Alexander Berler

Consulting services Director at Gnomon Informatics

Alexander Berler has an MSc in Biomedical Engineering and a PhD in Medical Informatics. He was affiliated with the Electrical Engineering Department, National Technical University of Athens, Greece, as a Postgraduate Student and Research Associate in healthcare information systems interoperability, medical informatics and telemedicine until 1999. He has worked at Information Society SA, the Greek official governmental information technology project office, as a project director responsible for the large healthcare informatics projects of the Greek government until 2006. He is currently acting as the Director of consulting services department at Gnomon Informatics with an expertise in international projects related to e-health, e-procurement and e-government. He is an active member of the eHDSI community on adopting tools for cross border healthcare across Europe and beyond. He is also acting as the IHE Catalyst director on behalf of IHE International, promoting international standards via the IHE Technical frameworks and Integration profiles. He is a member of several societies, institutes and organizations (IEEE, ACM, etc), a member of several IHE Europe Committees and the Vice-Chair of HL7 Hellas, the Greek HL7 International Affiliate.

Alexandros Nizamis

Senior Research Associate & Project Manager at Centre for Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH)

Alexandros Nizamis is a Senior Research Associate & Project Manager at Centre for Research & Technology Hellas. He is a Computer and Telecommunications Engineer graduated from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of University of Thessaly, Greece. He is also a Computer Science and Telecommunications MSc holder of the same department. His research interests include data modeling and analytics, ontologies, semantics and data spaces. His involvement with those research areas has led to the co-authoring of over 30 scientific publications. Since 2016, he has been working at the Information Technologies Institute of Centre for Research and Technology Hellas. He mainly participates in EU funded projects related to Smart Manufacturing and Data technologies.

Alissa Zaccaria

EU project coordinator at Intellimech

Alissa Zaccaria (female). Ph.D. in biomechanical engineering in 2021. She has experience in Digital Twin and Product Validation. She is currently working at Consorzio Intellimech as European projects coordinator.

Ana Inês Oliveira

Assistant Professor at NOVA FCT, Researcher at UNINOVA

Ana Inês da Silva Oliveira earned her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from NOVA School of Sciences and Technology in June 2016. Presently, since October 2019, she serves as an Assistant Professor at FCT NOVA within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC). Additionally, she collaborates with the Centre for Technologies and Systems at the Institute for the Development of New Technologies (CTS-UNINOVA), where her research is centered on robotics and integrated manufacturing. Her research focuses on enterprise collaborative networks, distributed manufacturing systems, services and industry, active aging and healthcare, and energy management of buildings. Ana's primary research interests encompass information systems, collaborative networks, cyber-physical systems, simulation techniques, agent-based modeling, decision making, and business models, among others. Ana has actively participated in numerous European research projects, including TeleCARE, ECOLEAD, ePAL, BRAID, GloNet, Ethna System, and BIECO, as well as Portuguese research projects like AAL4ALL and AMBIOSENSING. She has co-authored numerous publications, including book chapters, journal articles, and presentations at international conferences. Moreover, Ana is engaged in scientific societies such as the International Society for Collaborative Networks (SOCOLNET), where she played a founding role and currently serves as the secretary of the board. Additionally, she contributes to Cooperation Infrastructure for Virtual Enterprises and Electronic Business (COVE), IFIP WG5.5.

André Barbado

Healthcare Innovation Lead at Roche

André Barbado leads the Healthcare Innovation team at Roche Diagnostics Portugal, a team that aims at co-creating Health Innovation based on the integration of consulting services, digital solutions, new business models and strategic partnerships. He worked as a strategy consultant, before spending several years within Sonae SGPS leading the Corporate Intelligence Team, acting as Chief Economist and as Secretary to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors. André holds a BA in Economics from ISEG, a Master from the Faculty of Economics of Universidade do Porto and an MBA from the Lisbon MBA Program

Andreia Collard

Specialised advisor for digitalisation, innovation and modernisation at the Regional Secretariat for Finance of the Regional Government of Madeira

Andreia Rosa Collard is a specialised advisor for digitalisation, innovation and modernisation at the Regional Secretariat for Finance of the Regional Government of Madeira where she previously held the position of Director of Information Technology. She is licensed in law with specialization in International Law and Intellectual Property, post graduating in Compliance and European and Economic Criminal Law by the University of Coimbra is certified in International Trade in Arms Regulations and is a registered Privacy Professional by the International Association of Privacy Professionals. The Vice-Presidency and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Regional Government, is responsible for the regional Digital Transition, working with the various public entities including Health, Education and Tourism in the use of new technologies for the public system.

Andreia Pimenta

European Project Manager at Secretaria Regional de Saúde e Proteção Civil

Has experience working in health sciences and health research projects, taking on multiple roles and responsibilities from teaching to research and management. With a Biotechnology Engineering degree background, she taught for several years on the master of medicine and master of nursing degrees at the University of Madeira, where she pursued medical research within epidemiological studies. Currently, she is a researcher and project manager in EU Horizon 2020 projects at Secretaria Regional de Saúde e Proteção Civil in Madeira.

Angela Gusztos

EIT Health RIS Business Creation Project Lead

Angela's been working with startups for 5 years, creating and managing acceleration programs, and supporting European startups entering global markets and raising capital with a focus on the US and Canadian markets, including Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston. At EIT Health, in the position of EIT Health RIS Programme Business Creation Project Lead, she's responsible for acceleration programs and launched an education program, which aims to support women in the STEM field. She contributes as a mentor to the EIT Health Projects as well.

Anne Moen

Professor in Health informatics and Nursing at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo

Anne Moen is professor in Health informatics and Nursing at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo. She has 25+ year experience in user-focused research in EHRs and citizen centered services with emphasis on feasibility and usefulness for vulnerable groups and elderly. She has extensive interdisciplinary and academic leadership experiences at international and national level. She is director of UiO:eColab, advanced eInfrastructure to support innovative research and comprehensive eLearning resources for Complex Interventions and Interdisciplinary Teamwork in Primary care. Shehas more than 200 scientific publications the last 10 years, including original papers, books, and book chapters. In addition, she has given keynote addresses, full papers, panels, and workshop presentations at national and international conferences.

Antonio Collado

Research and development at Innovalia Association

Antonio Collado, based in Madrid, ES, is currently a Research and development at Innovalia Association, bringing experience from previous roles at CROSSING THE MIRROR, CARSA, SATAI and IBM. Antonio Collado holds a 2006 - 2007 Certificate in Master in Business Administration at Universitat de Barcelona. With a robust skill set that includes Business Strategy, Product Innovation, Management, Entrepreneurship and more, Antonio Collado contributes valuable insights to the industry.

António Jardim Fernandes

Vice-President of Madeira's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACIF-CCIM)

António Jardim Fernandes is the Vice-President of Madeira's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACIF-CCM). He plays a significant role in promoting the economic development and internationalization of businesses in Madeira, a region known for its favorable tax environment and strategic location. António Jardim Fernandes has been instrumental in attracting foreign investment to Madeira by highlighting the region's competitive advantages, including its innovative business environment, strategic geographic position, and appealing lifestyle factors such as the pleasant climate and natural beauty. Under his leadership, ACIF-CCIM works to support local businesses and foreign investors through a range of services aimed at fostering economic growth and improving the business climate in Madeira.

Aristotelis Kretsis

Senior Researcher at National Technical University of Athens School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Aristotelis Kretsis is a Senior Researcher at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). He received his Ph.D. in design and development techniques for efficient resource management in grid networks and cloud computing infrastructures from the University of Patras, Dept of Computer Engineering and Informatics (CEID) in 2014. His research interests are in the areas of cloud networking, distributed computing, system management tools and network planning and operation tools. He has over 40 publications in refereed international journals and conferences. He has a strong technological and research background, working as a researcher and developer in several European and National projects, performing innovative research on a number of topics around resource allocation, management, and optimization of optical networks and distributed systems but also developing from scratch complete software systems used for research purposes.

Arantxa Renteria

Project Director at TECNALIA Research & Innovation

Arantxa Rentería has a doctor's degree in Computer Engineering, (2010, U. of Deusto), an MSc in Robotics & Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (1988, Faculty of Engineering, Bilbao) and the degree in Computer Sciences (1987, University of Deusto). Since then, she has been working in Robotiker-Tecnalia in the field of robotics and automation, where she currently is Project Manager in the Health Division. She has worked and managed projects related to robotized cells, mobile robotics, data acquisition and monitoring systems, human-machine interfaces, robot simulation, automation for environmental engineering, robotic teleoperation (with two related patents). She has directed several post-graduate theses related to robotics and robot simulation applications, being author of papers and a book on Robotics. She also worked as assistant professor of robotics during 1997-2000, at the University of Deusto in Bilbao. Since 1989 she has been working in European and national programs. She has been involved in projects dealing with accessible applications and mobile robotics for cognitive rehabilitation, (COMPANIONABLE, HAPTIMAP, RUBICON), surgical and teleoperated robots (BROCA, IDAHO), cobots and exoskeletons (INBOTS). She has been reviewer of European FP7 projects and auditor of projects according to ISO 166000 on Management of R+D+i projects for AENOR (Spanish Agency for Normalization). She has been trained on CE Mark for Medical Devices and lean models for management of projects and teams.

Bogna Gawrońska-Nowak

Associate Professor at Institute of Urban and Regional Development

Associate Professor at the Krakow University of Economics and Head of the EURDATA (Data Science) Department at the Institute of Urban and Regional Development in Warsaw and Cracow, Poland. She was a fellow and visiting researcher at various European universities, including the London School of Economics, Universita di Padova, Erasmus University and the University of Glasgow. She has expertise in using multidisciplinary quantitative research methods with a special focus on modelling instabilities and measuring policy effectiveness. She was consulting macroeconomic aspects of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) implementation in Poland for the European Commission Representation in Poland. She has been a senior researcher and principal investigator in various research projects co-financed by well-recognized institutions: the National Bank of Poland, the National Centre for Research and Development in Poland, and the European Commission. Her current research agenda focuses on the study of public opinion dynamics and social representations, urban resilience and the development of research methods based on the Citizen Science approach. Since 2023, she has been appointed as Ambassador of The European Citizen Science Association (ECS) project.

Boris Sucic

Researcher at Jozef Stefan Institute - Center for Energy Efficiency (CEU)

Energy management, environment management, support in decision making in energy and industry, modelling and optimisation of energy processes and holistic planning in energy represent the main fields of his work. He is the leader of energy manager training following the EUREM programme. He has written numerous science articles published in international and domestic journals and conferences and he is also an author of handbooks for various seminars and trainings. He has gained many practical experiences in the implementation of several domestic and international projects as a coordinator or a team member, especially in the field of energy efficiency, and in performing more than 100 energy audits in industry and buildings.

