Keynotes
Anna Puig-Centelles
Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) - European Commission
Dr. Anna Puig Centelles received her degree in computer engineering from the Universitat Jaume I (Spain) and the M.Sc. from the Vrije Universiteit (The Netherlands) on medical protocols. Anna obtained her Ph.D. on computer graphics after doing a research internship in Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain) and Université de Limoges (France). After working in Academia for many years, Anna started working as project manager focused on neuroscience and satellite technologies. Anna joined the European Commission in 2018 as programme officer in DG CNECT. Her current responsibilities include working as project adviser for H2020 and HE projects in HADEA, the Health and Digital Executive Agency established by the European Commission https://hadea.ec.europa.eu
Elsa Fernandes
Regional Secretary for Education, Science and Technology
Elsa Fernandes is the current Regional Secretary for Education, Science and Technology of Madeira. She holds a PhD in Mathematics Education and is a leading expert in digital literacy and technology-enhanced learning. Between 2017 and 2025, she served as Vice-Rector of the University of Madeira, overseeing Internationalization, Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. Throughout her career, she has coordinated major educational initiatives, such as the iTEC and CEM projects, focusing on teacher training and the integration of emerging technologies—including AI, robotics, and AR—into the classroom. A member of the National Council for Pedagogical Innovation in Higher Education (CNIPES), she also serves on several strategic boards focused on regional innovation and research development.
Giuseppina Lauritano
Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) - European Commission
Giuseppina Lauritano holds a degree in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Naples, Italy. She joined the European Commission in 2002. She initially worked at the Commission's Secretariat-General, dealing with the implementation of the White Paper on Simplification Policy, before moving to the Directorate-General for Education and Culture, where she managed vocational training projects, then to the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), where she was responsible for projects for the Enterprise Europe Network under the Cosme and H2020 programmes. She also gained experience in the field of data protection having worked at the European Data Protection Supervisor, where she was responsible for implementing the provisions of the European Data Protection Regulation (Regulation No 45/2001). As Policy Officer at the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, she was responsible for coordinating the RTD framework programme business processes. In 2021, she joined HADEA, the Health and Digital Executive Agency set up by the European Commission, and currently manages a portfolio of projects from the H2020 legacy and the Horizon Europe programme (Cluster 4 Digital, Industry and Space), covering various areas such as nanotechnology, advanced materials, advanced manufacturing and processing.
Graham Wilkie
Head of Department, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, European Research Executive Agency
Graham Wilkie has worked for the European Commission since 1997. Firstly, in the Directorate General for Research from 1997-2010 managing life science projects in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, then in Education and Culture where he headed the international cooperation, and policy coordination teams. He is currently the Head of Department for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions & Support to Experts in the European Research Executive Agency. He is a medical researcher by training and got his PhD in neuroscience in 1994 from the University of Bath, UK. He then worked as a postdoc before joining the UK Government in London to work on European research policy.
Henrique Martins
Associated Professor at ISCTE-IUL, i2X Coordinator
Prof. Dr. Henrique Martins, MD, PhD, MLaw, FIAHSI, was one of the first CMIOs in Portugal and during the years at the Ministry of Health he was responsible for setting the agenda for eHealth in Portugal. He was president of SPMS, Portugal's Digital Health Agency for close to 7 years and the former Member States co-chair of the EU eHealth Network, the highest policy body on eHealth in the Union. Between 2020-2024 he was part of the HL7 Europe Foundation Board of Directors. He works as an academic at ISCTE, FCS-UBI in Portugal, and at Korea University Medicine (Visiting professor), teaching and researching in Digital Health, Healthcare Systems and Transformation, Leadership and Management education for Medical Students and Health Professionals. He is engaged in individual consulting projects in Healthcare Transformation and Digital Health (www.henriquemartins.eu), as Senior Consultant in Digital Health and Innovation for the WHO Athens Quality of Care and Patient Safety Office. He was the coordinator of the XpanDH Project and now of two EU-funded projects in health interoperability (XiA - Xpanding Interoperability Alliance, and i2X - Intelligent Implementation of the EHR eXchange format).
Iwa Stefanik
Innovation Funding Maestra at F6S
Iwa Stefanik - Innovation Funding Maestra at F6S Network Ireland. She orchestrates the journey from "Lab to Market." Having directed millions of euros in FSTP across dozens of European projects, she has mastered the art of transforming traditional funding into an acceleration engine. Her Maestra Philosophy is built on three pillars: (1) Scale Without Friction: Empowering SMEs to innovate by minimising the "administrative noise"; (2) Beyond the Euro: Offering a holistic ecosystem where capital is paired with strategic mentorship and industrial-scale validation; (3) Win-Win Synergy: Connecting science and business to ensure that breakthroughs deliver a real-world legacy for society.
Micaela Freitas
Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection
Micaela Freitas is the current Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection of Madeira. She holds a degree in Management and a postgraduate degree in Strategic Management and Tourism Development from the University of Madeira. Throughout her career, she has held significant leadership roles in the public sector, including serving as President of the Institute of Social Security of Madeira and holding senior positions in financial management and auditing at the Funchal City Council and the Court of Auditors. A dedicated advocate for social policy, she has chaired the Specialized Commission on Social Economy and represented the Regional Government on national councils for social security and child protection. Her extensive administrative experience also includes board memberships in regional development agencies and social solidarity institutions.
Pedro Ramos
President of the Mission Structure for the Madeira Central and University Hospital
Pedro Ramos was born in São Martinho, Funchal, in 1960. He was Director of the Emergency Department at Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça from 2009 to June 2016. He was Clinical Director of the Health Service of the Madeira Region from June to December 28, 2016. He was Director of the Madeira Clinical Simulation Center from 2012 to 2016. Throughout his clinical career, he acquired competence in the area of Emergency Medicine and Trauma, having developed intense training at regional, national and international levels. He was Coordinator of the Trauma Chapter of the Portuguese Society of Surgery. He was Vice President of the Military and Disaster Section of the European Society for Trauma and Surgical Emergency. International instructor in the following training areas: TEAM; ATLS; STD; magnetic resonance; ETC. On December 29, 2016, he began his duties as Regional Secretary for Health, in the XII Government of the Madeira Region. On October 15, 2019, he assumes the functions of Regional Secretariat for Health and Civil Protection, in the XIII Government of the Madeira Region. From October 2023 and until April 2025, he took office again as Regional Secretariat for Health and Civil Protection, in the XIV Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira. He is currently the President of the Mission Structure for the Madeira Central and University Hospital, a position he has held since July 25, 2025.
Pierpaolo Limone
Rector of Pegaso University and Full Professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology
Pierpaolo Limone is Rector of Pegaso University and Full Professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology. For more than twenty years, he has studied learning processes in digital and hybrid environments. He has produced around 300 publications highlighting the risks and potential of serious games, MOOCs, and e-learning in ubiquitous and digital learning experiences. An expert in initial and continuing teacher education, he has supported the professional development of approximately 40,000 teachers. He has collaborated with leading international research centers in the learning sciences and has developed projects and prototypes that have created research opportunities for young scholars. In recent years, together with several colleagues, he founded the Italian Society for Research on Media Education, the main Italian MOOCs portal (EduOpen), and three national-interest doctoral programs: Learning Sciences, Digital Transformation, and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. He coordinates the Center for Advanced Studies in Education (CASE), a large multi-site research laboratory on learning technologies, with a team of around one hundred researchers.
Tal Soffer
Director of Technology and Society Foresight Unit and the Web Supported Academic Instruction Center, Tel Aviv University
Tal Soffer is a senior faculty member in the School of Education at Tel Aviv University. Director of two academic units: Technology and Society Foresight (TSF) and the Center for Web-Supported Academic Instruction - Virtual TAU. She has an extensive research experience of more than 20 years, in the field of Technology Foresight and its relations with societal implications: Education and cyber technologies specialization in online learning, community learning and Life Long Learning; privacy and cyber technologies; future of work and leisure and it's relation to occupations and skills. She has been involved in vast of Israeli and EU research projects as principal investigator and coordinator.
