S3 Conference 2024 – Rimini, Emilia-Romagna

Dr Rudiger Ahrend is Head of the Economic Analysis, Data and Statistics Division in the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities. In addition, he also oversees the activities of the OECD Laboratory for Geospatial Analysis and the Trento Laboratory for Spatial Productivity. In these capacities, and in his previous role as Head of the Urban Programme, he has been supervising numerous projects in a wide area of subjects, including on industrial and demographic transitions, S3, regional and urban innovation and development, subnational finance, spatial productivity, metropolitan governance, land use, land value capture, housing, green growth, climate change, transport, metropolitan governance, and national urban policies.

In addition to his OECD work, Dr Ahrend has published widely, both in academic journals and newspapers. He holds a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics, as well as degrees in Social Sciences and Mathematics from the University of Göttingen, Paris-IX Dauphine, and the Sorbonne.

Involved with EATiP since the platform formation in 2008, David assumed the role of General Secretary in 2021 and is responsible for the day-to-day management and strategic coordination of this European wide multi actor aquaculture European Technology & Innovation Platform.

Originally from families north of the Loire (from Alsace to Normandy via Orléanais), I studied in Paris, then I moved to the Loiret in 1982. A chemical engineer by training, I started at SOPRA as an IT development engineer and then worked for the MARS group for more than 20 years in the IT department and then in R&D. From 2014 onwards, I devoted myself entirely to my electoral mandates.

Christos Bilios is a seasoned professional with over 22 years of experience in the public sector, currently serving as the Executive Officer at the Innovation Business Observatory and at the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development Unit of the Region of Crete. Prior to his current role, he held positions within the Region's Department for Regional Policy Planning and Department of Development Research. Mr. Bilios brings a strong background in regional development policies, EU-funded projects, and environmental engineering, complemented by his 10 years in the private sector. He holds a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Portsmouth and a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the Technological Education Institute of Piraeus.

Elisabetta Bracci manages the Emilia-Romagna Region's Service Innovation Clust-ER, an association of public and private bodies dedicated to enhancing the regional competitiveness through innovation technologies and methodologies.

The ongoing efforts of the Service Innovation Clust-ER to promote an ethical and sustainable approach to digital transformation are reflected in its claim to “people, skills and technologies leveraging digital transformation”.

Elisabetta is a consultant, lecturer and keynote speaker specializing in Smart Services and Smart Buildings. She is committed to creating value in private and public services through innovation and digitalization, so that progress, well-being, sustainability and profit can intersect synergistically, with a steadfast commitment to gender inclusion.

Alongside her role at Service Innovation Clust-ER, Elisabetta serves as vicepresident of the technical committee of the National Authority for Digital Transformation - E.N.T.D.®, and has participated as a delegate of the Order of Engineers of Bologna in the UNI/CT 025 work table of the Italian Standards Authority UNI for four years. In 2017 she founded the consulting network JUMP Facility.

Maurits Butter is a senior expert in industrial innovation policy and a principal lecturer in orchestrating innovation for major national challenges and coordinator of the DIHNET Academy in which European professionals are mentored to improve their skills to forge "interregional innovation corridors". He graduated as a chemical engineer from the Delft University of Technology and began his career as an environmental consultant. From 1994 to 1998, he served as a policymaker at the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, and the Environment (VROM). In 1998, he joined TNO as a senior advisor in innovation policy, initially focusing on technology foresight. In 2012, he shifted his focus to industrial innovation policy, exploring collaboration between research, industry, and government in strategic public/private networks for significant societal challenges. He was involved in the early development of the Dutch Smart Industry program and the European Commission's strategy for Digital Innovation Hubs and European Digital Innovation Hubs. Recently, he has focused on strategies for interregional innovation corridors and post-project sustainability of European funded networks. He was involved in various regional, national and European projects, supporting the structural collaboration in strategic public/private innovation networks on regional, national and European level. Example projects are the Finnish eSAVO mentoring, various EDIHs, and European projects like DIHNET, BOWI, DIH4AI, QUTEST, Change2Twin and RODIN.

Dr Geraldine Canny is Head of Research at SETU, Ireland and is the TU RISE (€13.6 mio) project lead. She holds a B.Sc. in Biotechnology from the University of Galway and a Ph.D. in Immunology from University College Dublin. Her doctoral work focussed on the role of pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules in the intestine. She then carried out a postdoctoral fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston where her work addressed the molecular regulation of epithelial antimicrobial proteins. Her awards include the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America Young investigator of the year.

Subsequently, as Senior Lecturer at Lausanne University Hospital and the University of Lausanne, she established and ran a translational research programme on endometrial biology and endometriosis. From 2009 to 2012 Geraldine also held the position of Adjunct lecturer at University College Dublin. Dr Canny was then employed at a foundation and at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) where she managed several national and international fellowship programmes as well as European funding programmes.