Brooke Nairn

Chartered Physiotherapist and a Research Assistant at University College London's

Brooke Nairn is a Chartered Physiotherapist currently working as Research Assistant and PhD candidate on the Horizon Europe funded, TeleRehabilitation decision support systems (TeleRehab DSS) project with the University College London's, Faculty of Brain Sciences. Supervised by Professor Doris-Eva Bamiou and Prof Diego Kaski, she is investigating the artificial intelligence (AI)-supported TeleRehab DSS', effectiveness and cost compared to the current standard of care for stroke patients with balance problems. Originally from Canada, Brooke completed her BSc. in Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph, followed by a Master's of Science in Physiotherapy at the University of Limerick, Ireland in 2020. Graduating both programs with distinction, she has won numerous academic awards for her outstanding work. In addition to Brooke's research experience in the field of vestibular neurorehabilitation, she draws from a wealth of clinical knowledge and experience.

Carla Alves

Senior Researcher at the IDEA institute

Carla Alves is a senior researcher at the IDEA institute in Madeira, Portugal. She received her PhD in Chemistry with specialization in Biochemistry at the CQM - Centro de Química da Madeira of the University of Madeira, Portugal (2011). With extensive experience in research development in the health and life sciences, her work has been in the area of biopharmaceutical and therapeutic applications, particularly in developing alternative strategies for treating and targeting disease. She has undertaken multiple roles and responsibilities, having gained experience in the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students, lecturing, laboratory management and the management of the numerous scientific dissemination activities. Currently, she is a senior researcher and project manager of projects funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 and H2020 programs (e.g., Smart4Health, Smart Bear, etc.). Her work to date has involved implementing digital solutions in the health sector within the Madeira Region, with emphasis on delivering care-related services to specific target groups (e.g., patients with back pain), offering participants a range of innovative digital health solutions (e.g., apps, medical devices) designed to enhance interoperability, efficiency, safety, and care quality. In addition, she is actively involved in elaborating dissemination actions at the regional, national and European levels, as well as organizing large events, under the scope of the Madeira Digital Health and Wellbeing initiative.

Carlos Agostinho

Senior Researcher at UNINOVA

Carlos Agostinho is a senior researcher at UNINOVA Center of Technology and Systems (CTS) and digital transformation expert. He holds a PhD in the area of industrial information systems by the Faculty of Science and Technology of the NOVA University of Lisbon (FCT/UNL) and has an MsC in Computer Science from the same school. Having a large experience in industrial driven research projects since CEN/AIDIMA/2002/004 funSTEP AP-DIS until the most recent H2020 VesselAI, Carlos is deeply committed to take research results closer to the industrial paradigm. Being quite experienced in research and coordination activities due to his work in several national and international research and development projects since 2001, Carlos is the author of more than 100 scientific publications in refereed journals and conference proceedings and developed skills in the areas of the Internet of Things (IoT), Enterprise Interoperability, Knowledge and Data Management, Integration of Complex Systems and Components, as well as Model-Driven Development. Currently, and always believing that technology across domains is an enabler of progress and social transformation, he has also been working in digital transformation in the healthcare sector, to improve interoperability, efficiency, safety and care quality.

Carola Schulz

Senior Research Consultant and Project Manager at empirica

Carola is a senior research consultant and project manager in digital health at empirica Technology Research (Bonn, Germany). Her research focusses on EU projects on health data sharing, interoperability and the European Health Data Space. She is highly skilled at engaging stakeholders and analyzing the EU landscape on health data, having chaired sessions in various conferences on the topic. Beyond digital health, she enjoys interdisciplinary topics, such as data quality, certification and anonymization. Carola holds degrees in Economics and Latin American Studies and is constantly upskilling on health data and artificial intelligence.

César Quintas

IT Coordenator of the Information Systems Service of the Unidade Local de Saude de Santo Antonio

César Manuel Ferreira Quintas holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, from the University of Minho, Portugal, Graduated in Applied Mathematical Informatics from the University of Porto, Portugal. He completed the PADIS: High Management Program of Health Institutions, at AESE, Business School. Currently, he is the IT Coordenator of the Information Systems Service of the Unidade Local de Saude de Santo Antonio (ULS SA) since 2007. Since April 2017, Chief Security Officer (CSO) of ULS SA. In recent years, he has implemented several projects leading security initiatives to overall security strategy and adapt the IS/CCI to the strategy and guidelines, defined by the CHUdSA Board and the Ministry of Health.

Charlotte Cameli

Project Manager at Telemedicine Technologies

Daniel Spindler

Project Manager at FIR an der RWTH Aachen

Daniel Spindler studied International Management at the Università Bocconi in Milan, specialising in FinTech and Digital Transformation. After his studies and some practical experience in corporate strategy, he joined the FIR at RWTH Aachen University as a project manager and PhD student in the field of Business Transformation. Within the Ecosystem Design group, Daniel Spindler works on various industry and research projects focusing on sustainability, digital transformation and finance.

Davide Pasanisi

Artificial Intelligence Engineer at Intellimech

Davide Pasanisi holds both a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering (2015) and a Master's degree in Mechatronics and Robotics (2018). He has spent the past five years working as a researcher at Consorzio Intellimech within the field of Artificial Intelligence, specifically focusing on the Deep Learning subset for Computer Vision. During his tenure there he has gained experience testing state-of-the-art technology for addressing real industrial challenges, including object detection for bin picking applications, process automation, and quality inspection. His maturated expertise has led him to successfully implement and deploy computer vision algorithms into operational production setting

David Remon

Project Manager at Eclipse Foundation

David Remon is Research Project Manager at the Eclipse Foundation. He obtained his Telecommunications Engineering diploma from University of Zaragoza in 2009 and started working for Vodafone and Orange in Spain and Italy before moving to Libelium and later to Envirosuite, to work in the IoT, Environment and Smart Cities domains. There, he has been working as Project Manager in industry and research, delivering projects for private customers and under the FP7 and Horizon 2020 frameworks. He joined the Eclipse Foundation in 2023 where he participates in the foundation's research activities, helping to turn innovations into successful open source projects.

Eda Marchetti

Researcher at CNR-ISTI

Eda Marchetti is a dedicated researcher at CNR-ISTI. She graduated with top honors in Computer Science from the University of Pisa in 1997, and later obtained her Ph.D. from the same institution in 2003. Her research is primarily focused on software testing, with a particular emphasis on developing innovative methodologies for testing emerging software technologies. Eda's research interests span a wide range of topics within software testing, including security testing, access control systems testing, model-based testing, testing for service-oriented architecture (SOA) and component-based systems, requirement management and assessment, business process monitoring, testing process management and scheduling, structural testing, interoperability testing, domain-specific testing, and product certification and assessment. Throughout her career, Eda has served as the principal investigator for numerous national and international projects at ISTI-CNR. She has played a vital role in over 15 national and international research initiatives, actively contributing to advancements in software testing methodologies and practices.

Edin Skaljic

Founder FabLab B&H, Founder Digital Innovation Hub - Digital Storm

Edin Skaljic as mechanical engineer was educated in Bosnia, UK and Germany. He gained his more than 20-years engineering and managerial experiences in the US Army, investment banking and the additive manufacturing industry. He is also a registered patent attorney. Since 2018, his major interest has been around the creation of a sustainable innovation ecosystem in BiH using Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 technologies. This has led to industry leading knowledge organization, and creation of multiple research platforms including pioneering the maker movement in BiH, first Maker Faire in the region, and establishment of a teaching learning factory and deep-tech micro education. He has successfully positioned FabLab B&H as a strategic partner in numerous national and EU initiatives/programs. To date, he has conducted research on additive manufacturing applications in fields of Accelerated and Rapid Prototyping, Medical, Consumer Goods, and Automotive industry, and has disseminated knowledge as Keynote Speaker in conferences/events and University lectures. His work is mainly focused on the social and environmental impact of new technologies as a catalyst for innovative product design, value creation, and the sustainable use of resources, aiming at delivering added value and sustainability in the country.

Elin Oftedal

Professor of Change Management and Innovation at the Institute of Media and Social Sciences at the University of Stavanger

Elin M. Oftedal is a professor of Change Management and Innovation at the Institute of Media and Social Sciences at the University of Stavanger. Her research focuses on sustainable and responsible innovation and entrepreneurship, institutional change, legitimacy, cultural entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial universities. She has co- initiated, participated in and co-led impactful projects, such as on academic entrepreneurship: “Academic entrepreneurship - from university research to implementation and commercialization of innovations - a comparative study”. Responsible innovation: “Digitalize or Die: Dynamic Drivers of Responsible Research and Innovation in Health and Welfare service” and “Releasing the Power of Users - articulating user interest to accelerate new innovative pathways in the digital health and welfare sector”. Sustainable business practices in: Transforming CO2 to capital by interdisciplinary CCU optimisation strategies (iCCU). She is a member of the AFINO network which goal is to establish broad dialogues and shared commitments to ensure that innovation contributes to a more just, inclusive and sustainable Norway.

Elsa González Esteban

Associate Professor (tenured) of Moral Philosophy at Universitat Jaume I

Associate Professor -tenured- of Moral Philosophy (Ethics) in the Department of Philosophy and Sociology. Her research focuses on applied ethics and systems of governance and ethical management in organisations. She is a member of the Research Group on Practical Ethics and Democracy. She is the author of more than 50 professional papers published in national and international journals and books, and has continuously participated as a researcher in national and international projects funded by public institutions. She has been the coordinator of the EUROPEAN HORIZONTE 2020 project: ETHNA System (Ethics Governance System for RRI in Higher Education, Funding and Research Centres) and the Ministry of Science and Innovation project: "Ethics applies reliability for artificial intelligence". Actually she is member of CATALISi European Project (Horizon 2020). She has also worked intensively on the transfer of knowledge to the social and economic sectors through various projects and collaborations with institutions, including her current participation as a member of the Public Ethics Committee of the Basque Government since January 2022 and the Ethics Committee of the Social Services of the Valencian Government since February 2023. Since 2003 she has held managerial positions, becoming deputy editor of the Journal RECERCA. Revista de Pensament i Análisi. Currently is Vice-Rector for Social Responsibility, Inclusive Policies and Equality since 2022 at the Universitat Jaume I

Emmanouil Bakopoulos

Research Engineer at Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation, University of Patras

Emmanouil Bakopoulos is a Research Engineer and works as Project Manager at the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation (LMS) within the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics at the University of Patras, Greece. He graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering and Informatics from the University of Patras in 2018. Emmanouil's research interests span across machine learning, reinforcement learning, digital twinning, resilience assessment, and multi-agent systems, with a focus on smart production scheduling.