Thomas Knothe
Head of the Business Process and Factory Management department at Fraunhofer IPK
As an information technology specialist in mechanical engineering, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Knothe is at home in both technical computer science and engineering. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology, he is responsible for business process and factory management. He also teaches at TU Berlin and TH Wildau, using methods including serious games to demonstrate how digitalization challenges can be overcome. Together with his team, he researches and develops solutions for production management, both with and for manufacturing companies. His developments are used worldwide, such as Modular Shopfloor IT or model-based holistic production systems. He places particular emphasis on the interoperability of technical systems and organizations within and between companies. To this end, he is currently working with industry partners to develop solutions for synchronizing stability and dynamics in agile production systems, drawing on experience from areas outside the manufacturing sector as well, such as policing
Thomas Vyzikas
Head of Sector, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, European Research Executive Agency
Thomas has worked for the European Commission since 2016, in various research and innovation programmes. Firstly, in the European Research Council (ERC) Executive Agency as scientific officer. Later, in public-private partnerships in the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking and in Climate Action, as call coordinator and project officer. Since 2021, he has worked in the European Research Executive Agency in MSCA Doctoral Networks as panel coordinator and MSCA Staff Exchanges as Head of Sector. He is a civil and environmental engineer by training, and got his PhD in marine engineering in 2018 from the University of Plymouth, UK. He worked as a researcher at Ifremer, France, and since 2023 he teaches climate change and sustainability in the Open University of Cyprus.
Chairs and Moderators
Adriana Trevisan
Research Fellow at Politecnico di Milano
Adriana Trevisan, PhD, is a research fellow in the Manufacturing Group at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano. She earned her PhD in Production Engineering from the São Carlos Engineering School (EESC) at the University of São Paulo (USP), during which she also held a visiting researcher position at Politecnico di Bari, focusing on skills for the twin transition (green and digital). Currently, her research encompasses Circular Economy, Ecosystems, Business Models, Digital Transformation, Product-Service Systems, and Reverse Logistics.
Aleksandar Zobec
Innovation and Project Manager at F6S
Aleksandar Zobec is an innovation manager, consultant, and ecosystem builder with a decade of pan-European experience at the intersection of deep tech, startup growth, and innovation strategy. Over the years, he has supported hundreds of deep-tech startups and innovation-driven organisations across sectors, helping them navigate business strategy, fundraising, market positioning, and the practical challenges of bringing emerging technologies to market. His recent work also includes building scalable open innovation environments that foster the development of trustworthy, human-centric AI ventures in Europe.
Amal Elgammal
Senior Researcher at SERVTECH
Amal Elgammal is an Associate Professor and Senior Researcher at the Scientific Academy for Service Technology (SERVTECH). Her work focuses on the design and application of intelligent, data-driven systems across manufacturing and healthcare domains. Her research interests include Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing, smart healthcare and health informatics, ontology engineering and semantic interoperability, governance, risk management and compliance (GRC), big data analytics, and distributed and adaptive systems. She has extensive expertise in smart manufacturing and cyber-physical systems, digital twins for manufacturing and healthcare, health informatics and clinical decision support, model-driven engineering and domain-specific languages, ontology engineering and standards alignment (including HL7 FHIR and OMOP), business process management, and data governance and regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR and HIPAA).
Björn Glaser
Professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Prof. Dr. Björn Glaser is Professor of Experimental Kinetics of Metallurgy and Head of the Unit of Processes at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology. His research focuses on high-temperature metallurgical and materials processes, with a particular emphasis on the decarbonisation of heavy industry, sustainable steelmaking, and advanced process modelling through digital and data-driven approaches. Bridging fundamental science and industrial application, his work integrates experimental investigations with process kinetics and modelling to advance circular, resource-efficient, and low-carbon materials production. His research covers furnace technologies, inclusion behaviour, and process dynamics, aiming to transform the metallurgical sector towards climate neutrality. Prof. Glaser leads several major EU-funded initiatives, including HIYIELD and MEDALS, which drive innovation in process efficiency, resource recovery, and sustainability across European steelmaking.
Carina Dantas
CEO and Chief Investigator of SHINE 2Europe
Carina Dantas has a degree in Law, she is a PhD candidate on Biomedical Sciences (AI ethics) and is the CEO and Chief Investigator of SHINE 2Europe with over 25 years-experience in areas related to health, social aspects and ICT. She is Co-Director of the SHAFE Foundation - Smart Healthy Age-friendly Environments, was the Chair of the COST Action NET4Age-Friendly (2020-2024), which gathered over 775 participants from 50 countries and she was Vice-President of the European Covenant on Demographic Change until 2023. Carina was Chair of the Citizen Engagement WG of the Mission Cancer Cluster on Diagnosis and Treatment for 2024-2025; member of the Portuguese National Cancer Hub - Survivors' group; WG2 Leader and Management Committee Member of the COST Action Medi-CaSE (CA23151) - Mediterranean Cancer Screening and Early Diagnosis Network; and Working Group Member of the COST Action INE-CSC (CA21152) - Implementation Network Europe for Cancer Survivorship Care. She is also Committee Member of CEN/CENELEC TC 428, having integrated the Expert Team developing the EU Ethics framework for the ICT Profession; and leading the group of experts designing the Reference Guidelines in the Field of Ethics, Data Privacy and Security, contracted by the AAL Programme. Carina manages several international projects, either as coordinator, WP lead and Task Lead. She is evaluator/reviewer/Ethics expert for the European Commission; Advisory and Ethics Board Member of several international projects, and reviewer of several journals. She authored or co-authored several refereed journals, book chapters, conference papers and lay publications and performs public presentations in conferences and events regularly.
Claudio Sassanelli
Associate Professor at Politecnico di Bari
Claudio Sassanelli is Associate Professor at Politecnico di Bari, Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management and Senior Research Fellow at École des Ponts Business School of École des Ponts ParisTech. He received his two master degrees in Management and Civil Engineering from Politecnico di Bari, respectively in 2010 and 2013, and his PhD in Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering from Politecnico di Milano in 2017, also holding visiting researcher positions at Tokyo Metropolitan University and Universidade de São Paulo. His main research interest is Circular Economy, specifically addressing to Product-Service System, Product Lifecycle Management, Design for X approaches, and Industry 4.0. To advance these research domains, he manages special issues in international journals as guest editor, and disseminates his research being co-author of more than 130 publications. He is member of the IFIP WG 5.1 and 5.7, and has a 10-year experience in teaching, and industrial and European research and innovation action projects.
Dimitrios Spatharakis
Postdoctoral fellow at NTUA
Dimitrios Spatharakis is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the NETMODE Lab at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). He received a Diploma (2018) and a Ph.D. (2023) in Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) from NTUA, Greece. His research interests focus on IoT, cyber-physical systems, edge computing and cloud computing. He has been involved as a researcher in several European and National R&D projects. He is the technical manager of the UniMaaS project.
Enno Müller
Engineer and researcher at the Fraunhofer IPK
Engineer and researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Machinery and Design Technology, where he works on simulation and the automation of model creation, primarily for production systems in the context of Industry 4.0. His professional background spans start-ups, suppliers, and OEMs, with hands-on experience in product development, homologation, production planning, and the design of automotive assembly lines. Currently contributing to research projects on Digital Product Passports in industries such as furniture and construction, as well as initiatives in the Data Spaces domain. In his work on automated model building, he explores different technical approaches, including agent-based AI and the use of LLM-powered agents
Fábio Januário
Researcher at NOVA FCT
Fábio Januário is a Researcher with the NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA FCT). He received the M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering and the Ph.D. degree in the area of control and systems from the NOVA FCT. Previously, he served as a Researcher at UNINOVA. His current research interests include digital health, specifically system interoperability and the use of the European Electronic Health Record exchange Format (EEHRxF). His previous research interests involved cyber-physical systems, wireless sensors and actuator networks, resilient systems, and control and decision support systems.
Federica Acerbi
Assistant Professor at Politecnico di Milano
Federica Acerbi is an Assistant Professor in the Manufacturing Group of Politecnico di Milano (Italy) at the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering. She developed her PhD research at Politecnico di Milano in both academic and industrial contexts with attention towards sustainable operations management in manufacturing. Her research focuses on data and information valorisation enabling the embracement of circular economy strategies and principles by manufacturing companies. She is involved in European and national research projects. She is also involved in industrial consultancy projects facilitating the digital transformation of manufacturing companies. She is lecturer and tutor for two master courses at Politecnico di Milano: Sustainable Manufacturing and Operations Management and lecturer for one Bachelor course “Impianti Industriali e Gestione della Produzione” at Politecnico di Milano. She is member of AIDI and IFIP W.G. 5.7 scientific communities. Within the IFIP W.G. 5.7. community, she is co-leader of the Special Interest Group on Eco-efficient and Circular Industrial Systems.