Between 2018 and 2021 Dr. Canny held the position of Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) National Delegate and National Contact Point. During her tenure as Head of the Irish MSCA office funding awarded to Irish HEIs, companies and non-academic organisations exceeded 95 million euros. She led a project under the Net4Mobility+ CSA and as National delegate, contributed to the policy underpinning MSCA in Horizon Europe. She also served as a Steering committee member for several MSCA COFUND programmes and contributed to policy development.

Michail Chalaris is an Assistant Professor in the School of Chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH). He holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry and an M.A. in Applied Strategy and International Security from the University of Plymouth. He also completed a second B.Sc. at the Hellenic Fire Academy, and is a graduate of both the Hellenic National Defense College and the School of Further Education & Professional Training of the Hellenic Fire Academy.

With over 26 years of experience in the Hellenic Fire Service, where he retired as a Lieutenant General, Prof. Chalaris specializes in risk management, crisis response, and safety protocols. He currently serves as Research Director on Risk, Hazards, Crises, and Safety at the Hephaestus Advanced Research Laboratory at DUTH and is Deputy Director of the MSc program in Quality, Safety, Security, Health, and Environmental Management. Prof. Chalaris is a regular keynote speaker and an active member of various international conferences and workshops on his scientific fields.

She represents East Netherland Region as colead on the Smart Health TSSP, together with lead Flanders (lead) and Limburg (colead).

She is Programme Manager & EU liaison for the Regional Development Agency of the East Netherlands, Oost NL. With her team she is responsible for accelerating regional innovation in SMEs by European collaboration, based on the Think East Netherlands Innovation Agenda on the themes Digital Industry & Technology, Smart Energy, Smart Food Production, Circular, and Medtech& Prevention. Proud to represent two European Regional Innovation Valleys: Gelderland and Overijssel.

She has extensive experience in European collaboration, as former chair of the Vanguard Initiative. Currently part of the presidency team of EURADA, the European umbrella organisation of Regional Development Agencies. Responsible for the international collaboration in the EDIH Boost Robotics East Netherlands, and active in two I3 projects RegioGreenTex and HealthChain.

Coen de Graaf joined IDEA Consult as an Expert on Innovation, Competitiveness & Sustainability.

Within IDEA he is active in the services offered by S3CoP, I-3 projects and the submission of new proposals.

After his study “Commercial Economy” at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Coen completed his economic and management education at Vlerick Business School in Ghent. Since 1990 Coen has been working for several international companies as a commercial director.

In 2007 he started advising and training organizations in their transitions from strategy to operations, also on developing the skills to manage and execute that strategy.

Before joining IDEA, Coen has been Project Manager for Interregional Innovation projects and he was also involved in the Vanguard Initiative – both for the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant during 8 years. The Vanguard Initiative provides a platform for regions, companies, clusters, and knowledge institutions in Europe to meet and find new innovative solutions together.

Coen specializes in innovation and strategy in the high-tech- and energy sector in Europe. He has been involved in the E.E.R., PRI, Manunet, and the I-3 instrument and has multi years’ experience in the development of Regional Innovation Strategies, Operational programs, Interreg projects, Horizon projects and cascade funding.

Nicola De Michelis is currently Director in DG REGIO with responsibility for the intervention of the structural funds in southern Europe, and for smart and sustainable growth. Since the beginning of 2024, he is also acting Deputy Director-General in the DG.

Project manager at the Energy and Green Economy Unit of Emilia-Romagna Regional Authority. Senior expert in EU Programmes and funds, in management of EU projects, involved and monitoring international activities of the Unit within EU and International initiatives and coalitions: S3 platform for Hydrogen exploitation, UNDER2MOU International Coalition, S3 Coordinator of MAsBBE partnership and project manager with Lead Partner role of Blue Ecosystem and HERCULES-CE projects, with Project Partner role of CIRCOTRONIC and LEEWAY, as Associated Partner role of ECCENTRIC and GREENHYDRA projects. Coordinator of the Steering Committee dedicated to Italian Regional Authorities within the National Technology Cluster – BIG (Blue Italian Growth).

Industrial economist. She is Director-General at the Emilia-Romagna Regional Government and also the managing authority for the Regional Operational Programmes ERDF and ESF.

Previously, she was senior researcher at Nomisma (Institute of Economic Studies), Chairman at AIMAG and Counselor in the Province of Modena.

Naval Architect and Marine Engineer, Director R&I at the RINA Group (1985-2016), Technical Director of the EU Association of Shipyards, SEA EUROPE (2016-2028), since 2019 President of SDG4MED Foundation, EU Climate Ambassador and Environmental Expert at Regione Liguria's Environment Directorate.