Eva Sabajová

Head of the strategic planning department at the National Health Information Centre in Slovakia

Eva is an experienced professional with a strong background in digital health and international business. She currently serves as the Head of the strategic planning department at the National Health Information Centre in Slovakia, where she coordinates the implementation of the national contact point for eHealth and other international interoperability projects. Eva is also the chair and co-founder of HL7 Slovakia and the Digital Health Slovakia platform, contributing to the implementation of international standards in Slovakia. Additionally, she officially represents Slovakia in numerous organizations and working groups, including the eHealth Network, eHMSEG, SNOMED International, and the WHO Family of International Classifications. With a rich history in strategic planning, project management and digital health interoperability, Eva brings a wealth of knowledge to her presentations on health data exchange formats. She holds degrees in international business and translation and Interpreting from universities in Slovakia, Germany, and Italy.

Felix Villanueva

Assistant Professor at the University of Castilla-La Mancha

Felix Jesus Villanueva received the Ph.D degree in Computing Engineering by the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. He is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, where he is working in the Department of Technologies and Information Systems. He has been a research visitor in university of Twente (Netherland) in 2004 and in Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nunberg (Germany) in 2009. His current research line focuses on next generation IoT platforms in smart agriculture and smart cities.

Filipa Ferrada

Assistant Professor at NOVA FCT, Researcher at UNINOVA

Filipa Ferrada earned her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Faculty of Sciences and Technology at NOVA University of Lisbon on November 22, 2017. Presently, she serves as an Assistant Professor at the same institution. As an integrated member of the CTS (Center of Technology and Systems) within the UNINOVA research institute, she focuses her research on various aspects of engineering and technology. Her areas of expertise encompass enterprise collaborative networks, industrial and service sectors, active aging and healthcare, as well as building energy management. Her research interests span a wide array of topics, including information systems, emotional aspects of collaborative networks, cyber-physical systems, simulation methodologies, computational intelligence, cognitive systems, system dynamics, agent-based modeling, decision-making in socio-technical systems, and business model innovations. Filipa has actively participated in numerous European and Portuguese research endeavors, such as TeleCARE, ECOLEAD, ePAL, BRAID, GloNet, BRAID, ETHNA System, and AAL4ALL. Currently, she contributes to the DS4Health project, funded by the European Union. Additionally, she holds memberships in prestigious organizations like the Society of Collaborative Networks (SOCOLNET) and Sustain.RD - Research Center for Engineering and Sustainable Development. She is also a member of the IFIP Working Group 5.5: Cooperation Infrastructure for Virtual Enterprises and Electronic Business (IFIP WG5.5 COVE).

Filippo Ciarapica

Professor (Associate) at Università Politecnica delle Marche

Filippo Emanuele Ciarapica, full professor in Industrial Plants at the School of Engineering of the Polytechnic University of Marche, graduated with a distinction in 1999 in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ancona. In 2003 he obtained a Ph. D. in Energy Management at the University of Ancona. From 2002 he has been giving courses on “Industrial Logistics” and “Industrial Facility Management” at the University Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy. He is the author of more than 140 papers published in national and international proceedings and journals. His research topics mainly focus on industrial plant design, strategies for the integration of management standard (ISO 9000-Vision 2000, ISO 14000 and OHSAS 18001) and production systems, soft computing techniques in reliability analysis and maintenance activity planning, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the development of a sustainable supply chain, and logistics.

Gabor Vicze

Partner/CEO at Innomine Group

Gabor Vicze is an innovation ecosystem driver, an international business strategist for highly complex R&D and innovation projects. His focus is on digital technologies and digital transformation; he has gained special expertise to set up new international innovation value chains. At innomine Gabor is leading group strategy, development of digital innovation services and focuses on international business development. Gabor is leader of innomine Digital Innovation Hub, drives strategy and leads implementation since 2016. Gabor has 20+ years of working experience, held several leadership positions in innovation and project management, international business development, marketing and sales. As a former member of DIGITALEUROPE's Executive Board, he led innovation programs (with projects in 15+ countries) for the Tech industry's voice in the EU, catalysing the European ICT ecosystem, entrepreneurship and innovation. Prior to innomine Gábor worked at FundingBox (co-founder) and econet consultants, Microsoft, KPMG IT Consulting and Arthur Andersen Business Consulting. Gabor has an MSc in Economics and holds a PhD degree in innovation management. He publishes on innovation strategy, startups, management consulting and business strategy and is a frequent speaker at international conferences. His professional commitments are Board Member of the ICT Association of Hungary, Public Body member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and mentor for several startups/innovators. Earlier Gábor was President of the Hungarian Spinoff and Startup Association.

Gabriella Monteleone

Research & Innovation Manager at the Manufacturing Group of the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering of Politecnico di Milano

With a MSc in Computer Science and a specialization in Artificial Intelligence, she worked as Knowledge Engineer at Thales Alenia Space in the study and application of Artificial Intelligence techniques for spacecrafts requiring a high degree of autonomy. Then she joined TXT e-Solutions to work on Knowledge Based Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Database Systems. She has been Project and Technical Manager in a number of commercial and R&D Projects and responsible at TXT Labs for the financial and scientific coordination of EU and National funded research projects in the area of Enterprise 2.0, Knowledge Management and Semantic Web applications. She acquired a great experience in managing large consortia of partners and in designing, preparing proposal and leading projects throughout their whole life cycle. At FacilityLive, an Italian high tech scaleup which develops a cloud platform for the organization and management of information using a patented semantic search engine, she played a leading role in supporting the development and implementation of the research, innovation and technology strategy of the company. For Politecnico di Milano she is now Coordinator of research projects in the area of AI for Sustainable and Circular Manufacturing (CLARUS, AI REDGIO 5.0, Circular TwAIn). She is author of publications in Italian and International magazines, conference proceedings and books and supervisor of several master theses at the University of Milan and Genoa. She was member of the faculty of the Master in Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurship of the University of Pavia.

George Matsopoulos

Professor at National Technical University of Athens

George Matsopoulos is a graduate of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of NTUA. He holds a Master's degree (MSc) from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, specializing in Biomechanics and a PhD from the same University. He is a Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NTUA with a specialization in "Biomedical Information and Biocomputing Technologies" and Ηead of the Biomedical Engineering Laboratory at the School of ECE at NTUA. He is an expert in the development of techniques and algorithms for digital processing of medical data, fusion of data from different systems, design and development of information systems with emphasis on the management and processing of large volumes of medical data. Prof. G. K. Matsopoulos has more than 300 publications in international journals and conferences and has many years of experience in monitoring research projects both in the medical field and in other public and private sectors.

Gergely Heja

Consultant at Országos Kórházi Főigazgatóság (OKFŐ)

Gergely Heja holds MSc degrees in electrical and biomedical engineering and has been working in the field of medical informatics for more than 20 years. He took part in the development, roll-out and operation of the national eHealth infrastructure of Hungary (EESZT), and various EU projects like epSOS, PARENT, JASEHN, CEF eHDSI, x-eHealth, TEHDAS and XpanDH. He has acted as a consultant for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Currently he works for Siemens Healthineers and is a consultant for OKFO. His main fields of expertise are medical terminologies and ontologies like FMA, ICD and SNOMED, and eHealth interoperability standards like openEHR and FHIR.

Giorgos Kormpakis

Software Application Engineer at DSS Lab, National Technical University of Athens

Giorgos Kormpakis holds a diploma from the Computer Engineering and Informatics Department of University of Patras. He has worked as a Software Engineer/Developer, mainly getting involved in website and platforms development, by utilizing state-of-the-art frameworks and libraries (e.g., VueJS, React, Django, Next.js), always with a view to create user-friendly and easy-to-use interfaces. He has also been involved in back-end development, using tools like Django REST and Node.js. During the last year, he is a PhD Student in National Technical Informatics Department and works in research projects (H2020). His research interests are mainly focused in the Energy Domain and the development of smart applications for this domain.

Golboo Pourabdollahian

Consulting Manager in IDC for European Government Consulting

Golboo Pourabdollahian is a Consulting Manager in IDC for European Government Consulting. Golboo has a combined experience in both consultancy and research and has led several research and innovation projects funded by European Commission as well as implementation and strategy development projects in industry. Currently in IDC she coordinates and works in several EU-funded projects. Prior to joining IDC, she worked in Capgemini and Capgemini Invent as a senior consultant where she led several digital transformation projects in manufacturing and telecommunication sectors and acted as the lead of 5G and digital transformation roadmap in Capgemini Italy. She has also worked in CNR (National Research Council of Italy) as a senior research and innovation expert and project manager in several EU-funded projects was engaged in studies and tenders for European Commission. Her main interests and competencies are digital transformation and digital platforms, 5G and IoT, circular economy and business model innovation. Golboo received her PhD and M.Sc in management, economics and industrial engineering from Politecnico di Milano and her B.Sc in Mechanical Engineering.

Guido Schwartze

Innovation Strategist & Business Model Builder at Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel

Guido Schwartze is involved in innovation management since his studies at Kiel and Munich University. He has driven innovation in consulting and operative roles in different industries ever since. His main value is taking innovation from strategy to impact. Currently he works in Kiel for one of 156 European Digital Innovation Hubs. The focus is on solving problems like lack of skilled workforce or opening new opportunities for SMEs through reviewing their business models and products. He has initiated the thematic working group Digital Business Models. Instead of pushing technology the group focuses on identifying weaknesses and threats for SMEs and employs technology to turn these into strengths and opportunities using available technology. He is currently working at the Center for Entrepreneurship being part of the transfer unit at Kiel University. He is closely linked to the institutes for innovation and technology management at Kiel University.

Harrison De La Rosa

Researcher at Institute of Materials Technology, Universitat Politècnica de València

Harrison de la Rosa Ramírez, PhD in Industrial Engineering and Production and a Master's Degree in Materials Engineering, Science, Processing, and Characterisation, both from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Spain. He has worked in material science since 2017, adopting different roles such as Research Fellow and Senior Research Technician. He is currently a PhD researcher at the University Institute of Materials Technology (IUTM) of UPV. His work has focused mainly on the mechanical recycling of plastic materials and developing biopolymer formulations with natural additives. Moreover, together with the DEMES research group from UPV, he has participated in several national and international research projects such as DDIBIORESIN, NANOCIRCOIL and DiMAT, among others, which have led to academic/scientific publications in high-impact journals and, in specific cases, in technology transfer to industry.