Fernando Gigante
Senior Researcher at AIDIMME
Fernando Gigante Valencia is Senior Researcher in the Information Technology Department at AIDIMME (Metal-processing, Furniture, Wood and Packaging Technology Institute) since 2005. He is Computer Science Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, with specialization in IT Management and Industrial Automatics. He has worked in the development of web applications and electronic cataloguing systems and participated in National and European projects. His work has been mainly focused on the interoperability of systems through semantics, Internet of Things, and computer technologies applied to production management, as well as data integration from production systems in innovative platforms. In this context, he has also contributed to research papers related to development and results.
Franco Chiriacò
PhD researcher at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano
Franco Chiriacò is a PhD researcher at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano. His research areas include Supply Chain Management and resilience in value chains, focusing on the role of technological advancements (such as Blockchain and Manufacturing-as-a-Service). His research activity also involved him at the European level in the Smart Manufacturing, Innovation, Learning-labs, and Entrepreneurship (SMILE) project, and the Manufacturing As A Service to Increase Resilience in Value Network (MAASive) project.
Georgia Apostolou
PostDoc researcher at CERTH
Dr. Ir. Georgia Apostolou received her BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) in Greece and her PhD degree in Industrial Design Engineering department of the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft) in The Netherlands, with a focus on Photovoltaics. After that, she continued as a postdoctoral researcher at the Twente University (UTwente) in Enschede, The Netherlands, and since 2021 she has been a PostDoc researcher at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas at Information Technologies Institute, in Thessaloniki, Greece. Her research interests involve smart manufacturing, artificial intelligence, IoT, smart grids, alternative sources of energy, and user interaction with products and services. She was/is now working and/or coordinating multiple EU-funded projects (e.g., i4Q, AIDEAS, TALON, DiMAT, MaaSAI) with a main focus on smart manufacturing, AI, and robotics.
Hernan Ruiz Ocampo
Senior Researcher at École des Ponts Business School
Dr. Hernan Ruiz Ocampo is a PhD and circular economy expert with over 15 years of international experience in sustainable development, water management, and innovation-driven business transformation. Currently based in Paris, he is a Senior Researcher and Project Manager at the Circular Economy Research Center at Ecole des Ponts Business School. He supports and coordinates high-impact European projects on education, business modeling, circular strategies, and digital transformation. He also develops educational materials that foster sustainable circular solutions, including in emerging countries, connecting green tech innovations with global development needs. Dr. Ruiz Ocampo holds a PhD in Process and Bioprocess Engineering, an MBA in Innovation Management, and two MSc degrees from leading French institutions. He is also pursuing an Executive Doctorate in Business Administration to expand his impact as a leading senior researcher. His early career included civil engineering, research, and innovation management roles. A published author and international speaker, his work has consistently bridged academia, industry, and policy, contributing to sustainable sector transitions.
Ilias Gialampoukidis
Postdoctoral researcher at CERTH
Dr. Ilias Gialampoukidis serves as the deputy project coordinator of the Manufacturing as a Service project MaaSAI , after the successful closure of the Factories of the Future project i4Q and the Twin Transition project AIDEAS on smart manufacturing. He has over 10 years of experience at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) - M4D group, working in R&D projects related to Artificial Intelligence and Multimodal Data Fusion for industrial, environmental, security, and space applications. Dr. Ilias Gialampoukidis is also one of the co-founders and CEO of the spin-off company of CERTH, CDXi solutions focusing on visual quality inspection and predictive analytics, bringing to the market AI-driven solutions for large enterprises.
Iskra Dukovska-Popovska
Associate Professor at Alborg University
Iskra Dukovska-Popovska is associate professor in Operations and Supply chain management at Alborg University (AAU). Expertise in Operations and Supply Chain Management and Planning; Supply Chain Demand and Supply Alignment; Supply Chain Collaboration and Information Sharing; Contingency Perspective; Food Industry and Retail Supply Chain Planning, and sustainable textiles.
Jorge Domenech
R&D Project Manager and consultant specialized in Process Digitalization in AITEX
Jorge Domenech is R&D Project Manager and consultant specialized in Process Digitalization in AITEX, with over 15 years of experience leading textile industrial innovation initiatives. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Management Organization, along with a Master's in Textile Engineering. He has extensive experience managing European research and innovation projects from calls like HORIZON, FP7, Erasmus+, Interreg Sudoe, etc.
José Ferreira
Senior Researcher at UNINOVA
As a researcher at UNINOVA CTS-GRIS, José holds a Master of Science degree in Electrotechnical and Computer Engineering and a PhD in Industrial Information Systems from the Faculty of Science and Technology at NOVA University of Lisbon (FCT/UNL). With a track record of over 20 publications in international peer-reviewed journals and conferences, he specializes in various domains including Self-Sustainable Interoperability, Interoperability Monitoring and Assessment, Internet of Things, Embedded Systems, and Middleware development. Since 2011, he has been actively engaged in both national and international research and development projects at UNINOVA, contributing to initiatives such as DIH4CPS, ZDMP, IMAGINE, OSMOSE, and C2NET projects.
Mayte Carracedo
Co-Founder and Chief of Ecosystems and Impact at FundingBox
Ms. Mayte Carracedo is one of the Co-Founders and Chief of Ecosystems and Impact at FundingBox. She has a degree in Political Sciences and International Studies by the University of Santiago de Compostela, master in European policies by the ULB (Belgium) and MBA by EAE (Spain). Mayte has been active for the last 20 years in public funding for innovation, with special focus on digital transformation topics, smart manufacturing and ecosystem building related projects. She is also an expert on Digital Innovation Hubs, and is currently focused on building FundingBox ecosystem around deep tech stakeholders in Europe.
María José Nuñez
Head of the Information Technology Department at AIDIMME
María José Nuñez Ariño is Head of the Information Technology Department at AIDIMME (Metal-processing, Furniture, Wood and Packaging Technology Institute).She is computer science engineer from Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV). She has overseen the Information Technologies department at AIDIMME for 26 years and has been working at AIDIMME since 1996. She has participated and coordinated European projects. In this way, most of the projects are industry driven, analysing and developing applications easy-to-use representing SMEs needs and requirements. Her main activity in these projects has been technical management in the ICT part, always involving the manufacturing companies in industrial pilots as end users so that the results were as simple as possible and adaptable to the industries of the specific sector. In addition, she coordinates the funStep Interest Group that began in 1988 for interoperability issues in the furniture sector, leading the ISO 10303-236 “Product Data Catalog Exchange” standard (funStep) and represents UNE in the ISO TC184 / SC4 Industrial Data Committee.AIDIMME is coordinator of the NARRATE project and María José is responsible of the pilots validation related to Smart Manufacturing networks in MaaS.
Maria Jose Santofimia
Full Professor at the University of Castilla-La Mancha
María José Santofimia Romero is a Full Professor at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), specialising in Artificial Intelligence, IoT architectures, and secure cyber-physical systems. Her work focuses on embedding intelligence, trust, and resilience into connected environments, particularly in smart cities and digital health ecosystems. She has led and co-led major European and national R&D projects, including large-scale Horizon 2020 initiatives on smart and healthy ageing, and has collaborated with industry partners such as Intel and Indra. Her research spans AI-driven decision-making, edge computing, and cybersecurity for connected products, with a strong emphasis on real-world deployment. Dr. Santofimia serves as an expert in the European Commission's Sub-Group on Artificial Intelligence within the Consumer Safety Network, contributing to policy discussions on AI, connected products, and digital trust. She combines a technical background in Computer Engineering and Computer System Security with a degree in Law, bringing a multidisciplinary perspective to AI governance and responsible innovation. .
Maria Marques
Head of I&D IDEA | Principal Researcher UNINOVA/FCT
PhD in Electrical and Computers Engineering with more than 20 years of experience in research and innovation for building environments where technology is at a service of populations and a key enabler for digital health. Research interests include data management and connected infrastructure of wearables, (medical) smart devices, and software applications, integrated in health systems as mean to provide better and more personalised services for the society as whole. Principal researcher at UNINOVA (www.uninova.pt) and NOVA School of Science and Technology (www.fct.unl.pt). Head of Innovation and Development and President of the Executive Committee at IDEA (www.idea-institute.pt). Independent expert to the European Commission in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Thigs (IoT), interoperability, decision support systems, etc. Leader of international and multidisciplinary teams in several R&I projects funded by the European Commission such as Smart4Health (deputy coordinator), XpanDH (WP leader for feasibility demonstration), xShare (WP co-leader for patient-mediated health data exchange) and i2X (WP leader for demonstration sites). Author of several scientific publications, many of them debating the usage of technology to ensure seamless integration in health environments.