Lucie Durocher has been Director of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Office in Brussels since 2016. In this role, she represents the Region in dealings with European institutions and partners, and supports regional players in their European initiatives. She is also active within the ERRIN network as co-leader of the S3 group.

Tatiana Fernández - Sirera works at the Catalan Government as Head of Transformative Innovation. She has more than 20 years’ experience in Public Administration. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a Ph.D. in European Integration and International Relations. Her fields of interest and activity are smart specialisation strategies (S3); transformative innovation policies for green and just transitions; place-based and challenge-led shared agendas; public procurement of innovation; systems thinking, and capacity building for systems change. She regularly collaborates with universities, companies, public administrations, and civil society at regional and international levels.

With a degree in Political Siences a Master in International Development and a recently achieved Master in Public Management and Innovation, Daniela has been working continuously since 1994-1999 programming period in programming and management of EU cohesion policies at national and regional level where she has been part of the Managing Authorities highly specialized staff. She also worked on institutonal building and administrative capacity for public administration both at national and EU level (i.e. managing projects for the implemenation of cohesion policy in pre-accession countries) or designig and deliveryng of specific training programmes.

Since 2017, she covers the position of Head of EU Funds Department of Emilia-Romagna Region dealing with programming, management and control system, certuifying procedures, monitoring and evaluation of ERDF and ESF Regional Programmes of Emilia-Romagna.

Peter Friberg is Senior Strategist, Smart specialisation in Region of Jönköping County. He is responsible for long term development and implantation of the strategy in the South Swedish regions and European cooperation. More than 20 years of experience of working with sustainable transformation on local, regional, and national level.

Experienced facilitator, workshop leader and moderator. Solid experience of complex leadership and organizational development in politically governed organisations. Master of Science in Political Sciences with a major in Public Administration.

Cecilia Gañán de Molina is a senior expert in territorial sustainability, smart specialization, and regional innovation with extensive experience in international organizations such as the European Commission, United Nations (FAO), and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). A jurist by training, she holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Food Engineering, Forestry, and Sustainable Rural Development from the Universities of Córdoba and Seville. She is a member of the FAO Experts Working-Group on Green Agriculture and participated in the creation of the Smart Territories Platform jointly created by the World Bank and the FAO. She has led a systematization of international experiences on territorial and landscape approaches for the FAO, and urban sustainable experiences for the International Urban Cooperation Program. She has authored an IUCN report on the application of nature-based solutions in Mediterranean cities. Her recent publications include a paper on "S3 and Recovery and Resilience Funds" and a co-authored EklipseEU-Report on "Building Resilient Coastal Communities through Nature-based Solutions and Empowerment Tools". She is a speaker/trainer on territorial trends including mission-oriented initiatives. As an external expert of the European Commission on Regional and Urban Policies, she has contributed to various assignments related to smart specialization policies, platforms and instruments.

Karel Haegeman has been working on R&I policies within JRC over the past 15 years, and has been coordinating smart specialisation activities until the launch of the S3 Community of Practice. The latest work on S3 has focused on skills for S3. Currently he is leading a research team (SHIFT) focused on Transforming Territories, aiming to apply approaches to place-based transformative innovation in EU territories. Areas of work covered include 4th generation universities and competitiveness, ways to boost less advanced innovation ecosystems, interterritorial collaboration in innovation, competitiveness and territorial (climate) resilience, as well as industry 5.0.

Tomas is Head of S3 Strategy Unit at the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. He is responsible for updating and implementation of the National Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialization (RIS3). His current work primarily focuses on design of RIS3 missions that direct selected R&D and innovation capacities to sustainability and address societal challenges. His team is cooperating with the OECD Mission-Oriented Innovation Policy working group regarding RIS3 missions. At spare time he writes research articles about technological trends, digital transformation, and their impact on the Czech economy and society. Before joining the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Tomas held several positions at Moody’s Analytics and the Czech National Bank, covering macroeconomic developments, monetary policy, and financial markets. Tomas received his Master of Arts and PhD in Economics and Finance from the University of Economics in Prague.

Marko Hren serves as a head of unit coordinating Slovene Sustainable Smart Specialisation Strategy (S5) at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development. His team is responsible for implementation of current S5 and for the programming of the MFF post 2027. Transition to digital and green/circular economy, involving all aspects of Industrial transition, including deep tech innovation is at the core of S5 priorities.