Harry Bikas

Project Manager at Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation

Harry has graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics at University of Patras where he has been a Research Engineer at the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation since 2011. He has been a member of UoP Racing Formula Student team since 2006 and team coordinator since 2011. His expertise is automotive design (chassis and suspension), machining, laser processing and additive manufacturing.

Henrik Welp

Innovation Strategist & Business Model Builder at Science Center Kiel

Henrik Welp is a dedicated professional working at the Science Center Kiel, contributing to the project EDIH.SH. His academic journey is marked by a solid foundation in both Business Administration and Information Systems, having pursued these fields in Kiel and Vienna. Further elevating his expertise, he has successfully completed an MBA with a specialization in digital transformation. Over the years, Henrik has accumulated extensive experience in process digitalization within tax consulting firms, showcasing his ability to implement innovative solutions and streamline operations effectively. Currently, he is advancing his academic prowess by pursuing a doctoral degree at the KMU Linz, focusing on areas relevant to his field of work and interest. His depth of experience and ongoing commitment to learning and development signify his profound understanding of digitalization's impact on business processes and his dedication to contributing significantly to this domain.

Hezam Haidar

Technical Manager at INTEROP-VLab

He is currently the Technical Manager of INTEROP-VLab, He has received his PhD in Industrial Engineering from Grenoble University. He has master degrees in International Business Management and another master degree in Systems Control and Automation from Grenoble University. He obtained an engineering degree in electronics majoring in telecommunication from Multimedia University, Malaysia. He was previously an Automation Engineer in Siemens power plant for 3 years, Yemen. He is involved in multiple European projects and contributes in interoperability, performance evaluation, software quality control, operation management, value proposition, business model and sustainability.

Hui Song

Senior Research at SINTEF

Hui Song is Senior researcher in SINTEF Digital. He obtained his PhD on Computer Software and Theory from Peking University, China, and worked with Trinity College Dublin before joining SINTEF in 2013. His research interest is focused on software and AI engineering on the cloud-edge computing continuum. In the last 15 years, he has been involved in more than 10 European research and innovation projects, from FP7 to Horizon Europe, aiming at improving software development from the aspects of trustworthiness, agility, diversity, etc. His recent interest is to apply these methods and tools to achieve the sustainable and trustworthy engineering of AI applications.

Humberto Queiroz

Research and Development Engineer/Project Manager at EDP New

Humberto Queiroz is an Electrotechnical Engineer graduated from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (Brazil), with a specialization in Occupational Hygiene and Safety. He holds an MBA in Project Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (Brazil) and a Master's degree in Renewable Energy Engineering from the Faculty of Science and Technology of Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Electrotechnical and Computer Engineering at the same institution, with his research focusing on management strategies for Renewable Energy Communities and the application of demand-side flexibility measures to them. He has worked on energy infrastructure projects such as the construction of hydropower plants and energy distribution networks. Currently, he is a Research and Development Engineer/Project Manager at EDP New, where he works on projects focused on topics such as distributed generation and energy management.

Inés Dintén

Project Manager at FundingBox

Inés Dintén, based in Aviles, ES, is currently a Project Lead at FundingBox. Inés Dintén holds a 2003 - 2010 Arquitecta in Arquitectura at Universidad de A Coruna. With a robust skill set that includes Arquitectura, Interior Design, Diseño, Viviendas, AutoCAD and more, Inés Dintén contributes valuable insights to the industry.

Isabel Fragoeiro

President of the Regional Delegation of the Alzheimer Portugal Association

Isabel Fragoeiro is a coordinating Professor at Madeira University, where she is also a member of the General Council and Vice-President of the School of Health. With a PhD in Mental Health, she is a Specialist Nurse in Mental and Psychiatric Health and the President of the Regional Delegation of the Alzheimer Portugal Association. She is the coordinator of the Regional Mental Health Observatory in Madeira where she has been involved in several projects within the scope of Community Mental Health and presents several collaborations in scientific pedagogical events and publications in this specific area.

Jadranka Lovrić

Senior Project Manager for EDIH CROBOHUB++ at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing

Jadranka Lovrić brings a wealth of experience in technology and digital transformation. She started her career developing technology projects at Vipnet d.o.o., part of the Mobilkom-Austria Group, and then co-founded a successful tech startup. The startup introduced new digital transformation approaches for mobile services and applications. She held international management positions in business development and marketing at Valamar Holiday Hotels & Resorts and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Later, Jadranka joined Croatian Telecom Inc. where she led the Information and Communications Technology Business Team and drove digital business development initiatives. As a project mentor for small and medium-sized companies, she brings her expertise in leadership and business development. She is currently a Senior Business Project Manager at European Digital Innovation HUB, where she is responsible for the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises and the public sector. Jadranka holds a M.Sc. in Computer Science and Mathematics and has completed professional programs in Leadership Management and Business Negotiation.

John O'Neill

Senior ICT Projects Officer at HSE Ireland

An experienced ICT and Business Professional, John earned a MSc in Cloud Technologies from Atlantic Technological University Donegal. They were awarded a Higher Diploma in Cloud Technologies by Letterkenny Institute of Technology in Jan 2021. In 2018, John graduated from the National College of Ireland with a Post Graduate Higher Diploma in Science in Computing. He achieved the status of Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from Cork Institute of Technology (MTU) in 2016.

José Eduardo Carvalho

President of Portuguese Industrial Association

José Eduardo Carvalho hails from Vila Chã de Ourique, situated in the municipality of Cartaxo. He holds a degree in Sociology from ISCTE and a postgraduate degree in Business Management. José is highly regarded for his leadership in business associations, notably serving as the president of NERSANT - the Business Association of the Santarém Region, a role he fulfilled from 1994 until March 2011. Since then, he has served as President of the Board of Directors of AIP-CCI. During his tenure at NERSANT, José played a pivotal role in several impactful initiatives, including the introduction of natural gas to the Santarém region, the establishment of various business parks, and the founding of vocational schools, a crafts center, and a technopole. These efforts significantly contributed to the advancement of business development and the empowerment of entrepreneurs and enterprises in the region. As President of AIP, José has been instrumental in strengthening its operations and ensuring its financial sustainability. His strategic leadership has positioned AIP at the forefront of the association movement.

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.

Juliana Sá

Physician of Internal Medicine at the Local Health Unit of Santo António, Porto

Physician of Internal Medicine at the Local Health Unit of Santo António, Porto. Member of the Research Unit of the CHP-ICBAS Clinical Academic Center. Invited professor at the University of Beira Interior, Covilhã. Consultant to the Executive Directorate of the National Health Service. Member of the Postgraduate Committee of AMEE - An Association for Health Professionals Education.

Júlio Nóbrega

Clinical Director and Director of Intensive Care Medicine of SESARAM

Júlio Nóbrega is the Clinical Director and the Director of Intensive Care Medicine at the Regional Health Service of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (SESARAM-EPERAM) and has been a member of various committees in Madeira, including the Executive Committee for CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19), the Oncology Coordination Committee and the Emergency and Resuscitation Committee. He is a Senior Assistant in Intensive Care Medicine with consistent experience in hospital coordination and management in clinical and training activities.

Jürgen Brandstätter

Board Member of IHE International and Deputy Co-Chair at IHE Europe

Jürgen serves as board member of IHE International and deputy co-chair of IHE Europe and is part of the leadership of the joint initiative of IHE and HL7 in the context of FHIR (Gemini project). He has participated in multiple eHealth consulting projects in Europe and International e.g., for the WHO, ADB, IADB, EU Commission (epSOS, X-eHealth, XpanDH, xShare) and is an active member of the European eHDSI community on the creation of specifications for cross border healthcare across Europe and beyond. On behalf of the Austrian Ministry of Health he represents Austria in the Global Digital Health Partnership.

Kevin Reuther

Research Fellow, Innovation Policy and Transfer Design Unit at Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy IMW

Kevin Reuther has been working as a research fellow in the unit "Innovation Policy and Transfer Design" at Fraunhofer IMW since April 2021. He simultaneously researches systemic, evidence- and activity-based entrepreneurship as academic director of the international research center S-E-A-M in close cooperation with Leipzig University and Fraunhofer IMW. Previously, he was responsible for the topics of entrepreneurship, innovation and research methodology as a substitute professor at the Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau. He received his PhD in 2019 from the University of the West of Scotland on the topic of interdependent influencing factors in the early stages of innovation processes, funded via a full scholarship from the prestigious Research and Development Management Association (RADMA). Dr. Kevin Reuther is also a Scientific Committee member of several international conferences and institutions. He is co-founder and Executive Director of the Continental Network of the British Academy of Management, which aims to promote academic exchange between the UK and continental Europe.

Konstantinos Bromis

Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens

Konstantinos Bromis, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens, excels in the realm of health informatics with a focus on building decision support systems. By amalgamating his proficiency in software development and machine learning, he has delivered novel solutions that improve healthcare outcomes. Not limited to the realm of technology, his scientific contributions extend to the field of cognitive neuroscience of memory, where his work has had a significant impact. His notable accomplishments also include pioneering research in understanding Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, signifying his extensive footprint in both the technological and psychological landscapes of health.

Lars Klapper

FIR an der RWTH Aachen

Lars Klapper studied business administration in Aachen and Stockholm with a focus on innovation management and entrepreneurship. After his studies and experience in management consulting, he joined the FIR at RWTH Aachen University as a project manager and PhD student in the department Business Transformation. His industry and research focus is on the design of ecosystems in the circular economy and the design of platform ecosystems.

Lefteris Koumakis

Senior Project Manager at Sphynx Technology Solutions

Lefteris Koumakis is an informatics professional, expert in the design, development, and adaptation of methodologies and tools for knowledge discovery on heterogeneous data sources. His research interests include biomedical informatics, eHealth, bioinformatics, data mining, and systems integration. He is the IT Architect of the Greek Biobanks network (BBMR-GR), responsible for the coordination and connection of the Greek biobank centers and their linkage with collections in other European centers via the BBMRI-ERIC. He is the author of MinePath, an interactive pathway analysis web server for real-time identification of differentially expressed sub-pathways in gene regulatory networks.

Lisa Häberlein

European Network of Research Ethics Committees

Lisa Häberlein studied Philosophy and Education as well as Interdisciplinary Ethics at the University of Vienna. Her research interests include various topics of practical philosophy and ethics, including research ethics, research integrity and responsible research and innovation. Until 2020, she worked at the Academic Center for Sciences and Humanities at Coburg University of Applied Sciences, where she was responsible for the development of dialogical learning materials on good research practice in the H2020 project Path2Integrity. Since 2021 she is part of the EUREC Office (European Network of Research Ethics Committees), where she is actively involved in research project management in EU-funded projects such as ETHNA System, ROSiE, VERITY and STRATEGIC.

