Europe’s future

Speakers for this event

• Azoulay, Jean-Philippe

  Azoulay, Jean-Philippe

  Director General, European Crop Protection Association (ECPA)

  Director General, European Crop Protection Association (ECPA)

  Director General, European Crop Protection Association (ECPA)

• de Bruin, Ronald

  de Bruin, Ronald

  Director, COST Association

  Dr Ronald de Bruin was appointed Director of the COST Association on 1 June 2016. Before joining the Association, Ronald was Director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and Head of Department of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA). For almost eight years, he played a key role in managing and setting up these European Union agencies from scratch. Prior to this, he was Deputy Director of a public-private partnership platform for the Information Society in the Netherlands for over three years. His main responsibilities included drafting the annual work programs including public-private partnership projects, managing the implementation of national multi-stakeholder projects, and coordinating EU-funded projects. For almost three years, he worked for a global .COM company with top-100 clients. During his one-year stay as manager at KPMG, he worked on developing e-security services for the growing e-commerce market. He started his career as Policy Advisor for the Dutch national government, where, for three years, he was responsible for developing a national policy on e-security services, and scenarios for introducing digital TV. He is Ambassador to Brussels for the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership Europe and Founding Director of the Greenleaf Center in Brussels. Dr De Bruin has also authored several books on servant-leadership, digital television, online consumer trust and computer security. He holds a Ph.D.in Law and Computer Science, an M.Sc. in Technology Management and a B.Sc. in Electronic Engineering.

  Director, COST Association

• Georghiou, Luke

  Georghiou, Luke

  RISE, Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the University of Manchester

  RISE, Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the University of Manchester

• Maletić, Ivana

  Maletić, Ivana

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

• Manceau, Delphine

  Manceau, Delphine

  RISE, Dean, European Business School, Paris

  RISE, Dean, European Business School, Paris

  RISE, Dean, European Business School, Paris

• Novakov, Andrey

  Novakov, Andrey

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

• Orduña Cao, Àngels

  Orduña Cao, Àngels

  Executive Director, SPIRE

  Executive Director, SPIRE

  Executive Director, SPIRE

• Pavalkis, Dainius

  Pavalkis, Dainius

  RISE, Professor at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, former Minister of Education and Science in Lithuania

  RISE, Professor at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, former Minister of Education and Science in Lithuania

  RISE, Professor at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, former Minister of Education and Science in Lithuania

• Polt, Wolfgang

  Polt, Wolfgang

  Head of the Centre of Economic and Innovation Research - POLICIES, Joanneum Research Ltd.

  Wolfgang Polt is Head of the Institute of Economic and Innovation Research – POLICIES of JOANNEUM RESEARCH Ltd. and authorized representative of this organisation, which is one of the major public research organisations in Austria. He is an economist and has long experience in innovation research and policy studies in science, technology and innovation policy. The scope of the studies includes policy design, policy evaluation and policy implementation. He has carried out evaluations of programmes, policies and institutions for DG Research, DG Enterprise and DG Information Society of the European Commission, and for institutions in countries like Austria, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan and Switzerland. He supported Ministries in Austria concerning EU policy alignment, joint programming and stakeholder process for EU FP9. As an expert, he has contributed to the recent country studies of the EU and the OECD on innovation policies in Estonia, Greece and Hungary. Most recently, he was the study director of a project analysing and comparing the research system of Germany.

  Head of the Centre of Economic and Innovation Research - POLICIES, Joanneum Research Ltd.

• Ritter, Mary

  Ritter, Mary

  RISE, Emeritus professor Imperial College London, International Ambassador EIT Climate-KIC

  RISE, Emeritus professor Imperial College London, International Ambassador EIT Climate-KIC

  RISE, Emeritus professor Imperial College London, International Ambassador EIT Climate-KIC

• Sarvaranta, Leena

  Sarvaranta, Leena

  Vice President, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

  Vice President, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

  Vice President, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

• Slaus, Ivo

  Slaus, Ivo

  RISE, Honorary president of the World Academy of Art and Science, Dean of Diplomacy College

  RISE, Honorary president of the World Academy of Art and Science, Dean of Diplomacy College

  RISE, Honorary president of the World Academy of Art and Science, Dean of Diplomacy College

• Spyraki, Maria

  Spyraki, Maria

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

• Tataj, Daria

  Tataj, Daria

  RISE, entrepreneur, investor, author, former founding member of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology

  RISE, entrepreneur, investor, author, former founding member of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology

  RISE, entrepreneur, investor, author, former founding member of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology

• van Nistelrooij, Lambert

  van Nistelrooij, Lambert

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

• Vandenberghe, Kurt

  Vandenberghe, Kurt

  Director Policy Development and Coordination, EU Commission

  Kurt is Director for Policy Development and Coordination at the European Commission's DG Research and Innovation since 1st February 2016. Before that, he was Director for 'Climate action and resource efficiency' at DG Research and Innovation since July 2013. He served in the Cabinet of Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin (1999-2004) and as Head of the Cabinet of Janez Potocnik, who was Commissioner for Research and Innovation (2004-2009) and subsequently for Environment (from 2010). Kurt joined the European Commission in 1996 as co-ordinator of the Commission’s Intermodal Transport Task Force and of the Transport Research Programme. Before entering the Commission, Kurt worked for 4 years as a manager at Ernst & Young Association Management, where he set up, managed and represented international trade associations. After reading French and Italian literature at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) and obtaining a degree in Public and International Affairs at the University Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL), Kurt gained a Master of Arts degree in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (S.A.I.S.) in Bologna, Italy and Washington D.C., US. Kurt is co-founder and board member of Journalismfund.eu and the VZW Scriptieprijs.

  Director Policy Development and Coordination, EU Commission

• Virkkunen, Henna

  Virkkunen, Henna

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

  Henna Virkkunen is a member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and a substitute of the Committee on Transport and Tourism. She advocates the Digital Single Market and European Energy Union. She is working with files on Horizon Europe, online platforms, and Connecting Europe Facility. Virkkunen has worked as a rapporteur on blockchain technologies. Virkkunen promotes an innovation-friendly Europe. She is a keen advocate of education and skills as these equip European people for future trends such as digitalisation. She has served several ministerial posts in Finland as a Minister of Education and Science, Minister of Public Administration and Local Governance and Minister of Transport. Virkkunen is a licentiate of Philosophy.

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

• Weidemann, Joachim

  Weidemann, Joachim

  Associated Business Director EU, Handelsblatt Global

  Associated Business Director EU, Handelsblatt Global

  Associated Business Director EU, Handelsblatt Global

• Zorrinho, Carlos

  Zorrinho, Carlos

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

  Member of the European Parliament (MEP)