Massimo Goletti
Laboratory Coordinator at MUSP
Massimo Goletti earned a mechanical engineering degree from Politecnico di Milano, specializing in production technologies. From 2005 to 2019, he conducted research activities within MUSP Consortium, collaborating with universities, research institutions and industrial partners in private and publicly funded projects on process modeling, monitoring, and control of machine tools and advanced manufacturing systems. His work addressed vibration suppression, water jet cutting, and dynamic characterization of mechanical structures, while developing software solutions for manufacturing processes optimization. Since 2020, he has served as Laboratory Coordinator at MUSP, directing research and innovation programs with a focus on knowledge management and human centricity in manufacturing processes. He has contributed to national and European initiatives (Industria 2015, FP7, Horizon 2020), delivered technical workshops for machine tool manufacturers, and published in leading journals such as International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture, presenting at international conferences including MetFoam, CellMat, CIRP ICME, and the International Conference on Water Jetting.
Matteo D'Auria
Modeling & Simulation Engineer at SPINDOX
Matteo D'Auria is a Modeling & Simulation Engineer specializing in low-code platform development and AI-driven solutions for multicloud environments. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Salerno and has solid experience in designing AI workflows, discrete-event simulations, and optimization systems for the manufacturing, retail, and logistics sectors. He has contributed to national and European research projects and published scientific works on simulation, domain-specific languages, and distributed computing. He is currently working at Spindox, where he focuses on designing end-to-end AI solutions, coordinating technical efforts, and developing cloud-based AI platforms
Micaela Vitti
Postdoctoral researcher at the Politecnico di Bari
Micaela Vitti is a postdoctoral researcher at the Politecnico di Bari, where her work focuses on industrial sustainability and the energy transition of heavy industries. Her research interests include the development of models and assessment tools for decarbonizing energy-intensive sectors, particularly in steelmaking and process industries. She has experience in conducting Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of industrial plants to evaluate their environmental performance and support sustainable process innovation. Her expertise lies at the intersection of renewable energy integration, industrial energy systems, and sustainability assessment methodologies.
Michael (Mike) Papazoglou
President of ServTech
Professor Michael (Mike) Papazoglou is a globally recognized authority in service-oriented computing, cloud engineering, and smart manufacturing systems. His pioneering research laid much of the foundational architecture for service-based systems, shaping both academic scholarship and industrial practice worldwide. He has authored and edited more than 20 influential books and over 250 scientific publications and is consistently ranked among the most cited researchers in his fields. He has been featured in Marquis Who's Who in the World and Marquis Who's Who in Science and Engineering for his scientific achievements and international research leadership. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award—one of the organization's highest distinctions, reserved for individuals with decades of impactful contributions, leadership, and influence. In addition, he serves as an Honorary Professor at twelve universities across the globe. Professor Papazoglou has served as Scientific Director of the European Research Institute in Service Science (ERISS) and the EU Network of Excellence in Software and Service Systems (S-Cube), and has led numerous major European and international research initiatives. His recent work focuses on Smart Healthcare Systems, Smart Manufacturing Networks, Digital Twins, and resilient, AI-driven supply chain ecosystems. A sought-after speaker and thought leader, he has delivered keynote addresses across Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas.
Miguel Angel Mateo-Casali
PhD candidate at UPV
Miguel Angel Mateo-Casali is a computer engineer and PhD candidate in Industrial Production Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Spain. Heis a member of the research groups at the Research Centre on Production Management and Engineering (CIGIP). He is responsiblefor technical coordination in several Horizon Europe projects. His research focuses on industrial process automation, zero defects manufacturing, MLOps, industrial AI and advanced manufacturing systems.
Milana Sekulic
Communication Manager at F6S
Milana Sekulić is a Communication Manager at F6S, working across multiple Horizon Europe projects at the intersection of sustainability and digital innovation. Her work spans a range of sectors, from circular economy initiatives and the Blue Economy to Digital Product Passports (CIRPASS-2), contributing to communication and dissemination activities, stakeholder engagement, and cross-project collaboration within international consortia. She is particularly interested in making complex research tangible and relevant, shaping communication that connects innovation with policy, industry, and society.
Moritz von Stietencron
Senior Research Associate at BIBA
Research Scientist with a demonstrated history of applied research and innovation in Industrial Internet of Things applications and closed-loop item-level Product Lifecycle Management as well as years of experience in application for and execution of international research and innovation projects.
Nikos Bilidis
Senior R&D Project Manager at EUROPEAN DYNAMICS
Nikos is a Senior R&D Project Manager at EUROPEAN DYNAMICS, where he specializes in the management and implementation of complex, EC-funded research and innovation projects. With nearly a decade of experience in the energy and low-carbon sectors, Nikos brings a strategic focus as coordinator of the i-STENTORE Project.
Oriane Georges
Project Manager for EU Research & Innovation projects at F6S
Oriane Georges is a Marine Scientist and Bio-industries Engineer dedicated to environmental preservation. She has been working for the past few years on R&D&I EU projects related to marine, environmental, and ecosystems restoration as a Project Manager, Communication Manager, Work Package leader, and Open Call Manager within Blue economy sectors.
Raffaello Pio Iavagnilio
Professor at Politecnico di Bari
Prof. Dr. Raffaello Iavagnilio is Professor of Industrial Mechanical Plants and Safety of Industrial Plants at the Department of Mechanics, Mathematics & Management of Politecnico di Bari in ITALY. His research focuses on assessment of performance of industrial plants, technical as well as environmental, with an emphasis on Life Cycle Assessment introduced in multicriteria evaluation models of industrial plants fitting in Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Event Tree Analysis (ETA), Analytical Hierarchy Process, Fuzzy Numbers and other specifically required tools. Prof. Iavagnilio is reference partners Politecnico di Bari in several major EU-funded initiatives, involving CITADEL and MEDALS, which pilot advance in process efficiency, resource recovery, and sustainability across European steelmaking.
Raul Poler
Professor at UPV
Raul Poler is Professor in Operations Management and Operations Research at the Universitat Politécnica de València (UPV). He received his PhD in Industrial Engineering from UPV in 1998. He is Head of the Research Centre on Production Management and Engineering (CIGIP). He is a founding partner of the Spin-off UPV EXOS Solutions S.L. He has published 543 research papers in a number of leading journals and at several international conferences. To date, his scientific publications have received 6.728 citations (according to Google Scholar), with an h-index of 26 (according to Scopus, Author ID: 22734966200). He has been the Director of the INTEROP-VLab. He is the Representative of INTERVAL, the Spanish Pole of the INTEROP-VLab. He is a member of the Board of Directors of ADINGOR. He is a member of several research associations, such as EurOMA, POMS and IFIP WG 5.8, among others. His key research topics include Enterprise Modelling, Collaborative Networks, Supply Chain Management, Knowledge Management, Production Planning and Control, Decision Support Systems, Evolutionary Algorithms, and Artificial Intelligence.
Régis Hamelin
CTO at BLUMORPHO
Régis Hamelin earned an engineering degree in materials science and a PhD in Electronics from the University of Lille, where he researched semiconductor lasers with the IEMN optronics team in 1993. He spent seven years at CEA-LETI as a process engineer and program manager in optronics, developing expertise in compound semiconductor photonic components and packaging. In 2003, he co-founded Intexys Photonics, serving as CTO and board member in launching active optical cables for high-end supercomputers. In 2010, he joined the “COWIN” support action under FP7, leading to the foundation of BLUMORPHO, which he joined as CTO in January 2015. As BLUMORPHO's Chief Technology Officer, he directs deep-tech innovation and helps European ecosystems advance in IP generation, and technology transfer and exploitation.
Ricardo Gonçalves
Research Coordinator, UNINOVA & Full Professor, NOVA FCT
Ricardo Jardim-Gonçalves is a Full Professor at NOVA University of Lisbon (NOVA FCT) and Director of the UNINOVA Center of Technology and Systems (CTS). He is also Research Coordinator at UNINOVA - Institute for the Development of New Technologies. His research focuses on Interoperability of Complex Systems and Digital Transformation. Over the past 30 years, he has been actively involved in European Commission-funded projects, with more than 300 publications in international conferences, journals and books. He directs GRIS (Research Group on Interoperability of Systems) at UNINOVA. He is an Expert for the European Commission and project leader in ISO TC184/SC4. He is also the founder of the Madeira Digital Health and Wellbeing initiative and a member of the Advisory Board of the Hospital Central e Universitário da Madeira. Ricardo holds a degree in Computer Science, a MSc in Operational Research and Systems Engineering, and a PhD and Habilitation in Industrial Information Systems from NOVA University of Lisbon.