Lucas Pereira

Researcher at Interactive Technologies Institute, Instituto Superior Técnico

Lucas Pereira earned his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Madeira, Portugal, in 2016. Since then, he has been at ITI/LARSyS, leading the Future Energy research line. Since 2019, Lucas has been an Assistant Researcher at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon. His research applies data science, machine learning, and human-computer interaction techniques towards bridging the gap between laboratory and real-world applicability of ICT for sustainable development goals (SDGs). His current research focuses on future energy systems and sustainable built environments, and it typically involves the real-world deployment and evaluation of monitoring technologies and software systems.

Luca Canetta

Professor for Supply Networks and Operations Management at University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)

Luca Canetta has been Professor for Supply Networks and Operations Management at University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). Information Logistics at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences (HFT Stuttgart) since 2011. He studied Management Engineering at the University of Bergamo and received his P.D, in Demand Modelling and Operations Management “Prediction of Hybrid (e-Commerce and Traditional) Demand Evolution and the Assessment of its Impact on Production System Robustness” from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Since 2010 he is the responsible of the Sustainable Production Systems Laboratory (SPS-Lab) in SUPSI, SPS-Lab currently counts about 50 collaborators and is involved in both teaching and applied research activities at national and international level. His current research activities focus on sustainable supply chain, supply chain robustness and resilience, smart supply chain and digitalisation.

Luis Lapao

Professor with Habilitation of Health Information Systems and Digital Health at NOVA University

Luís Velez Lapão is a Professor with Habilitation of Health Information Systems and Digital Health at Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Head of WHO Collaborating Center on Health Workforce Policy and Planning and Co-Coordinator of the CPLP's Telemedicine Network, Member of the UNIDEMI Research Center and coordinator of the Digital & Smart Healthcare Laboratory. Associated Editor (Digital Health) at Archives of Public Health. He is an appointed member of the WHO Technical Advosory Group on Health Emergencies, Resilience and Preparedness since May 2023. He was President of the General Council of the Lisbon School of Nursing and President of the NGO AGO-Associação para a Cooperação e Desenvolvimento Garcia de Orta. PhD in Systems Engineering (Healthcare management) from the Technical University of Lisbon, Master in Physics and graduated in Physics Engineering from Technical University of Lisbon. He was Visiting Professor of Healthcare Management at Karolinska Institutet in 2014 and at Dubai University in 2009. He was Visiting Professor of Project Management in Medical Informatics at University of Porto from 2007 to 2009. He was Director of the PACES program responsible for the training in Management and Leadership for Managers of Primary Health Care in Portugal. Coordinated several strategic and reorganization projects in various hospitals and health-centers. He is auditor of the European Commission for Healthcare Information Systems since 2005. He works in the areas of innovation and organizational development in health, with emphasis in Capacity Strengthening, Implementation Science, leadership, change management, project management, and management of information systems in health and telemedicine. He is the Principal Investigator in four research projects: eHospital4Future, Smart_Decusion@Crisis, PHIRI-Public Health Information Research Infrastucture and METHIS. He is author of over 300 peer reviewed papers and seven books/chapters.

Marcin Danielewicz

Institute of Urban and Regional Development

Master's degree in management and additionally in IT. More than 20 years of experience in project management in the field of IT and technical infrastructure in financial institutions and commercial companies. Knowledge of the planning and optimisation of business processes, supervision and administration of IT systems and hardware. Extensive knowledge of 3D printing and CAD design. Enthusiast of new technologies, RES and smart solutions including the use of AI. Owner of a tech SME company.

Margherita Forcolin

Project Manager at Maggioli

Margherita is a proficient Project Manager at Maggioli. She has with over two decades of dedicated experience in the ICT industry, specialized in international innovation and research initiatives, both at national and European level. Her journey began with a robust foundation in science, which she has seamlessly integrated with hands-on industrial and academic exposure. Currently she coordinates the technological implementation in Plooto. Before joining the Greek branch of Gruppo Maggioli, she worked in Insiel SpA, a in-house firm specialised in delivering innovative solutions to public administrations (Italy), where she participated in the implementation of the interoperability framework for the veneto region. Later she moved to the Netherland and collaborated with CeTIM and Leiden University coordinating two European projects in the Transport and Logistics domain. Her multifaceted expertise spans across diverse domains and technologies. Throughout her career, she has led and coordinated numerous projects, aimed at pushing the boundaries of technological innovation on a wider scale and leveraging cutting-edge technologies to drive meaningful change, enhance operational efficiency, and promoting innovation and growth.

Maria Haritou

Research Director at ICCS - Institute of Communication and Computer Systems

Maria received a Physics' degree from the University of Patras in 1990. She was then admitted to the European Post Graduate Program in Medical Physics & Biomedical Eng. and got a M.Sc. in Medical Physics (1992) and a Ph.D. in Biophysics & Biomedical Eng. (1999). She has worked as Associated Scientist at ICCS/NTUA from 1992 to 2002. In April 2002 she was elected as Permanent Staff Researcher at ICCS and after successive promotion elections she now holds the position of a Research Director, contributing research and lecturing work at ICCS and the School of Electrical & Computer Eng. of NTUA. Her main areas of expertise are in cell membrane electroporation and electrofusion, clinical hemorheology and biorheology, cell membrane biochemistry, medical signal and image processing, modelling of biological systems, artificial intelligence and clinical decision support systems, design of telemedicine and home care applications, eHealth systems and services. She has published over 70 papers in international journals and conference proceedings in her areas of expertise. She has a sound experience in the design, implementation and management of projects for the Healthcare Sector, after having participated in more than 40 European and National Projects either as Principal Investigator, Project Manager or Project Coordinator.

Maria Marques

Senior Researcher at UNINOVA

Maria Marques is a senior researcher with a special focus in the areas of data collection systems, systems interoperability and decision support. She holds a master's degree in Electrical and Computers Engineering (FCT/UNL, 2005) and a PhD degree in intelligent decision support systems (FCT-/UNL, 2012). For over 20 years, she has been involved in several R&D projects being responsible for the research activities. She also acted as project manager in multiple EU funded projects and as deputy project coordinator in Smart4Health project. She published more than 50 papers and contributions in international peer review journals and conferences. Her main line of work relies in closing the technological gap through the development of new methods and tools and addressing challenges to technology adoption by combing the viewpoints of multiple stakeholders. She is co-founder and co-leader of Madeira Digital Health and Wellbeing initiative a collaborative initiative that seeks to promote the application of digital technologies to health and wellbeing.

Maria Manuela Salazar

Director of the Information Systems Service of the Unidade Local de Saude de Santo Antonio (ULS SA)

Maria Manuel Salazar holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, from the University of Minho, Portugal, Graduated in Applied Mathematical Informatics from the University of Porto, Portugal. She completed the PADIS: High Management Program of Health Institutions, at AESE, Business School. Currently, she is the Director of the Information Systems Service of the Unidade Local de Saude de Santo Antonio (ULS SA) since 2007. Since April 2023, co.chair of Hospitals-on-FHIR (HoF). In recent years, she has implemented several projects in order to adapt the IS/CCI (Information Systems / Computational and Communication Infrastructure) to the strategy and guidelines defined by the ULS SA Board of Directors and the Ministry of Health, ensuring and consolidating the defined guiding principles of the IS/CCI governance and committed with EMRAM and OpenEHR reference models and standards as HL7 and FHIR.

Maria Santofimia

Assistant Professor at the University of Castilla-La Mancha

Maria J. Santofimia received the Ph.D. degree in Computing Engineering by the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. She is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain, where she is working in the Department of Technologies and Information Systems. She has been a research visitor in Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (USA) in 2009 and 2011, where she has collaborated with members of the Language Technologies Institute. Her research interests include intelligent systems, ambient intelligence, Internet of Things, digital solutions for active and healthy aging and ehealth. She is currently member of the CSN Sub-Group on Artificial Intelligence, connected products and other new challenges in product safety of the European Commission.

María Páez

Tech Transfer Marketing Coordinator at FundingBox

María Páez has taken on the position of Marketing Coordinator at the Tech Transfer Cluster within Fundingbox. Her primary focus lies in EU manufacturing projects, where she assists research and development centers in crafting go-to-market strategies and thorough communication plans. Her goal is to ensure the efficient dissemination of their innovative solutions to relevant audience segments.

Marta Dziarnowska

Senior Marketer at FundingBox

PhD in social sciences, trainer, team leader, senior marketer. Marta gathered marketing experience working for the B2B market and for European Projects. Has wide knowledge of digital marketing and events management. Feels good with hard skills as e.g. data based planning, but also with soft ones as conducting trainings, presentations, workshops, webinars.

Marta Passadouro

Ecosystem Lead for Portugal, EIT Health InnoStars

Marta Passadouro, based in Coimbra, PT, is currently a EITHealth InnoStars Ecosystem Lead Portugal at EITHealth, bringing experience from previous roles at Women in Global Health, CoimbraHealth, University of Coimbra and Institute for Interdisciplinary Research. Marta Passadouro holds a 2009 - 2014 PhD in Biochemical Technology in Non-viral vectors, miRNAs, Pancreatic Cancer at Universidade de Coimbra. With a robust skill set that includes Molecular Biology, Research and Development R&d, Lifesciences, Entrepreneurship, Genetics and more, Marta Passadouro contributes valuable insights to the industry.

Matteo Kirchner

Postdoctoral Researcher at KU Leuven

Matteo Kirchner obtained a BSc in Industrial Engineering and a MSc in Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Trento (Italy), and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven (Belgium). He is currently postdoctoral researcher and project leader within the KU Leuven Division Mecha(tro)nic System Dynamics and Flanders Make Core Lab Dynamics of Mechanical and Mechatronic Systems, where he focuses on virtual sensing for state/input/parameter estimation with digital twins and computer vision.

Mélanie Maia

Senior Researcher at UNIDEMI, NOVA University

Since 2012, working in different environments (academic, commercial and industrial) and with several missions throughout CPLP and the world, focusing on Implementation Science for Digital Health, in the context of Global Health and Occupational Health. Focused on the study of the human factor in the implementation of digital health solutions, currently exploring patient safety dimensions for positive behavior change in health predictive models, where Large Language Models, LLM, could be applied, as Artificial Intelligence approach.

Michael Johansen

Semantic Interoperability Consultant at MedCom, Member at Danish HL7 affiliate

Working with semantic interoperability between healthcare IT-systems, gouvernance of Danish healthcare integrations standards. Specialties: Integration and communication across sector-borders in healthcare. Writing standards for EDI, XML, HL7 CDA and FHIR, and webservices. Test and Certification of healthcare applications for compliance with these standards. Teamleader for the standardsteam at MedCom. Member of Danish HL7 affiliate, and NSP steering committee.