Marko Hren possesses an extensive record of ICT development, (as an employee and team leader of both, big and small enterprises in ICT domain), humanities research and social activism (he served as founding member and director/chair of diverse domestic and international Peace, Human Rights and Sustainability and Creative Sector NGOs) and policy making. Hren possesses experience in diverse phases of innovation process on all sides of quintuple helix. In the past 25 years, he also served as an evaluator and monitoring expert both nationally (as a chair and member of evaluation boards for major RR calls of proposals, i.e. Centers of excellence and Competence centers) and in EU (serving as Framework Program for Research, I3 reviewer/evaluator and monitor).

Anecdotally Hren claims, that his career incarnates the Quintuple Helix of Innovation.

Simona Iammarino is Professor of Applied Economics at the Department of Economics and Business of the University of Cagliari, Italy; Visiting Professor at the Department of Geography & Environment of the London School of Economics (LSE); member of the Board of the LSE-Cañada Blanch Centre; affiliate faculty member at the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) L’Aquila, Italy. She was Professor of Economic Geography at the LSE (2009-2022), where she acted as Head of Department (2014-2017) and academic member of the LSE Council (2016-2020).

Simona’s main research interests lie in the following areas: Multinational corporations, globalisation and local economic development; Economic geography of innovation and technological change; Regional and local economic development and policy. She has published more than 70 articles in major peer-reviewed journals, two co-authored books, around 30 book chapters, and numerous working papers, policy reports and other publications.

She is co-editor of the Journal of Economic Geography, member of the Regional Studies Association (RSA) Executive Group and Board and Chair of the RSA Journal Committee. Simona has a long-term experience in externally funded international research projects, and in consultancy projects for various international organisations (e.g. EU Commission, OECD, United Nations, ADB, etc.) and numerous government agencies.

Simona has been recently awarded the “ERSA European Prize in Regional Science 2024”, by the European Regional Science Association, and the “Giacomo Becattini” Prize, Italian Society of Economics and Industrial Policy (SIEPI).

Dr. Kalliopi Kravari is a postdoctoral researcher and an adjunct lecturer at the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), and collaborating teaching staff at the Open Hellenic University, Greece. She holds a Postdoc (NSF Grants) and a Ph.D. degree in Artificial Intelligence from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, (AUTH) School of Informatics (2015). She received a BSc (2007) and an MSc (2009) degree in informatics and an MSc in Theology (2016) from the AUTH. She also attended the Pedagogical Training Program (EPPAIK) of the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, Greece (2016). She is a member of HAIS (Hellenic Artificial Intelligence Society), Hellenic Committee of the Blue Shield, and UNESCO Chair on Conservation and Ecotourism of Riparian and Deltaic Ecosystems, DUTH while she is member of ’’Analysis and Management of Natural Disasters and Technological Risks’’ (ASSIST) Lab, DUTH. She is also the CEO of RESHUB LTD, a company oriented to AI R&D and project management. She participated in more than 25 research and administrative programs while managing several. She has published journal papers, book chapter and conference papers, receiving over 400 citations (h-index 7). She also received two best paper awards, an honor award, and two excellence AUTH awards. She is a reviewer in journals and conferences, she participates in conference committees and she is an invited speaker at academic festivals. Her research interests include Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and Intelligent Agents, Intelligent information systems, and the Semantic Web.

Daniela Kretz works as an Expert in the field of Innovation, Competitiveness and Sustainability at IDEA Consult. Daniela is very active supporting interregional collaboration, among others through the Smart Specialisation Community of Practice (S3 CoP) for DG Regio of the European Commission. Daniela is active in supporting the S3 Thematic Platforms and the Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships thereunder as a part of the S3 CoP Secretariat. Daniela complements this expertise with her experience in monitoring industrial ecosystems and the green and digital transition and her work in conducting monitoring and evaluation studies.

Mr. Harri Kuusela in an experienced process developer and project manager both on international and regional level. Themes he is currently covering include smart specialisation, innovation ecosystems, industrial transition and local identity, as well as sports and active and healthy lifestyle. Mr. Kuusela's background is in teaching, educational development and ICT.

Ira Lardinois is cluster manager blue energy at POM West Flanders, the provincial development agency of the Belgian province at the seaside, West Flanders.

She has +20Y experience in innovation support in various roles and industries. The last six years she focusses on public support to innovation in the offshore renewable energy industry.

Dr. Martin Larraza-Kintana is Full Professor of Management at Universidad Pública de Navarra - UPNA. During his extensive academic career he has made relevant academic contributions to the areas of human resource management, family business and entrepreneurship. Martin’s main research has been published in highly regarded academic journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Management Studies or Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. His is currently the Vice-rector of Quality, Economy and Strategy at UPNA, and also is the Project Manager of the ARIES4 project. This EU funded project aims to create a scheme of cooperation and flow of knowledge among the main actors of smart specialization strategies: universities, vocational training providers, the public sector, the business sector, and the broader society, in four European regions pioneering the introduction of sustainability in their strategies, to ensure the provision of the skills, tools and attitudes required for an effective transition to sustainable strategies, setting a model for other regions to follow.