Ruben Costa
Senior Researcher at UNINOVA
Ruben Costa is Senior Researcher at UNINOVA Institute and Invited Assistant Professor at NOVA School of Science and Technology. Holds a PhD degree in Industrial Information Systems by the New University of Lisbon. Holds an MSc in Computer Science and a graduation in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He began his professional career has a consultant at Deloitte. He has worked in the Integration, Development and Infrastructure area of the Management Solutions division. In his career has a consultant he had participated in several National and International projects for the industry in several areas: Telecommunications, Finance and Energy & Utilities. Later he has integrated the UNINOVA research group, collaborating in several EU projects. His primary area of expertise is related with big data analytics, real-time data processing and AI technologies. One of his interests is on spatio-temporal analysis, modelling and forecasting. He has been conducting research in several domains, such as manufacturing, mobility and health.
Sandra Grano de Oro Tuñón
Project Manager at F6S
Sandra Grano de Oro Tuñón is a Communication and Project Manager at F6S, where she leads synergy and impact strategies for Greentech projects. With an extensive career history in Spain and China, she has successfully managed projects from EU-funded scientific research, to global product launches for Fortune 500 companies. An expert in stakeholder engagement Sandra focuses on bridging the gap between complex R&D and accessible storytelling to drive impact.
Sergio Gusmeroli
Research Coordinator at Politecnico di Milano
Sergio Gusmeroli is Research Coordinator at Politecnico di Milano, Industrial Engineering Derpartment. He has been and is coordinating several H2020 and HEP projects in the domain of Digital Manufacturing, especially focussing on Data Technologies and Artificial Intelligence. Sergio is also co-leading the BDVA working group about Smart Manufacturing Industry and is workpackage leader of the Data Space 4.0 Coordination and Support Action in the Digital Europe Programme about Data Spaces for Manufacturing. As coordinator of the AIREDGIO5.0 project, Sergio is actively engaged in Regional Innovation, EDIH Lombardy and the Italian AI Testing and Experimentation facility in Manufacturing. In MAASive, Sergio is responsible for the liaisons and relationships with EFFRA and Made in Europe.
Sergio Terzi
Full Professor at Politecnico di Milano
Sergio Terzi is Full Professor at Politecnico di Milano, Department of Economics, Management and Industrial Engineering. His main research interests are in the field of Advanced and Smart Manufacturing (also said Industry 4.0), with special attention to the role of digital technologies and sustainability. Sergio Terzi has deepened his knowledge in the field of product design, development and management, with the holistic perspective of the product life cycle. In these contexts, he is used to conduct and manage research projects at national and international level.
Speakers and Panelists
Adrián Carrasco Revilla
Lead Data Scientist at Inetum Spain
Adrián Carrasco Revilla is Lead Data Scientist at Inetum Spain, where he develops AI solutions for NLP, energy optimization, and synthetic data in European projects like RENergetic, MetaBuild, BlueBird, and COSMIC. With a strong academic background and ongoing research collaborations, he bridges innovation and science to enhance machine learning model performance and applicability.
Adriana Mar
Researcher at NOVA FCT
Adriana Mar holds a PhD and MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering, with knowledge in energy systems, grid resilience and energy communities. She obtained her doctorate from NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA FCT). She is currently an Invited Researcher at NOVA FCT, actively involved in several European research and innovation projects (Horizon Europe, Interreg, COST). Her research interests include energy communities, microgrids, smart infrastructures and the application of digital solutions for heritage management. She has contributed to scientific publications, technical reports and applied tools aimed at supporting evidence-based policymaking and local energy and climate strategies.
Ana Carolina Chaves
Researcher at the Center of Industrial & Systems Engineering and Management of INESC TEC
Ana Carolina Chaves is a researcher working on Research and Technological Development projects at the Center of Industrial & Systems Engineering and Management (SYSTEM) of INESC TEC in Porto, Portugal. She is dedicated to the application of Information and Communication Technologies to Industrial Operations Management, participating in national and European applied research and development projects in close collaboration with other research organizations, technology centers, ICT companies and industrial companies from various sectors, including fashion (textiles, clothing and footwear) and appliance industry. Her main areas of activity are the development of information systems for information management and exchange. She is focused on the development of data spaces and related supporting technologies.
Andreas Dubourg Limkilde
Project and Business Development Manager at FundingBox
Andreas Dubourg Limkilde is Project and Business Development Manager at FundingBox, the leading European distributor of Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP). With a background in engineering and a Master's in Product Development & Innovation from the University of Southern Denmark, he leads tech transfer and digitalisation initiatives across Europe, supporting deep-tech projects, accelerating innovation, and validating solutions with industry players. Andreas has extensive experience in European research and acceleration programs, primarily Horizon-funded projects, focusing on digital trust, smart manufacturing, and sustainable technology adoption.
Andreia Rosa Collard
Director of Competitivity, Innovation and Sustainability, Government of Madeira
Andreia Rosa Collard is a lawyer with over 20 years international experience in the areas of Defense and Security, Transport, Space, Information and Comunication Tecnologies (ICT) and Renewable Energy. A Specialist in Compliance and European Economic Criminal Law, Andreia is also a registered Privacy Officer by the International Association of Privacy Professionals and trained in Data Protection, Cibersecurity and in ITARs/EARs (International Trade in Arms Regulations and Export Administration Regulations). Being a former Head of Legal for global companies, she was nominated as Most Innovative Counsel by the GC Powerlist Legal 500 for consecutive years. Forever surrounded by cutting edge technology environments, in 2020 she embraced the Digital Transformation of Madeira, Portugal, accepting to be the Regional Government's ICT Director and leading the digital acceleration of the islands. Her work in creating innovative projects and initiatives, strategic planning, securing funding, management and implementation of projects contributed to the digital transition in the region, positioning Madeira as a choice in the tech industry and motivating a greater focus on economic growth through her “Mandala Method” , a people centered transformationwhereby infracstructures, tools, education, interoperability and security unite to create inclusion, accessibility and social impact. Co-author of the Government Program “Madeira 2030” and an avid advocate for inclusivity in the digital age, Andreia has created several sustainability and digital acceleration policies and initiatives such as the “eQuantum Forum”, #SomosTodosTecnologia, “Cantinho Digital” and “5GIsland”. She became a digital literacy mentor for the elderly in the national program INCoDe.2030, contributed to the “Seeds for the Future” scholarship program which aims to increase female and youth participation in technological fields, as well as being a speaker at several international events. She is a member of the Urban Economy Forum UEF7 Organization Committee and a co-founder of the Business Development Women's Inner Circle for Africa and Beyond, which in 2025 awarded her with the global “Transformative Initiative Award” for her leadership and vision. Recently, Andreia lead a working group in the Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds and AI “Discovering the Citiverse” , providing the first deliverable on cities urban planning, community and transformative solutions that support sustainable development through the use of emerging technologies in the areas of Education, Economic Development and Tourism. Currently appointed by the Madeira Government as Director for Competitiveness, Innovation and Sustainability she remains focused on the acceleration of the digital transformation centered on humanity, sustainability, a circular economy, quality of life and the importance of traditions and culture being passed to the new generations as the baseline for a successful evolution.
Andrés Arias
Project Manager and AI Researcher at IDENER
With a background in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Data Science and Intelligent Systems from the University of Granada, Andrés Arias works as an AI specialist at IDENER, contributing to European research and innovation projects on digitalisation and technology transfer. His work focuses on translating cutting-edge AI techniques into practical, scalable solutions across circular manufacturing, digital health, neurology, and mobility. He specialises in applying machine learning, explainable AI, advanced analytics, and data-driven architectures to enhance decision-making, optimise complex systems and enable the responsible integration of digital technologies in complex environments. At the conference, he will speak as Project Coordinator of the DATA4CIRC project, sharing insights on how data acts as a key enabler for circularity in the manufacturing sector and how digital solutions can drive the transition towards more sustainable and resource-efficient industrial systems.
Aneta Kartali
Solutions Engineer at Zentrix Lab
Aneta Kartali is a solutions engineer at Zentrix Lab with an academic background in electrical engineering and computer science, with a PhD candidature in Computer Science at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Her expertise lies in machine learning, time-series data analysis, and the development of real-time digital systems, combining academic research with six years of industry experience in R&D and system performance engineering. Her work connects AI-driven data processing with secure and interoperable digital infrastructures, contributing to STREP's Digital Product Passport solution that integrates RFID technologies, distributed ledger systems, and standardized circular data models to enable transparency, trust, and data exchange across the textile value chain.