Miguel Mateo-Casali

Researcher at the Centre for Research in Production Engineering and Management of the Universitat Politècnica de València

Miguel Angel researcher at the Centre for Research in Production Engineering and Management (CIGIP) of the Universitat Politècnica de València. He finished the bachelor's and master's degree in computer engineering in 2020 and he is currently a PhD student in Industrial Engineering and Production. He worked as a software developer, cloud computing, system and network administrator and solution implementer for both large and small companies. Since 2021 I collaborate with CIGIP in different European projects such as ZDMP, i4Q or AIDEAS among others.

Mindaugas Bulota

Head of the National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Kaunas University of Technology

Mindaugas Bulota has dedicated over two decades to research and development, with a career focused on driving innovation management, technology transfer, and IP licensing initiatives. Currently serving as the Head of the National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Kaunas University of Technology, Mindaugas spearheads efforts in innovation management, overseeing the technology transfer office, guiding IP licensing strategies, and driving process digitalization initiatives. His extensive experience includes roles as a Composites Research Engineer and as a Postdoctoral Researcher at prestigious institutions like Aalto University (Finland) and Mines Paristech (France). He has also contributed significantly as an R&D Engineer at UPM - The Biofore Company. Holding a Doctor of Science in Chemical Technology from Aalto University, Mindaugas has specialized in developing bio-based composite materials. His academic journey is complemented by an Executive MBA from ISM University of Management and Economics. Moreover, he is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute, highlighting his commitment to professional excellence in innovation management and process digitalization.

Mindaugas Kemzura

Technology Transfer Project Manager at Kaunas University of Technology

Mindaugas Kemzura is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in technology transfer and project management. Currently, he holds the position of Technology Transfer Project Manager at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) since 2021. In this capacity, he represents several faculties including Informatics, Mechanical Engineering, and Industrial Design, as well as the Institute of Mechatronics and the AI Center of the university. In addition to his role at KTU, Mindaugas has taken on the role of Project Manager at the DI4LithuanianID project, part of the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH), since the end of 2022. As the coordinator of one of the three EDIHs in Lithuania, he plays a crucial role in driving digital innovation and transformation within the region. Mindaugas brings a wealth of experience from diverse industries such as Retail and Wholesale, WEEE (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and scrap metal recycling, Pharmaceuticals and food production. Throughout his career, he has held various positions ranging from Sales Manager and Project Manager to Plant Manager and Managing Director. Mindaugas is deeply passionate about harnessing technology to foster innovation and create meaningful impact in both academic and industrial settings. His expertise lies in bridging the gap between academia and industry, fostering collaborations, and leading transformative projects that shape the future of technology.

Miriam Saso

Scientist and Project Manager at Sciensano

Mirza Suljagic

Co-Founder and R&D lead of Digital Innovation Hub - Digital Storm

Mirza Suljagic, PhD. - Experienced scientist and educator with 15+ years of professorship at universities and EU research centers with a strong history of collaboration with the research industry. Senior research professional skilled in OMICS technologies, Cancer research, Genetic engineering and Biotech interdisciplinary platforms. Co-Founder and R&D lead of Digital Innovation Hub - Digital Storm, offering twin transformation services for Startups and SMEs.

Mohamed Lamine Mekhalfi

Researcher at Fondazione Bruno Kessler

Mohamed received an Engineering degree from the University of Mentouri-Constantine (Algeria) and a MSc in Electronics in 2012 from the University of Hadj Lakhdar, Batna (Algeria) and a PhD in Information and Communication Technology from the University of Trento (Italy) in 2016. He served for a year as a Postdoctoral researcher in PAVIS department at the Italian Institute of Technology. Then he worked as researcher at Metacortex s.r.l., Trento. He joined FBK in 2021 as researcher in Technologies of Vision unit. His research interests are in the fields of computer vision and applied artificial intelligence.

Monika Toth

Director, Regional Innovation Scheme at EIT Health InnoStars

Monika Toth has a strong financial background with broad experience in business and management across various industries and service lines. She has a proven track record of delivering sustainable business growth through the effective development of business strategy, processes, and controls on an international level. She is an experienced leader who enjoys building high-performing teams to deliver outstanding results. She builds strong relationships across cultures with customers and partners while continuously being challenged to do better every day. She strives to create a caring, open, and honest working environment for her team members—that's her way of working. This approach has enabled her to excel professionally in every position she has held so far.

Nineta Polemi

Professor at Cyber Sec Lab, Dept. of Informatics, University of Piraeus

Nineta Polemi earned her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics (Coding Theory) from The City University of New York (Graduate Center). Currently, she holds the position of Associate Professor at the University of Piraeus, specializing in teaching cryptography, security of ICT systems, port security, and e-business & innovation within the Department of Informatics. Polemi is actively involved in various high-level expert groups within the European Network of Information Security Agency (ENISA), focusing on Artificial Intelligence and Risk Assessment. Prior to her current role, she served as Programme Manager and Policy Officer at the European Commission, DG CONNECT, Unit H1: Cybersecurity Technologies & Capabilities. Throughout her career, she has held teaching and research positions at prestigious institutions such as Queens College, Baruch College of City University of New York, the State University of New York, and Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)- Solvay Brussels School. Additionally, she has contributed to the security consultancy sector as President of the Board of Directors in Expertnet. Polemi's research interests revolve around security and cyber defense, evidenced by her extensive publication record exceeding one hundred papers in these areas. She has also organized numerous international security scientific events. Her research endeavors have been supported by grants from various organizations including the Danish Research Foundation, MSI Army Research Office/Cornell University, IEEE, State University of New York (SUNY), and The Graduate School of City University of New York (CUNY). Furthermore, Dr. Polemi has taken on project management and technical roles in security projects across different programs such as the National Security Agency (NSA), NATO, Dr. Nuala McGann Drescher Foundation, Greek Ministry of Defence, and the European Commission's Framework Programmes.

Olha Zadorozhna

Assistant Professor of Economics at Kozminski University, Researcher at the Institute of Urban and Regional Development

Olha Zadorozhna is an economist and holds a Ph.D. degree from Bocconi University, Italy. Her research interests lie at the intersection of political and financial economics. In her research work, uses statistical and econometric methods and has extensive experience in the analysis of panel and Big Data. In her work, she uses mostly Stata as well as R and is fluent in SQL and Python. For several years now, she has been working on a project developing a new model of urbanization in Poland under the GOSPOSTRATEG grant together with the Ministry of Investments and Development of Poland and the Institute of Urban and Regional Development. In this project, she and her co-authors developed a unique methodology for measuring the boundaries of urban and suburban areas using several measurements, including night lights emitted by cities and detected by satellites. At the same time, Olha is a coordinator and an expert of numerous research projects financed by the National Science Center, the National Center for Research and Development, the European Commission and the EU Framework Programs, including Horizon 2020. Currently, Olha is working on several projects exploring urbanization, polarization and populism and their impact on the society and economy. In addition, Olha studies the stock market and investor sentiment and has worked on several research projects on understanding investor decisions in banking and the impact of armed conflict and terrorism on the stock market. The results of these projects have been published in numerous international journals and monographs. She is the founder and creator of Policy Implications Podcast. Currently, Olha works as a researcher at the Institute of Urban and Regional Development and is an assistant professor at the Economic Institute for Empirical Analysis at Kozminski University.

Orsolya Becze

Senior Principal Counsellor at Országos Kórházi Főigazgatóság (OKFŐ)

Orsolya Becze is a seasoned professional with a strong background in project management and coordination. With expertise in healthcare and digital health, she participates in several high-profile initiatives aimed at enhancing interoperability and data exchange across Europe. One of Orsolya's most notable projects is XpanDH Horizon 2020 Project, a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) that aims to mobilize and build capacity for interoperable digital health solutions based on a shared adoption of the EEHRxF across Europe. In addition to her work on XpanDH, Orsolya is also involved in the HealthData@EU Pilot Project, which aims to build and test the first version of the European Health Data Space (EHDS), in Xt-EHR Joint Action, which enhances cooperation among Member States and focuses on the interoperability and exchange of healthcare data. In addition Orsolya was actively involved in the TEHDAS Joint Action, which developed a data governance model for the secondary use of health data and encouraged the development of a Code of Conduct for health data processing under Article 40 of the GDPR. Orsolya's dedication to improving interoperability and data exchange across Europe is the driving force behind her work, ultimately enhancing patient care and advancing medical research. In addition to her professional experience, Orsolya holds an academic background in sociology, with a BA and a PhD in the field.

Panagiotis Kokkinakos

Decision Support Systems Laboratory (NTUA/ICCS)

Panagiotis Kokkinakos holds a MSc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, an MBA in Techno-Economic Systems and a PhD in social web exploitation for the policy cycle. He has more than 12 years of experience in the areas of Policy Making, eGovernment, eParticipation, Data Management, Management and Monitoring of Projects, Future Internet and Enterprise Systems.

Paresh Rathod

Thematic Leader (Cybersecurity RDI), Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Finland and Co-chair, European Cybersecurity Organisation WG-5, Brussels

Paresh Rathod is a seasoned technocrat, cyber expert, innovator, educator, and thought leader with a passion for creating a safer digital world, services, and solutions. Honoured with the meritorious knighthood honour of the medal by the President of the Republic of Finland, Paresh serves as the Head of Research and Innovation at Trustilio BV in the Netherlands. He is also a Thematic Leader (Cyber RDI) and Senior Lecturer (ICT) at Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Finland. Paresh has been a key contributor to various organizations and initiatives focused on cutting-edge technology and cybersecurity, including the European Cybersecurity Organisation (ECSO, Brussels), where he co-chaired the working group, and the European Union's Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA), where he served as an expert-rapporteur in AHWG for the European Cybersecurity Skills Framework development work. Paresh Rathod's research, development and innovation interesting including cybersecurity, cutting-edge technologies, artificial intelligence and secure business solutions. Paresh has contributed as an expert, project manager, work package leader, coordinator and other roles in notable projects including ABC4EU, MOBI, MACICO, SATERISK, ECHO, CyberSecPro, DYNAMO, ARCSAR, EU-HYBNET, EU CISE 2020, CYCLOPES, CUSTODES, NERO and AI-ARC. Throughout his career, Paresh has collaborated with project partners from Finland, the European Union, UN, UNESCO, NATO Cyber Defense, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), NSA, and law enforcement authorities. He has served as a senior professional, advisory board member, and chairperson, contributing to specialized interest groups including IEEE, ACM, ISACA, ASIS, ECSO, FISA, and IITEDA-UK.