Alexander C. Lembcke is the Deputy Head of the Economic Analysis, Data and Statistics Division in the OECD’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities and part of the OECD’s Spatial Productivity Lab. He and his team provide thematic research and empirical evidence that underpins the policy-focused work in all areas of work of the Centre. Current projects include, among others, drivers of growth in all types of regions, analysis on how to support SMEs’ “scaling up” and the integration of regions in the global economy through foreign direct investment and global value chain integration. An economist by background, Alexander’s work combines quantitative and qualitative evidence to support policy makers in helping people, places and businesses reach their full potential.

Hanifah Locate is Director of Research, Innovation and Technology at Région Réunion.

A graduate of ESSEC Paris, she specialised in public-private governance issues during her studies.

After an international career (Hong Kong, Budapest, Oxford), notably as a consultant with EY, and several experiences in project financing and European funds, she has been working for her native region for the last 8 years.

For Région Réunion, she is responsible for promoting research and innovation policies geared towards creating economic and social value that contributes to La Réunion's sovereignty, in line with its Smart Specialisation Strategy for Social and Sustainable Development (S3-S5).

She heads a team of around twenty people distributed into 4 divisions: public and private innovation, research support, digital development and a strategy and foresight division.

To implement its policies, the department also relies on a rich local ecosystem of players involved in supporting innovation and digital development, as well as research organizations.

Simon Maas is a dynamic project manager specializing in innovation and sustainability in the agri-food sector. As chairman of the S3 Smart Sensors for Agri-food Partnership (SS4AF), he drives forward initiatives that integrate cutting-edge technologies into food processing, helping to reshape the sector for a more sustainable and efficient future. Currently leading multiple EU-funded projects at AgriFood Capital, including HIGHFIVE, SIXFOLD, and Food-scalEUp, he works at the intersection of digital innovation, green growth, and interregional collaboration.

With a strong academic foundation—an MSc in Environmental Planning & Design from Wageningen University and a Public Sector MBA from Nyenrode Business University—he combines strategic insight with practical expertise. His work spans fostering SME innovation through funding and investment opportunities, building networks to accelerate the adoption of transformative technologies like AI and robotics, and strengthening Europe's agri-food ecosystem through enhanced connectivity and knowledge sharing.

Elisabetta Maini is the Head of the European Research, Innovation and Networks Area at the Emilia-Romagna Region. She is responsible for promoting and managing research and technological development projects with a particular focus on research projects of the High Technology Network, on Clust-er, and on Technopoles. She's committed in the creation of collaboration networks at European level also in the context of the synergy between funds (Erdf. Horizon).

Director of the Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Podlaskie Voivodeship Marshal’s Office, responsible for implementation Regional Operational Programme of the Podlaskie Voivodeship 2014-2020 and the European Funds for Podlaskie 2021-2027 in area of R&D and innovation. She is also responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Podlaskie RIS3 Strategy and managing the entrepreneurial discovery process.

L. Manzari is a Senior Blue Economy Expert focused on Internationalization, Maritime Technologies, Stakeholder Engagement, Clusters Development, Business Coaching, Investment Attraction, Industrial and Commercial Development. With an excellent oral and written communication skills, having mostly worked in a multi-cultural environment, he has acquired a considerable seniority in various sectors, becoming a specialist in Blue Economy, Maritime Clusters, Technologies, Maritime Transport, Surveillance, Fishery and Aquaculture, Blue Skills. He has authored articles and studies, been invited as a speaker at national and international conferences, holding training modules as a testimonial, tutor, expert in different high level specialization courses and masters. Since 2014, he is active in Blue Economy and Blue Growth initiatives, with particular focus on maritime technologies. . From 2018 on, through EIEAD, he is founder and shareholder of the newco Italian Blue Growth SRL (IBG) for the promotion of Blue Economy Technologies and Blue Growth, through dedicated events and business conventions. Since January 2019, National Hub for Italy within the Assistance Mechanism of the WestMED Initiative (EC Directorate MARE (DG MARE) and, CINEA), and coordination of the Technical Group on Sustainable Maritime Transport and Alternative Fuels; from March 2021 on, certified as BlueInvest Coach for Investment Readiness Technical Assistance Package in favour of SMEs, start-ups, early stage businesses and scale-ups in the Blue Economy; as EUDIS coach towards SMEs of the Defense sector. From 2021 on Business coach for selected start-ups and SMEs within the FAROS Acceleration Programme.

Elisabetta Marinelli is an applied economist specialised in regional policy. She has experience in the academic, public and private sectors. As a consultant she has been managing projects for regional governments, universities and international organisations (OECD, EC and United Nations) in their efforts related to knowledge-based development and sustainability transitions in Europe and Latin America.