Annamaria Vujanović
REMEDIES, WP4 leader, Sustainability assessment and optimisation of implemented measures, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Assist. Prof. Dr. Annamaria Vujanović holds positions at two departments of the University of Maribor. She teaches at the Faculty of Business and Economics, specializing in sustainable product design, technological management, and environmental protection. Additionally, she is a researcher and group leader at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, where she leads sustainability activities in three ongoing Horizon Europe Mission Ocean projects (REMEDIES, INSPIRE, and TASC-RestoreMed). In these projects, the University of Maribor is responsible for validating the sustainability of innovative technologies through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), techno-economic analysis, and social impact evaluation to support evidence-based decision-making. Also she is coordinating a HEU CL6 project named EQUATERRA, dealing with reconstruction of areas affected by conflicts in Ukraine
Arnab Sinha
Researcher at CEA LIST
Arnab Sinha is a researcher at CEA LIST (France), specializing in distributed systems and digital architectures for sustainable innovation. He holds a PhD in Computer science since 2014, where his research focused on distributed systems and IoT-enabled solutions for intelligent waste management - early work aligned with circular economy principles. Today, his work centers on the design and implementation of Digital Product Passports (DPP) under the European Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and various other regulations, enabling product traceability, transparency, and lifecycle sustainability. He is actively involved in Horizon Europe initiatives, including the Cir4Fun project, contributing to system architecture and information models that support the transition toward a circular economy in the furniture sector. At the Digital Transformation Summit, he represents Cir4Fun's efforts to operationalize Digital Product Passports as a catalyst for EcoDesign, regulatory compliance, and data-driven circular business models.
Carlos Agostinho
Principal Researcher at UNINOVA & Head of Science and Innovation at IDEA
Carlos Agostinho is a Principal Researcher at the UNINOVA Center of Technology and Systems (CTS) and a digital transformation expert. He is also Head of Science and Innovation and Vice-President of the Executive Board at the IDEA Institute. He holds a PhD in Industrial Information Systems from the NOVA School of Science and Technology (FCT NOVA) and an MSc in Computer Science from the same institution. With more than twenty years of experience in industrial-driven research and innovation projects supported by the European Commission, ranging from early initiatives such as CEN/AIDIMA/2002/004 funSTEP AP-DIS to more recent Horizon projects such as AI-DAPT, his work has consistently focused on bringing research results closer to industrial practice and societal impact. In this context, he has led multidisciplinary teams and fostered collaboration between academia and industry. Carlos is the author of more than 100 scientific publications in refereed journals and conference proceedings. His research interests include the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, Enterprise Interoperability, Knowledge and Data Management, Integration of Complex Systems, and Model-Driven Development. In recent years, his work has increasingly explored digital transformation in healthcare, leveraging concepts and technologies developed in manufacturing and Industry 4.0 to improve interoperability, efficiency, safety, and quality of care through connected health systems and data-driven services.
Charalampos Vassiliou
Digital Transformation and Enterprise Architecture Strategist at the European Commission's Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE)
Mr. Charalampos Vassiliou holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of London, Queen Mary and Westfield College (UK), and an M.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Oxford (UK), specialising in Artificial Intelligence (AI). He has over two decades of extensive experience (since 2000) in preparing, coordinating, and successfully implementing European-funded projects under major programmes such as Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, EU4Health, Erasmus+, and various national funding schemes. He has led or contributed to more than 50 European and national projects, consistently ensuring high-quality delivery, compliance, and innovation impact. His expertise covers the entire project lifecycle: from proposal drafting and consortium building to project management, reporting, and exploitation of results. He is currently Digital Transformation and Enterprise Architecture Strategist at the European Commission's Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), where he drives the digitalisation of health and food safety systems. His work includes designing enterprise architecture, modernising legacy systems, introducing innovative platforms for cross-border data exchange, and ensuring interoperability in line with EU regulations. He plays a central role in implementing the European Health Data Space (EHDS) initiative. He also serves as Digital Transformation, Strategy and Innovation Advisor at GRNET S.A., where he leads strategic design and implementation of public policies and services in digital governance, open government, and public-sector innovation. Previously, he was Digital Transformation Advisor at the Hellenic Ministry of Digital Governance (Office of Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis). He is also a member of the GFOSS Working Group for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Beyond his strategic and policy roles, Mr. Vassiliou has a strong track record as a trainer and lecturer, teaching EU project management methodologies (PM²) and delivering specialised training on EU funding opportunities and proposal development to professionals, public servants, and academic institutions. He has also contributed to the Digital Transformation Book (DTB), the Greek Artificial Intelligence Strategy, and other major national initiatives. He has acted as a digital health expert in working groups for DG SANTE (EHDS), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (digital surveillance systems), and the Greek Ministry of Health (EHDS national implementation). In addition, he has provided consulting services to organisations including INTRASOFT International, SingularLogic, the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Hellenic Intellectual Property Organisation, and others. Since 2011, he has been the Managing Director of INNOSYSTEMS LTD. - Innovation Systems, a consulting and ICT firm specialising in innovative technologies, EU project participation, and strategic advisory services. He is also a Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) Expert for the European Commission, an Independent Expert for EIT Digital, and a member of the Sustainable Economy Advisory Group of the Region of Attica. He holds professional certifications including PM², ICAgile Certified Professional, and OpenProject Project Management.
Cristiano Faveri
Researcher at NOVA FCT
Cristiano De Faveri, Ph.D., is a professor, researcher, and technology leader with a distinguished career at the intersection of software engineering, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. He obtained his Ph.D. in Computer Science from NOVA University Lisbon, focusing on cyber deception for secure systems. Beyond academia, Cristiano brings extensive industry experience as a former Chief Technology Officer and digital strategy consultant. He has led large-scale engineering organizations, delivered AI-driven and enterprise-grade systems, and advised executive teams on innovation and product strategy.
Cristina Cruz
Professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon
Cristina Cruz is a Professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and a researcher at the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C). Her work focuses on plant ecology and ecosystem functioning, particularly how plants respond to environmental stress and climate change. She has led and contributed to numerous national and international research projects on biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and sustainable ecosystems.
Estelle Stoltmann
Research assistant in the Society, Market, and Policy section at the Technical University of Denmark
Estelle Stoltmann is a research assistant in the Society, Market, and Policy section at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Wind). Her research focuses on the environmental and social impacts of wind energy, particularly noise and visual impacts, stakeholder interactions, and social acceptance. She applies mixed quantitative and qualitative methods to gain data-driven insights for sustainable and socially robust energy transitions.
Felipe Taylor Murta
EU project and communication Manager at F6S
Felipe Taylor Murta is a EU project and communication Manager at F6S. In the capacity of Stakeholder Engagement Expert for the INNO4CFIs project, he leads the stakeholder mobilisation and ecosystem-building efforts. Drawing on his background in Development Economics and Global Governance from Grenoble Alpes University, Felipe focuses on bridging the gap between innovative approaches in climate adaptation through regenerative carbon farming, the regional market uptake ecosystem, and the end-users. He is responsible for promoting an alignment amongst different stakeholders to ensure the project respond to actual needs and create sustainable impact in the European agri-innovation landscape.
Gerardo Beruvides
Co-founder Xymbot Ltd
Dr. Gerardo Beruvides is a researcher and technology entrepreneur specializing in artificial intelligence, cognitive architectures, and industrial digitalization. He holds a PhD in Applied Computer Science focused on self-learning and self-optimization cognitive architectures for advanced manufacturing processes. His work integrates AI, machine learning, and intelligent systems to improve decision-making and automation in complex, knowledge-intensive industrial environments. He is currently involved in applied research and technology transfer projects at the intersection of generative AI, secure knowledge management, and enterprise innovation.
Giovanni Di Orio
Research Engineer at UNPARALLEL
Giovanni Di Orio completed his Master's degree in Electrotechnical and Computer Engineering at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal, in 2012. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Robotics and Integrated Manufacturing at the Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD). He currently works as a Research Engineer at UNPARALLEL and has been involved in several European collaborative research projects, namely HORIZON-IA Circular TwAIn, HORIZON-RIA MODUL4R, HORIZON-RIA PSS-Pass and HORIZON-IA XR5.0. Prior to his research activity, he participated in several industrial projects in the steel and automotive sectors, where he gained experience and knowledge in latest-generation industrial automation systems. His research interests include service-oriented applications in automation and manufacturing, Industry 4.0, cyber-physical systems, multi-agent systems, digital product passports and data spaces.