Paulo Caldas

Director Economy & Innovation at Portuguese Industrial Association

Director of Portuguese Industrial Association (AIP-CCI) for Economy, Financing, and Innovation since January 2017. Professor of Economics at ISG Business & Economics School since September 2019, coordinating the Undergraduate Degree in Economics. Formerly, Senior Manager in the International Division of BANIF (2011-2014), and Partner at Business Talent Enterprise Network SA since 2012. Served as Mayor of Cartaxo City Council (2002-2011), becoming the youngest Mayor in Portugal at age 28 and receiving honors from President Jorge Sampaio in 2004. Founded AMPV and RECEVIN (Portuguese and European Wine Associations). Academic credentials include a PhD in Economy from the University of New England, Australia (2017), a PhD in Economy and Management from the University of Évora (2011), post-graduate law studies at Lisbon Faculty of Law (2005), and a Public Policy specialization from Harvard University (2004). Holds a Master's in Development and International Cooperation from ISEG (1995) and a Bachelor's in Economics from ISEG (1994). Cum Laude Fellow in Public Economy at Erasmus University, Netherlands (1994). Researcher at CESUR-CERIS, University of Lisbon, and the Centre for Local Government, University of New England.

Pedro Pereira

Assistant Professor at NOVA School of Science and Technology - FCT NOVA

Pedro Pereira holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering by Nova University Lisbon - NOVA School of Science and Technology (FCT NOVA). 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 Rocha

Executive Director at PRODUTECH - Production Technologies Cluster

Pedro Rocha is the Executive Director of PRODUTECH, the managing organization of the Production Technologies Cluster, and the Coordinator of the PRODUTECH Digital Innovation Hub, a network of 19 organizations devoted to support the digital and green transformation of the manufacturing industry. He is an economist, having specialized training in Economics and Management of Science, Technology and Innovation and in Intellectual Property. He has extensive experience in the management and coordination of R&D and innovation projects, including large-scale national and European projects, networks and partnerships for industrial innovation. He participates in several national and European working groups in the fields of R&D and Innovation in the context of the manufacturing industry and production technologies.

Philippe Kriefd

Research Relations Director at Eclipse Foundation

Philippe Krief is the Research Relations Director of the Eclipse Foundation. He is a project leader, expert in object-oriented design, embedded development, development tools, and Agile-Scrum development process. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from University Paris 8, France in 1990. He has a passion for Eclipse since its beginning, early 2000 when he was involved in the early versions of the IDE. Before joining the Eclipse Foundation staff, he worked 18 years for IBM as Senior Architect, CALM evangelist, and R&D Development Manager. Today, Philippe is supervising European research projects (Horizon Europe, ITEA4 & Chips-JU), mainly for dissemination, community building, and open-source best practices tasks.

Piotr Lis

Associate professor of economics at Coventry University, Researcher at the Institute of Urban and Regional Development

Economist with interests in political economy, security studies, quantitative methods, and spatial econometrics. He was awarded a Master's Degree in Economics at Poznań University of Economics (2007) and a Ph.D. in Economics from Royal Holloway, University of London, in 2012. Currently, he is employed as a Curriculum Lead (Associate Professor) in Economics at Coventry University, UK. He is also an Associate Member of the Research Centre for Financial and Corporate Integrity at Coventry.

Raul Poler

Professor at Polytechnic University of Valencia & Director of CIGIP

Raul Poler is Professor in Operations Management and Operations Research at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), València, Spain. He received his PhD in Industrial Engineering from UPV in 1998. He is Director of the Research Centre on Production Management and Engineering (CIGIP). He is founding partner of the Spin-off UPV EXOS Solutions S.L. He is Director of the Master in Industrial Engineering and Logistics (MUIOL) at Alcoy Campus UPV. He has led several Spanish Government and European R&D Projects. He has published more than 300 research papers in a number of leading journals and in several international conferences. He is Director of the INTEROP-VLab. He is the Secretary of INTERVAL. He is member of the Executive Board of the Association for the Development of Organization Engineering (ADINGOR). He is the Chair of the Education Activity of the IFIP WG 5.8 Enterprise Interoperability. His key research topics include Enterprise Modelling, Collaborative Networks, Supply Chain Management, Knowledge Management, Production Planning and Control, Decision Support Systems, Evolutionary Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence.

Ricardo Gonçalves

Research Coordinator, UNINOVA & Full Professor, NOVA FCT

Ricardo Jardim-Goncalves is Full Professor at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (FCT NOVA). He is also Research Coordinator at UNINOVA - Instituto de Desenvolvimento de Novas Tecnologia. His research activities have been focused on Interoperability of Complex Systems. He has been researching in European Commission funded projects during the last 30 years, with more than 300 papers published in conferences, journals and books. Also, he directes GRIS (GRupo para a investigação em Interoperabilidade de Sistemas) at UNINOVA (Instituto para o Desenvolvimento de Novas Tecnologias), CTS (Centro para as Tecnologias e Sistemas). He is Expert for the European Commission and project leader in ISO TC184/SC4. Ricardo is graduated in Computer Science, with MSc in Operational Research and Systems Engineering, and has a PhD degree and Habilitation in Industrial Information Systems by the NOVA University of Lisbon.

Rosana Sanahuja

Assistant Professor Journalism at Universitat Jaume I

PhD Assistant Professor of Journalism in the Department of Communication Sciences of the Universitat Jaume I and researcher of the groups “Practical Ethics and Democracy” and “Journalism, Communication and Power”. She has a degree in Journalism from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a PhD from the Department of Communication Sciences of the UJI. She has expanded her studies with the Master's Degree in New Trends and Innovation Processes in Communication and the Interuniversity Master's Degree in Ethics and Democracy. Her lines of research include innovation trends in journalism, artificial intelligence, information quality, responsible research and innovation (RRI), science communication, social responsibility, and business and institutional ethics. She also has professional experience as a journalist in the media and in the university field.

Ruben Costa

Researcher at UNINOVA

Ruben Costa is a researcher and entrepreneur. He has more than 20 years experience in preparing and participate in European Commission grants in the field of Information Technology. He holds a PhD in Industrial Information Systems and a MSc in Computer Science by the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He began his professional career has a consultant at Arthur Andersen and Deloitte. Working in the Management Solutions division, developing IT projects. During his career as a consultant, he has participated in different National and International projects in Telecommunications, Finance and Energy & Utilities sectors. Later he has integrated the Centre of Technology of Systems of UNINOVA research institute, collaborating in research and innovation EU projects, covering the technological domains of: Big Data Analytics, Internet of Things, Blockchain and Interoperability of Systems. He has also been invited to teach at Universidade Nova de Lisboa as invited assistant professor. Recently, he has been invited to collaborate with KnowledgeBiz, supporting the technology transfer projects from research into the market.

Sanaz Nikghadam-Hojjati

Senior Researcher at UNINOVA

Sanaz Nikghadam-Hojjati serves as a Senior Researcher at the RICS-Robotic and Industrial Complex Systems Group, part of the UNINOVA institute at Nova University of Lisbon. She earned her BSc degree in Mathematics from Islamic Azad University (IAU) in 2005, followed by an MSc degree in Information Technology Management (Information Resource Management) from Farabi Institute of Higher Education in 2011. In 2017, she completed her Ph.D. in Information Technology Management (specializing in Business Intelligence) from IAU Science and Research Branch. From 2018 to 2019, Nikghadam-Hojjati held a Post-Doc position in Computational Creativity and Open Innovation at Nova University of Lisbon. Since 2019, she has been a senior researcher at RICS-UNINOVA. Her research interests encompass Business Intelligence, Computational Creativity, Creativity Support Cyber-Physical Systems, Digital Creativity, Open Innovation, and Industry 4.0. Nikghadam-Hojjati has authored several books and academic papers published in peer-reviewed journals, and has presented numerous academic papers at conferences. She has also taken on organizational and technical roles in various conferences. Additionally, she has contributed to several European Commission projects (e.g., H2020 - DIMAND, BIECO, SOLSTICE), Portuguese National projects (e.g., P2020 CESME), National Iranian ICT projects, and Collaborative Laboratory for the Digitalization of Agriculture (SFCOLAB). As the director of the WoSTEM (Women in STEM) program at RICS-UNINOVA, Nikghadam-Hojjati is dedicated to promoting gender diversity in STEM fields. Furthermore, she has served as a university invited professor at various institutions since 2012.

Sergio Gusmeroli

Research Coordinator at Politecnico di Milano

Sergio Gusmeroli is Research Coordinator at Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Industrial Engineering Department. He has been and is coordinating several H2020 and Horizon Europe projects in the domain of Digital and Circular Manufacturing, especially focusing on Data Technologies / Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Hub (DIH). In particular the H2020 AI REGIO and HEP AI REDGIO5.0 projects are exploring methods and tools for improving the Digital Maturity of manufacturing SMEs (6Ps method) by accessing D BEST (Data Business Ecosystem Skills technology test before invest) services from DIHs. Sergio is also co-chairing the BDVA working group about Smart Manufacturing Industry and is co-leading the Italian delegation for the International Manufacturing -X Council in the domain of Data Spaces for Manufacturing. Sergio is author of more than 60 articles and papers in National and International Journals and Magazines about digital transformation of Manufacturing Industry.

Sílvia Ornelas

Nurse, Institute of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Portugal

Sílvia Ornelas is a PhD student in Nursing at the Institute of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Portugal. She is a specialist nurse and master in critical care patient since 2017. As a nurse at SESARAM-EPERAM, she worked in the emergency department for 18 years, and currently works in the Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit. She is a Member of STAT and the SEMER training division of the Regional Civil Protection Service, and also a visiting Professor at the São José Cluny School of Nursing and Member of the SESARAM Nursing Research Group.

Sivia Bar-Noy

Full Professor and Head of the nursing department at Tel-Aviv University

Sivia Bar-Noy commenced her academic journey at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem's nursing department, graduating with distinction in 1986. She pursued further education, obtaining her M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the department of Human Genetics at Tel-Aviv University. Joining the senior faculty of the Nursing Department at Tel-Aviv University in 2004, she currently serves as the department head. Throughout her career, Sivia has mentored 48 graduate and Ph.D. students and authored 74 peer-reviewed articles. Her research has been supported by funding from the Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research, The Israel Cancer Research Fund, and the Shalem Foundation. Her research interests primarily revolve around Nursing and technologies and Genetic Nursing.