Between 2011 and 2020 she worked for the European Commission Joint Research Centre, supporting regions and member states in the implementation of Cohesion Policy.

In her project management experience, she has coordinated international group of experts and policy makers, for both analytical and policy purposes.

She has published numerous policy reports, as well as scientific articles in among the others, in Regional Studies, Technovation, Environment and Planning, Industry and Higher Education.

She holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, an MSc from the University of Sussex and a degree from La Sapienza, University of Rome.

Employed at ART-ER, member of the advisory board at Service Innovation Clust-ER. I'm involved in regional, national and European projects mostly related to Digital Innovation.

Since 2017 member of the board of the Italian Technology Cluster for Smart Communities.

Since 2015 member of the working group "Digital Agenda of the Emilia-Romagna Region".

Before 2015 I was responsible for ASTER's information systems for 17 years, before that I had 4 years of experience as industrial researcher at the Department of Physics, University of Bologna.

Domagoj Mikulić is Government appointed State Secretary within the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds.

As a State Secretary he bears overall responsibility for the system of strategic planning at the national level based on the National Development Strategy and corresponding legal acts and with that he overseas overall coordination of EU funds within Cohesion policy including cross-border, interregional and macroregional strategies as well as EEA grants. In his prior positions Mr Mikulić held diverse roles ranging from a Representative in the Croatian Parliament (2017-2020) to high-level positions at the Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food. With an academic background in agroeconomics, he combines deep governmental experience with academic insights and practical and theoretical expertise in his field.

He has been working for the last 25 years on regional policies for research, innovation, technology transfer. He’s an expert in the design of policy instruments for the valorization of research results and to strengthen cooperation between researche and industry.

In ART-ER, the regional innovation agency of Emilia-Romagna, he is currently the manager of Research and Innovation Area, the department in charge of coordinating the High Technology Network and the regional clusters network, open innovation and startup. He’s also in charge of technical assistance to the Emilia-Romagna Region for design, implementation, monitoring of RIS3.

Before ART-ER, he worked for 12 years for Emilia-Romagna Region in the design and management of ERDF programmes, in particular of actions addressed to R&D in research labs and companies.

Wolfgang Münch is Senior Expert in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy. His unit coordinates investments of Cohesion Policy in the areas of smart and sustainable growth. He had several assignments in the European Commission including for Cohesion Policy in Poland, Italy and Malta as well as in the field of policy development and Agricultural Policy.

Antonio Novo leads as President the European Cluster Alliance (ECA), uniting more than 900 clusters to champion collaborative innovation and industrial growth across Europe.

Antonio's strategic insights contribute to shaping the future of European industry, being member of the S3 expert group, serving as curator for the EU Industrial Forum's Task Force 2 and participating in the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) expert group, Industry 5.0, and the High-Level Working Group on European Digital Innovation Hubs (eDIHs).

His leadership and advisory roles underscore his commitment to advancing industrial transformation and innovation across the continent.

Cristian is the Head of Smart Specialization, State Aid and Financial Instruments Department at North West RDA and has been working for the last 12 years in implementation, management, and coordinating activities to improve the regional competitivenes of the ecosystem, including the S3 Regional Strategy. thus he’s got a good glimpse of what are the strong points and what should be improved in the national and regional innovation ecosystem. He strongly believes that the real drive behind innovation is the individual, the team, their mindset - and the organizational structures that support this. And they must be constantly nourished in the ecosystem.

Expert in Interregional Cooperation with over 20 years experience in Programmes and Projects Management. Wide professional collaboration with UN agencies and National and Regional insititutions. In the last 7 years has been working for the Regional Agency of Technology and Innovation of Puglia Region focusing on Blue and Green Economy. Manager of several EU Interreg Projects and promoter and moderator of many regional and interregional events on Blue and Green Economy topics. Writer of several books.

Marc is a research and innovation thematic expert working for the Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform (PLP). He regularly works with regional authorities and innovation stakeholders to develop interregional cooperation policy actions and identify the means to accelerate policy learning and implementation in the field of innovation. He has experience in designing and evaluating S3 strategies and facilating regional industrial value chain collaboration through working with cluster organisations and S3 thematic partnerships. Recent PLP activities including delivering peer reviews on interregional innovation financing in the Basque Country and innovative public procurement in the Veneto Region and co-authoring a PLP Policy brief on the theme of interregional complementarities on innovation. He has also provided inputs to the S3CoP working group on interregional cooperation highlighting the synergies between Interreg Europe and I3 funding mechanisms for example.