Giri Prasad Kandel
Postdoctoral Researcher at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
Dr. Giri Prasad Kandel is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, working on climate change adaptation, food security, and sustainable food system transformation. His research spans Asia and Europe, integrating socio-ecological analysis with participatory approaches to strengthen the resilience of agricultural systems and rural communities. In recent European projects, he has been actively engaged in advancing digital agriculture, developing knowledge-based resilience strategies, coordinating living labs, and supporting policy-relevant innovations for sustainable and inclusive food systems. Dr. Kandel has published widely in peer-reviewed journals on climate resilience, social vulnerability, migration dynamics, and sustainable agricultural practices, and his interdisciplinary work aims to inform evidence-based policy, empower stakeholders, and promote digitally enabled and socially just food system transitions.
Giuseppe De Pietro
Full Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Director of the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies at Pegaso University
Giuseppe De Pietro is Full Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Director of the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies at Pegaso University. He is also an Associate Researcher at the Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking (ICAR) of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR). Previously, he served as Associate Professor at the College of Science and Technology at Temple University, Philadelphia (USA). He is President of the Future Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) Foundation, which coordinates the Italian National Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, a major national initiative aimed at advancing research, innovation, and technology transfer in AI. Prof. De Pietro has also served as consultant to the Italian Ministry for Reforms and Innovation in Public Administration, contributing to the development of national strategies for the adoption of advanced information and communication technologies in e-government. His research activity focuses on Artificial Intelligence, with particular emphasis on machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing (NLP), with applications in clinical decision support systems, medical data analysis, and virtual and augmented reality environments. He has been actively involved in numerous European and national research initiatives, collaborating extensively with both academic institutions and industrial partners. He has coordinated several international projects, including the Horizon 2020 projects SMART BEAR and AI4HEALTHSEC. Prof. De Pietro has authored over 250 peer-reviewed scientific publications in leading international journals
Hugo Dória
Neuroradiologist at SESARAM
Completed an Integrated Master's degree in Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon. Subsequently undertook specialized residency training in Neuroradiology at the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto in Porto, Portugal, followed by a fellowship in Interventional Neuroradiology at ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda in Milan, Italy. Achieved specialist certification in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Neuroradiology and currently works as a Hospital Assistant in Neuroradiology at Centro Hospitalar do Funchal (SESARAM, EPERAM). Also serves as a guest assistant in theoretical and practical Imaging classes at the University of Madeira in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon. Additionally, holds a position on the board of the Portuguese Society of Interventional Neuroradiology and is a member of the board of the Neuroradiology Specialty College. Has further obtained subspecialist certification in Interventional Neuroradiology.
Ilaria Palchetti
Associate Professor in Analytical Chemistry at University of Florence, Italy
Ilaria Palchetti, Associate Professor in Analytical Chemistry at University of Florence, Italy. Her research redefines next-generation sensing technologies at the interface of analytical chemistry, materials science, and bioelectrochemistry. She rationally engineers functional electrode materials and electrified biointerfaces to control molecular charge transfer, enabling sensitive detection in complex biological and environmental matrices. By integrating microfluidics and embedded architectures, Ilaria Palchetti develops scalable platforms for real-time clinical diagnostics, therapeutic drug monitoring, and environmental surveillance.
James Davis Sánchez
Biomedical Engineer from City, University of London
James Davis Sánchez is a Biomedical Engineer from City, University of London (UK). He has strong expertise in healthcare technologies, ranging from hospital medical instrumentation and diagnostic devices to advanced physiological signal processing. In recent years, he has focused on the development and implementation of AI and Machine Learning models for the detection of cardiovascular diseases. He has experience in software and firmware programming of health monitoring systems, as well as data analysis and collection using IoT devices and wearables for remote patient monitoring.
João Santinha
Breast Cancer Research Program - Champalimaud Foundation
João Santinha, PhD, is a researcher specializing in medical imaging, biomarkers, and artificial intelligence. He co-leads the Digital Surgery Lab. Dr. Santinha completed his PhD at Instituto de Telecomunicações - Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon. He is also an Invited Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon. His work focuses on developing AI-driven tools to enhance surgical precision and personalize screening, diagnosis, treatments and follow-up through imaging and non-imaging data.
Juan Campos
Project Manager at AITEX
Juan Campos is Phd in industrial textile and MSc in Industrial Management Engineering from UPV. It should be noted that along with the completion of the master's degree, he worked as a laboratory technician in the department of textile engineering at the UPV. He works at AITEX Research Centre since 2016 as a Project Manager and has a solid background in R&D within the textile sector, particularly in the areas of smart textiles and ICT-based textile solutions. He has been principal investigator in several initiatives focused on the development of advanced materials, functional fabrics, and innovative solutions for sectors such as mobility, smart cities, and health.
Katia Lavín Olozaga
R&D Project Manager at INNOVALIA ASSOCIATION
Katia Lavín Olozaga is an R&D Project Manager at INNOVALIA ASSOCIATION. She graduated in International Relations from the University of Deusto and later specialized in Business Development with an MBA at Mondragón University. She has experience in the management and technical execution of research and development projects in the fields of business internationalization, innovation and entrepreneurship; ICTs, including Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, software and digitization; public administration, covering public policy management, territorial development strategies for urban, rurban and rural areas, youth and citizen participation. She currently works as an R&D Project Manager at INNOVALIA ASSOCIATION, where she leads the task on data spaces as Digital Product Passport (DPP) enablers in the CIRPASS2 project and has been actively involved in several HORIZON and DIGITAL EUROPE collaborative research, innovation and CSA projects, namely DIH4AI, EU DATASP4CE, ENACT, RE4DY, SM4RTENANCE and CISERO.
Luigi Gallo
Full Professor of Information Processing Systems at Pegaso University
Luigi Gallo is a Full Professor of Information Processing Systems at Pegaso University, where he directs the Research Center for Computer Vision and eXtended Reality (xRAI). He is also an Associate Researcher at the Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking (ICAR) of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR). His research focuses on computer vision, pattern recognition, natural user interfaces, and extended reality technologies, with applications in digital health, cultural heritage, and interactive systems. He has served as principal investigator and work package leader in numerous European and national research projects, contributing to the development of advanced AI-driven technologies. He has authored around 150 scientific publications in international journals and conferences.v
Maria Inês Marques
Research & Development Senior Project Manager at EDP R&D
Maria Inês Marques is a Research & Development Senior Project Manager at EDP R&D with a demonstrated history of working in the utilities industry, with experience in Data Spaces, AI, Automation, and Renewable Generation Assets areas. Inês has over 16 years of experience in the energy sector. In 2019, Inês joined EDP R&D where she has been collaborating and managing EU funded projects, international consultancy projects and developing proposals to EU calls. Formerly, she worked for EDP Comercial, EDP S.A. Marketing Department and E-REDES, was an Electrical Materials Researcher at Kodak Cambridge and a Technology, Media and Communications Consultant at Maksen. Inês has a master's degree in Electrotechnics and Computers Engineering, Energy main field, from Instituto Superior Técnico. Thanks to her broad experience in transversal energy topics and the energy sector, he has an in-depth understanding on technology drivers, innovation, and trends.
Mariana Carneiro
European Projects Consultant at LOBA
Mariana Carneiro is a European Projects Consultant at LOBA, where she works on EU-funded initiatives focused on AI and fairness, societal transitions and sustainability, and food communication. She holds a degree in Fashion Design from ESAD - Escola Superior de Artes e Design, where she developed a strong foundation in creativity and visual thinking. Her professional path began in marketing and communication, working as a copywriter and social media manager for a luxury brand. This experience sparked her interest in strategic communication and storytelling. Moving into the field of EU-funded projects opened the door to new challenges, allowing her to apply her creative thinking and unconventional perspective to a completely different environment. Alongside her professional work, Mariana is also building a growing presence on social media as a Formula 1 content creator, where she shares insights and engages with a global motorsport audience.
Mario Sánchez
Project Manager at ITI
Mario Sánchez is graduated in Political Sciences and Management from the Universitat de València, and earned an MSc in European Regional Development from Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (NL) and Blekinge Tekniska Högskola (SE). He is Project Manager at ITI - Instituto Tecnológico de la Informática, specialising in European R&D programmes and high-impact proposal development. Mario leads international teams developing Horizon Europe proposals across fields such as Industry 4.0, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and more. His career spans EU institutions, regional innovation networks, and major research centres, with roles at the European Commission, Interreg MED Programme, and others.
Matthias De Bièvre
Founder and CEO of Visions
Matthias De Bièvre is the Founder and CEO of Visions, a European company developing trusted infrastructures for data spaces, enabling the sharing and orchestration of data and AI services. He is also President of Prometheus-X, a European initiative dedicated to developing technological open source commons for data ecosystems. Recognized across Europe for his expertise in data governance and data spaces, Matthias actively contributes to the large-scale deployment of sovereign and human-centric data ecosystems.
