to joining INPI, he was Director of the

Licensing and Business Development Department at L’Oréal for 20 years,

at Fournier Pharma for 7 years and Director of a Genetic engineering Dpt

for Rhône-Poulenc Pharma (4 years).

Frédéric Caillaud is a Medical Doctor and received a Ph. D. in Genetic

engineering from the Pasteur Institute of Paris. He is a postgraduate in

Strategic Management from HEC School of Management and is one of the

first certified licensing professional (CLP).

He is regularly giving lectures and courses (145 until now) related to

Licensing matters, Open innovation, IP strategic management, Patent

analytics and rating systems all over the world. He is one of the founder

of European Knowledge Transfer Society (accrediting Tech Transfer

trainers and certifying TT professionals).

Ivana Stefanović Ristin

Coordinator, National Rural Development Network, Serbia

President and founder of National LEADER Network Serbia – NLN-,

umbrella rural CSO organization and Serbia’s largest non-profit network

of rural change makers. We're engaging people from all walks of life in

nearly 600 rural communities across more than 60 municipalities from

each region of Serbia.

10 years of experience in rural development Projects management and

fundraising, as well as in public affairs management.

Member of IPARD Monitoring Committee in Serbia.

Member of AEIDL Association for information on rural development,

Brussels.

Educational background: Specialist in International Relations, Political

Sciences.

Sotiraq Hroni

General Director, Rural Development Policy, Ministry of

Agriculture and Rural Development, Albania

Mr. Sotiraq Hroni is Chairman and founder of the Albanian Network for

Rural Development (ANRD) - a non-governmental organization

established at the end of 2015, whose mission is to promote community-

led rural development through advocacy and initiatives on policy

development and implementation. The Albanian Network is the youngest

member of PREPARE partnership - a group of European and national non-

government organizations.

Member of the PREPARE Organizing Group – the decision-making body of

the PREPARE.

Member of IPARD Monitoring Committee in Albania.

Mr. Hroni is a former diplomat and advisor to the PM and President of

Albania. Mr. Hroni’s professional background and involvement with civil

society over the past fifteen years has been focusing particularly on good

governance and rural development, accountability and integrity

development reforms, civic participation and evidence-based policy

making.

Marina Koprivnjak

Coordinator of Croatian Rural Development Network - HMRR

I have been working in the civil sector for over eight years, since January

2009, as a coordinator of the Croatian Rural Development Network -

HMRR. My everyday tasks in the Network include communication with

members, coordination of activities, writing project proposals, project

management, reporting, organizing and conducting workshops,

conferences, communication with the media, participating in meetings at

local and international level, policy analyses, editing e-newsletters, HMRR

website and Facebook fan pages, etc.

Member of IPARD Monitoring Committee (2010-2014)

Member of Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 Monitoring

Committee (2015-to date).

Paolo Sabbatini

Associate Professor of Viticulture and Extension Specialist

Paolo Sabbatini graduated with a MS and PhD from University of Ancona

(Italy) and become Assistant Professor in Department of Horticulture,

Michigan State University (2007) and promoted with tenure to Associate

Professor (2013). He has Research (50%), Extension (40%) and

teaching (10%) responsibilities and research focus is on vine physiology.

Emphasis is on physiological and cultural factors limiting vine growth,

sustainable yield, fruit quality and their interaction with biotic and abiotic

stress. Carbon assimilation, storage and partitioning are the major tools

for his studies. His ultimate goal is to solve whole plant problems that

will optimize vine productivity and quality. He has several ongoing

research project on crop load balance, canopy management to improve

fruit quality, determination of action thresholds of pest and diseases in

common Michigan wine grape cultivars and viticultural approaches to

reduce bunch rot in wine grapes.

Pierpaolo Penco

Management Consultant, MIB Trieste School of Management

Pierpaolo Penco has 20 years of experience in the field of marketing and

communication for research institutions, hi-tech companies, tourism,

wineries and their associations, international consulting firms (Italy

Country Manager of Wine Intelligence, London).

At the same time, he developed a strong academic and pedagogic

experience for Business Schools (Director of the Wine Business courses

at MIB Trieste School of Management since 2002), Universities (Visiting

lecturer at the University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia, since 2007) and other

institutions.

As a consultant, Pierpaolo carries out business advice, especially for the

wine industry, on: market research and consumer behaviour analysis;

branding and differentiation strategies, marketing and communication

plans; PR activities to importers, journalists and opinion leaders; wine

tourism and territorial marketing development; definition of EU, regional

and cross-border financing projects.