He has experience of working with other innovation programmes with a territorial and sector dimension such as the Single Market Programme (Euroclusters) and Horizon Europe EIE, helping partners develop joint action plans and synchronised funding calls such as cascade funding mechanisms for supporting SME innovation.

Tiago Pereira holds a degree in Political Science (ISCSP-UL), a postgraduate degree in Economics and Public Policies (ISCTE-IUL), and a Master's degree in Public Policies and Projects (University of Évora). He has been a leader of youth and cultural associations. He is an elected member of the Municipal Assembly of Marvão. As a trainer and manager in public and private entities, he currently serves as an executive board member of the Managing Authority of the Alentejo 2030 Regional Program, where he coordinates the implementation of RIS3 and its innovative governance model.

Dr. Susana Elena has more than 20 years of experience in the field of research & innovation policies, smart specialisation strategies, regional development, and governance of higher education institutions.

She holds a PhD from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) and was a visiting PhD student at SPRU (Sussex University). Before that, she received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from UAM.

She has worked for more than eight years at the RIS3 Platform of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).

Currently, she works as senior researcher at the EFIS Centre where she is project manager of Policy Support Facility projects and coordinates the Working Groups on the S3 enabling condition under the S3 CoP.

In addition to her policy and consultancy work, Susana maintains strong ties with academia and has worked for Loyola Andalucia University, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and Pablo de Olavide University teaching business innovation and strategic management. She is deeply committed to inspiring and cultivating her students’ curiosity and interest in learning and innovating.

She has wide experience and capabilities in governance issues, complex problem-solving, stakeholder consultation and engagement, and project management. A target-oriented multiculturalist by nature, she is passionate about design thinking and innovation policies and now lives in Seville (Spain).

Núria Radó Trilla is a biomedical scientist with experience in health research and innovation, science policy, and science communication. She currently works in the Strategic Foresight and International Relations Area at Biocat (https://www.biocat.cat/en) as an R+D Senior Project Leader and serves as the project manager for the Regional Innovation Valley PRECISEU. She is also an associate professor at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. With a strong background in strategic planning for research and innovation, impact assessment, and public engagement, she is committed to improving the R&D system. Her academic background includes a PhD in Biomedicine and a Master’s in Science Communication.

Jean-François led various European projects related to the analysis and facilitation of innovations, in the field of advanced manufacturing technologies: developing a support centre for advanced manufacturing, designing a framework for better monitoring industrial modernisation, analysing and activating the pan-EU ecosystem for 3DP demonstration services, etc.

María Angeles RUIZ, Senior Advisor, Division for Strategy and Programmes. Agency for Economic Transformation and Development of Andalusia, Andalucia TRADE (Regional Ministry for Economy, Finance and European Funds, Andalusian Government).

Director of the Research, Districts and Clusters Unit, responsible for regional initiatives to support enterprises and research organizations in the fields of research and development, innovation and technological transfer. He is also the regional contact for the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3) of Veneto. It deals with actions to support Regional Innovation Networks and Industrial Districts and, with reference to the Regional Programme ERDF 21-27, support interventions in the fields of research and innovation.

Anabela Santos is REMO team leader and economist at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Seville. Her main fields of interest are policy evaluation, impact assessment and regional policy. She has a PhD in Economics and Management from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and a MsC in Economics from the Unversidade de Évora. Before joining the JRC, she was Research Fellow at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Between 2005 and 2014, she was Financial Advisor for SMEs in Portugal.

More than 35 years of experience as agricultural Engineer at the University and the regional Government of Navarra. Experience on fruit, cereals and vegetables production, sustainable food production, integrated pest management, circular economy and climate change.

Carlos Torrecilla Salinas is the Head of the “Innovation Policies and Economic Impact” Unit of the Joint Research Centre. Carlos holds two Master Degrees (in Physics and Electronic Engineering) from the University of Granada and a PhD in Software Engineering from the University of Sevilla.

Anita Tregner Mlinarić is the CEO of STEMwise, a boutique advisory firm specialized in EU funds and programmes, including advocacy and Brussels liaison. From 2013 to 2023, a Senior Advisor and EU Policy Expert based in Brussels, with over 20 years of experience across various business sectors gained in international organizations such as the UNDP, OSCE, U.S. Embassy, USAID, META Group, and the European Commission. A proven track record of managing and implementing international donor programmes worth $10-72 million in South-East Europe and Eurasia, leading to significant economic improvements and enhanced access to finance. Successfully managed a plethora of European funded programs contributing to better absorption of EU funds, revision, and implementation of S3 strategies, establishment of European networks and partnerships, cross-border investments, policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, policy recommendations and other.

Her recent expert assignments focus on providing advice to the European Commission on the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument project implementation, evaluating its performance, and assessing future exploitation potential, as well as other different programme areas.