Steve Bageritz

Senior Project Manager at Steinbeis Europa Zentrum

Steve Bageritz is a Senior Project Manager at Steinbeis Europa Zentrum (SEZ) focusing on advanced manufacturing technologies, CPS, strategic outreach, dissemination, exploitation, innovation management and start-ups. He is member of the Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA) High-Level Working Group "Support to find Investment" and currently active within the European Digital Innovation Hub applied Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity (EDIH-AICS), Regions and (E)DIHs alliance for AI-at-the-Edge adoption by European Industry 5.0 Manufacturing SMEs (AI REDGIO 5.0) and Climate Neutral and Digitalized Laser Based Surface Functionalisation of Parts with Complex Geometry (CLASCO). Moreover, he was involved in the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Baden-Württemberg, the ConnectedFactories (H2020-FoF) project, the Smart4Europe (ICT-SAE) project, the InterReg Central Europe project NUCLEI on innovation management project, the Platforms4CPS (ICT 1-2016) project, and Road2CPS (ICT 1-2014) project. Bageritz has more than 9 years working experience also in economic development and European technology transfer. Prior to his position at (SEZ), he worked as a Project Manager on entrepreneurship, coaching and mentoring start-ups regarding business plans and funding programs. He is also certified as an International Technology Manager and Advanced Innovation Manager.

Tamas Kiss

Professor in distributed computing at Westminster University

Tamas Kiss is a Professor of Distributed Computing at the School of Computer Science and Engineering, Director of the Research Centre for Parallel Computing, and Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange at the School of Computer Science and Engineering. Since 2020, he has been serving as Editor in Chief at the Journal of Grid Computing published by Springer Nature. He holds a PhD in Distributed Computing, and MSc Degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering. He has attracted over £65 Million research funding and has been leading national and European research projects related to enterprise applications of cloud computing technologies. He has been involved in more than 20 European and UK funded research projects as principal investigator or co-investigator. He has co-authored over 150 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, high-profile conference proceedings, and as chapters of edited books.

Tarek Meiz

Tech Transfer Specialist at FundingBox

Tarek serves as a Tech Transfer Specialist at Fundingbox. He holds a MSc. in Engineering in Product Development and Innovation from the University of Southern Denmark. Tarek is leveraging his expertise in product development and innovation to bridge the gap between innovative ideas and market implementation. Specializing in open innovation and agile product development processes, Tarek is dedicated to improve companies innovation processes. With experience within H2020 and HE Projects, Tarek facilitates the smooth transition of cutting-edge technologies from conception to market realization. His passion for bringing innovative solutions to market defines his contributions within the tech transfer ecosystem.

Tatiana Iakovleva

Professor of Entrepreneurship in Stavanger Business School, Stavanger Center for Innovation Research, University of Stavanger

Tatiana Iakovleva holds a Professor of Entrepreneurship in Stavanger Business School, Stavanger Center for Innovation Research, University of Stavanger, Norway. She received her Ph.D. in Management from Bode Graduate School of Business, Norway (2008), with focus on Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She teaches classes on Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship for master students, provides supervision for phd students working on topic responsible innovation, economic restructuring, digital innovations, and innovative working behavior. Iakovleva serves as a leader of Responsible Innovation Special Interested Group in the Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM). She is currently leading an international research project “Releasing the power of users” about responsible innovation in digital health across 6 countries, including partners from Norway, the Netherland, UK, Portugal, Denmark, USA, Australia. Project looks on innovations in health and welfare sector.

Theodoros Solomou

Special Scientist at University of Cyprus

Theodoros Solomou is a skilled software developer and researcher from Larnaca, Cyprus, with a strong focus on integrating technology into healthcare solutions. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Data Science from the University of Cyprus, both with high academic honors. Presently, he is pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at the same institution, focusing on developing a national mHealth framework. Theodoros holds the position of Special Scientist at the University of Cyprus. His expertise includes the development of mobile health applications and the use of Virtual Reality for enhancing patient care. He participated in European projects such as PATHeD, GATEKEEPER and STTech. His research contributions at the University of Cyprus and the CYENS Centre of Excellence are well-documented through multiple publications on the use of VR in healthcare, specifically for elderly patients with cognitive impairments and cancer pain management.

Timoleon Farmakis

Researcher at ELTRUN and ACEin AUEB

Timoleon is involved in the evolving digital transformation, innovation and entrepreneurship field as a researcher, consultant and project manager at the E-Business Research Center of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB). He has actively participated in international and national projects and industrial surveys like the "Technology and Beyond Survey" (Grant Thorton), "The Digital Readiness of Small Businesses in Greece " (Cosmote) and "The Diffusion of Artificial Intelligence in Firms" (OECD-INSEAD-BCG). His involvement in research projects such as i3-market, MODAPTO, Start for Future, Factlog, and Plooto reflects his focus on leveraging digital technologies to enhance business operations and strategies. His academic portfolio includes an Integrated Master's in Civil Engineering with a focus on Engineering Project Management and Intelligent Transportation Systems from the University of Patras, complemented by an M.Sc. in Smart and Sustainable Infrastructures and another M.Sc. specialising in the Digital Transformation of Smart Cities from the National Technical University of Athens. As a graduate student, Timoleon participated in 2 international exchange programs at the University of Rome III and Politecnico di Milano. Furthermore, he is a PhD candidate in the Department of Management Science and Technology, specializing in digital transformation, AI, business analytics, and innovation within business contexts. Besides his research and consultancy work, Timoleon is also involved in education. He has been teaching courses related to digital transformation, business analytics and IS at the Athens University of Economics and Business.

Tjerk Timan

Project Manager at CT-IPC France, Principal Consultant Digital Economy at Technopolis Group Brussels

Tjerk Timan serves as a project manager specializing in smart industries at CT-IPC, where he leads a significant project centered on enhancing the resilience and reconfigurability of shop floors and supply chains through the utilization of digital technologies. Additionally, he holds the role of Principal Consultant at Technopolis Group Belgium. In his position at Technopolis Group Belgium, Tjerk addresses inquiries regarding the societal and organizational integration of ICT innovations such as AI, SSI, digital identity, data governance, data protection impact assessments, data spaces, and the social and ethical implications of emerging digital technologies across public and private sectors. Drawing from over 10 years of combined academic and applied research experience, particularly in the realms of policy and regulation concerning digital technologies, science and technology studies, and ethical, legal, social, and organizational impact assessment methods (ELSA), Tjerk has developed expertise in establishing impact assessment approaches, organizing stakeholder consultations, conducting in-depth interviews, and analyzing digital policy at regional, national, and EU levels. Tjerk has led various European projects related to digitization in diverse contexts (H2020, HEU), delivering policy options and analyses. His recent focus areas include AI regulation and sandboxing, standardization in data and information infrastructures, development of services and guidelines for data spaces, and the utilization of data-driven foresight approaches to formulate digital strategies.

Ulrich Thombansen

Digital Manufacturing at Fraunhofer ILT

Ulrich Thombansen studied electrical engineering in Aachen and received his diploma in 1998. He studied European engineering management at Coventry University and Mechatronics in Aachen. At Fraunhofer ILT, he focuses on process control and system technology of laser-based manufacturing processes and deals with optical design, simulation and signal processing. Since 2009, he is closely connected to the cluster of excellence at RWTH Aachen University, Integrative Production Technology for high-wage countries in the area of selfoptimizing manufacturing systems.

Usman Wajid

Managing Director at Information Catalyst

Usman Wajid is the Managing Director of Information Catalyst (ICE), an innovative ICT SME-based in the UK and Spain. Before joining ICE, Usman was a Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, from where he also got his PHD in Intelligent Systems. At ICE, Usman is known for providing strategic direction and coordinating cross-functional teams across multiple projects. With a consultative approach, he advises partners and clients on innovative solutions, emphasizing modern perspectives on data and AI capabilities for impactful business transformation. Central to his role at ICE is managing and nurturing ICE's solution portfolio, comprising data analytics, digital manufacturing, and cybersecurity solutions. He prioritise staying abreast of technological advancements in Industry4.0 and AI domains to drive continuous improvement and foster a culture of innovation, driving projects from inception to implementation and ensuring sustainable growth and success.

Vasco Bernardo Teles

Senior Researcher at INESCTEC

Vasco Figueiredo Teles (Porto, Portugal, 1977) is a Ph.D. by the MIT Portugal Program in Engineering Design and Advanced Manufacturing with the theme of technology planning and exploitation. He has a background in Electrical Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering - University of Porto (FEUP). He currently works in technology strategy and licensing at INESCTEC. He has industrial and scientific experience in advanced manufacturing at national and European levels, where he has developed several strategic projects and has been an invited expert in innovation and public policy initiatives. Among others, he previously worked with PRODUTECH, the Portuguese cluster for production technologies where e.g. he coordinated the cluster's strategy and technology roadmapping, and with Sonae, the largest Portuguese retailer, developing innovative projects in operations, e-commerce, and tourism, and where he was a co-founder of the Innovation Department.

Yngve Dahle

Associate Professor at University of South-Eastern Norway

Yngve Dahle is a Serial Entrepreneur, Siviløkonom (Civil Economist) and Associate Professor. He is founder and partner of Entreprenerdy AS based in Bergen, Norway. Previously, he was CEO at GenKey in Mountainview, USA, from 2005 to 2007. He held various positions at the software developer CMA Contiki in Bergen, Norway, between 2002 and 2005. From 1999 to 2002, Prof. Dahle was CEO at Million Handshakes in Amersfoot, the Netherlands. Prior to that, he was VP of Sales and Marketing at Gjensidige in Oslo since 1997. From 1994 to 1997, he held various positions at Vesta in Bergen. Dahle received his PhD from the Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 2020. In 1994, he obtained his degree as Siviløkonom (“Civil Economist”; Norwegian academic degree in business administration) from the Norwegian School of Economics. Since 2021, Prof. Dahle has been teaching at the University of Eastern Norway as Associate Professor. From 2009 to 2020, he was Lecturer and Assistant Professor at the Norwegian School of Marketing. He is chairman at Entreprenerdy AS, at USM AS, and at Statler and Waldorf AG.

Xavier del Toro García

Associate Professor at the School of Computer Science in Ciudad Real and member of the ARCO Research group, University of Castilla-La Mancha

Xavier del Toro García received the degrees of Technical Engineer in Industrial Electronics and Engineer in Automatic Control and Industrial Electronics in 1999 and 2002, respectively, from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain). In 2008, He received the PhD degree from the University of Glamorgan (UK). From September 2005 until October 2006, he was a Marie Curie Research Fellow at Politecnico di Bari (Italy). Since 2008 he is working as a researcher in the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), where he is currently an Associate Professor at the School of Computer Science in Ciudad Real and member of the ARCO Research group. His research interests include industrial electronics, energy harvesting systems, embedded systems and the Internet of Things. He is actively involved in projects related to smart environments, ambient-assisted living, and active and healthy aging.