Nelson Ricardo Rodrigues
Team Leader at the Digital Transition Department of CITEVE
Nelson Rodrigues is Team Leader at the Digital Transition Department of CITEVE, the Technological Centre for the Textile and Clothing Industries of Portugal, where he leads R&D activities in robotics and automation, for textile manufacturing. He is also a Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave (IPCA), and supervising student projects in engineering and applied research. Nelson is currently pursuing a PhD in Advanced Engineering Systems for Industry at the University of Minho, focusing on neuromorphic computing in autonomous vehicles. His work bridges industrial robotics, smart manufacturing, and digital transformation.
Nirmalie Wiratunga
Professor in Intelligent Systems at RGU's School of Computing, Engineering and Technology
Nirmalie Wiratunga is a Professor in Intelligent Systems at RGU's School of Computing, Engineering and Technology, and the Associate Dean for Research in the school. With over two decades of experience in computer science and AI research, Nirmalie lead's the Artificial Intelligence & Reasoning Research Group (AIR). She has been involved in numerous funded AIR projects, including the development of human-centred AI platforms for explanation strategy recommendation; and the use of Case-Based Reasoning for Retrieval Augmented Q&A systems using LLMs in high-stakes applications like healthcare. She is also a member of PATH, the Personalised AI Technologies for Health Research Centre (PATH) at RGU.
Nuno Amaro
Assistant Professor at NOVA University Lisbon - NOVA FCT
Nuno Amaro is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the Faculty of Science and Technology of NOVA University Lisbon (NOVA FCT) and a Senior Researcher at UNINOVA. He obtained his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering (Energy specialization) from NOVA FCT in 2015, after completing his Master's degree in the same field in 2011. His research interests lie in power systems engineering, including power system operation and planning, integration of renewable energy sources, power system digitalisation, and advanced modelling and simulation of electrical networks (including HIL and PHIL). His work has contributed to topics such as grid integration of renewable energy, power system flexibility and planning methodologies, and communication technologies for smart grid applications. He has authored and co-authored multiple scientific publications in international journals and conferences in the fields of power systems, smart grids, and energy systems modelling, and participates in collaborative research activities with national and international partners (e.g. Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe projects).
Orfeu Flores
Founder and CEO of STAB VIDA
Orfeu Flores is a science-driven entrepreneur and executive, born in Luanda, Angola, with a consolidated track record in launching and developing biotechnology, molecular diagnostics, and in silico health businesses. Founder and CEO of STAB VIDA since 2001, he has led the design, regulatory validation, and industrialization of advanced diagnostic solutions, notably rapid molecular testing platforms, lab-on-chip devices, and portable genetic amplification and detection systems, as well as the implementation of Sanger and NGS sequencing workflows in clinical and translational settings. He completed his secondary education at Caldas da Rainha High School and holds degrees in Biotechnology and Applied Chemistry, as well as a PhD in Molecular Genetics from NOVA University Lisbon. He further complemented his training with a Master's degree in the commercialization of science and technology delivered in partnership between Instituto Superior Técnico and the University of Texas at Austin. Throughout his career, he has coordinated European projects in areas such as oncology, infectious diseases, microfluidics, and applied genomics, and has developed distinctive expertise in preparedness technologies for rapid-response health and defense applications, positioning himself at the intersection of biomedical innovation, technology transfer, and operational resilience.
Pedro Pereira
Assistant Professor at NOVA School of Science and Technology - NOVA FCT
Pedro Pereira holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering by Nova University Lisbon - NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA FCT). He is working as an Assistant Teacher at the Department of Electrical Engineering - FCT NOVA. At the same time, he has been working with the Energy Efficiency Research Group (CTS - UNINOVA), where in the last few years he has acquired expertise in Engineering, Computation, Renewable Energy, Buildings Efficiency, Evolutionary Algorithms, Innovation and Tourism.
Pedro Roseiro
Executive Board Member at TICE.PT, Project Manager at INOVA-RIA, PMO at INOV INESC
Pedro Roseiro brings over three decades of expertise in the ICT sector, spanning roles as an innovation consultant, early-stage investor, and former C-level executive. Currently, he serves as Executive Board Member at TICE.PT, Project Manager at INOVA-RIA, and PMO at INOV INESC, where he oversees a diverse portfolio of complex and large-scale collaborative innovation projects. Throughout his career, he has guided local governments and organisations through complex digital transformation processes and managed cooperation partnerships. Pedro actively serves as an expert and mentor for EU-funded innovation programs, including Horizon, Eureka Network and EIT KICs. Together with an academic background in Information Systems and Computer Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, he combines a deep understanding of emerging technologies with a strong business acumen, consistently bridging strategic innovation into effective go-to-market execution.
Rafael Maestre
Head of the Electronics and Home Automation Unit at CETEM
Dr. Rafael Maestre is Head of the Electronics and Home Automation Unit at CETEM, a research and technology centre in Spain, where he develops embedded systems, IoT, wireless sensing, and AI applications for digital health, ambient assisted living, and smart environments. He previously held senior R&D engineering roles at Morpho Technologies, a University of California spin-off, and at Qualcomm in the United States. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Alicante and Miguel Hernández University. He has coordinated around 30 national and European R&D projects, including PHARAON, a large-scale EU pilot involving over 40 partners and a budget of €21 million, where he served as Project Technical Manager. He is co-inventor of more than ten patents and holds a PhD from the Complutense University of Madrid.
Ricardo Santos
Deputy Director of the Laboratório de Análises do Instituto Superior Técnico (LAIST)
Ricardo Santos is the Deputy Director of the Laboratório de Análises do Instituto Superior Técnico (LAIST) and a Researcher at the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Engineering (DECN) and CERIS at Técnico Lisboa. He holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from Queen's University Belfast, where he specialized in the diversity, stress responses, and ecological behavior of Mycobacterium species. Since 2012, he has served as the Head of the Microbiology - New Technologies Department at IST's Water Laboratory. With a career spanning over 25 years in environmental microbiology and biotechnology, Dr. Santos has led and participated in numerous national and international research projects focusing on water quality, pathogen surveillance (including SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater), and environmental health. He has authored over 100 scientific publications and is an active member of international water research networks and technical committees.
Samuel Almeida
Project Manager at F6S
Samuel Almeida is a project manager at F6S. He has 10+ years of experience in EU-funded projects, working on cascade funding, stakeholder engagement, community building, and impact delivery. Within the AUTOASSESS project, he leads the project's €2 million cascade funding programmes and exploitation activities.
Sílvia Monteiro
Researcher at the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Engineering (DECN) and CERIS, Técnico Lisboa
Sílvia Monteiro is a Researcher at the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Engineering (DECN) and CERIS, Técnico Lisboa, and a senior member of the Microbiology Department at the Laboratório de Análises Técnico Lisboa (LAIST). She earned her PhD from the University of Brighton, focusing on the integration of culture- and molecular-based tools for water quality monitoring. With a background in Chemistry and a specialization in Microbiology, her expertise lies in the development and application of advanced molecular diagnostic techniques, including Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), and Digital PCR. Dr. Monteiro has played a significant role in major environmental surveillance initiatives, such as the COVIDETECT and SARA projects, and has extensive experience in the detection and quantification of pathogens in diverse environmental matrices. She is also actively involved in international collaborative networks, contributing to the advancement of water safety and environmental microbiology.
Theodora Kallipolitou
Project Manager at Zelus
Theodora Kallipolitou, is a Senior Project Manager in Zelus & Product Owner of the company's digital platform VÒNG, a solution for the facilitation of making the fashion industry more sustainable and circular. She holds a BSc in Marketing and Communication from Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), Greece and a MSc in Management of Innovation from Rotterdam School of Management (ERASMUS University) in the Netherlands, with a specialisation in Sustainable Innovation and Business Model Innovation. She has been working as Business Consultant since 2014, in the field of User Experience and Business Design with extensive experience in practising Design Thinking, Systems Thinking and Agile Coaching. Her interests include the exploitation of digital technologies for the development of sustainable products and services that thrill their users and contribute to the transition from the Linear to the Circular Economy.
Vukašin Orsić
Project Manager at F6S
Vukašin is a project manager at F6S working on Horizon Europe projects. In the EFFECTIVE project he has a role of dissemination manager and is responsible for dissemination of project results, stakeholder engagement and exploring exploitation potential of the project's solutions.