Moreover, she is the Expert Evaluator for Horizon Europe, I3, Regional Innovation Valleys and other instruments and programmes, and a Project Reviewer for the European Commission.

Due to work in the European public affairs domain, a specialist in the policy and regulatory domain, i.e. Brussels liaison and advocacy.

Stefano Valentini holds a degree in Economics from the University of Bologna and a Master’s in European Project Management from Profingest. Since 2001, he has been a pivotal member of ART-ER, specializing in energy and environmental innovation. Over his career, he has successfully managed more than 20 European innovation projects focused on sustainable development.

Dr. Els Van de Velde is Senior Expert in the field of 'Competitiveness and Innovation'. She has extensive experience in the deployment of green and digital technologies, smart specialisation strategies, and value chain analyses. As a project manager she has led and participated in various European and regional projects.

In the field of regional development, she has worked in numerous projects aiming to stimulate interregional collaboration, digital and green transformation as well as on creating partnerships to foster interregional collaboration. She coordinates the support and service delivery to all thematic smart specialization partnerships of the S3 CoP secretariat.

Sander van der Molen is a partner at CIVITTA and an innovation expert based in Lithuania. Sander has extensive experience conducting research and analysis on innovation policy in Central and Eastern European countries and regions. Sander was also the lead coordinator of the H2020-funded BOWI project, which aimed to support and facilitate networking between Digital Innovation Hubs in widening and non-widening countries. Sander has worked with universities to facilitate technology transfer, with Digital Innovation Hubs to develop a sustainable business model, and with national and international policymakers to provide policy recommendations on innovation and digitalisation. Sander has served as a business coach for EIC Accelerator grantees and is a coach and mentor for various other acceleration and business support programmes. Sander is also a member of #S3 CoP Secretariat.

Irene is a Policy Officer at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), where she focuses on the sustainable blue economy. Her expertise lies in fostering maritime regional cooperation, particularly through the implementation of a Smart Specialisation approach. With a strong foundation in policy coordination, Irene has a long-standing experience in managing EU structural funds.

Ir. Gus Verhaeghe is innovation manager at Flanders’ FOOD since 2017. He is Chairman of the Ingredients for a circular economy partnership and coordinated the COSME project CONNSENSYS in which the base for an S3P governance structure was developed and that is currently implemented in several S3 Partnerships. He holds a MSc degree in Bio-science engineering and a MSc in European Forestry. Apart from that he has a professional chef qualification.

In 2017 Mr. Verhaeghe joined Flanders’ FOOD. Before, he was 7 years involved as Secretary General of InnovaWood, a Brussels-based network of research organisations in the European wood and furniture sector. Other positions he held are RTD manager at the private research institute AIDIMME (Valencia, Spain) and research adviser at the European Confederation of woodworking industries in Brussels.

In Flanders’ FOOD Gus Verhaeghe is involved in European and regional actions on raw material diversification and by-products valorisation in de agri-food value chain and has been dealing with European initiatives on industry 4.0 conversion of the agri-food industry. He has a 15 year track record in the European RTD environment and was involved in numerous international and regional projects under various funding schemes (FP7, H2020, COSME, COST, Life+, CIP eco-innovations, Interreg, ERA-Net, CORNET, Marie-Curie, Erasmus+).

Sauro Vicini is the Managing Director of the Health Cluster of the Emilia-Romagna Region in Italy since 2018. He is a computer scientist with a Master’s in Technology & Innovation Management from the Business School of the University of Bologna.

He is a member of the Executive Board of the Council of European Bioregions, the network of more than 50 life science clusters and regional ecosystems across Europe.

He is also project evaluator for the European Institute of Technology (EIT Health), and an Italian Ministry of Economic Development-certified Innovation Manager.

From 2014 to 2016, he was a member of the Executive Board of the Smart Cities Cluster of the Lombardy Region,” a private foundation based in Milan and promoted by the Region for the development of its Innovation Strategy (S3).

Between 2006 and 2017, he worked at Italy’s leading healthcare research center, San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. His work there encompassed digital health, electronic health records (EHR), surgical robotics, cloud computing, privacy and data security, wearable sensors, and personal health systems for wellness and disease prevention.

He is currently involved in seven European projects active in cutting-edge research, including Artificial Intelligence, EdgeAI, Digital Health, Next-Generation Telecommunications, Smart Cities, Internet of Things, Big Data, and Cybersecurity.

Catherine Wendt is currently head of unit for Smart and Sustainable Growth in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Regional and Urban policy. She moved back to regional policy after some years working on EU external relations, negotiating EU accession with candidate countries, and working in the private office of the EU Trade Commissioner. During the first part of her EU career, she worked on the UK regional policy programmes for the European Commission, and was also the head of the Merseyside Regional Office in Brussels.