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https://www.vlada.cz/en/clenove-vlady/vladimir-balas-197613/ 

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/commissioners/2019-2024/gabriel_en

Ľudovít PAULIS worked as a specialist at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, project manager at the Medical Faculty of Charles University, post-doctoral student at INSERM in Montpellier, EU researcher and later visiting scientist at the Charité Medical University in Berlin.

After returning to the Slovak Republic, he worked at the Medical Faculty of Charles University and the Slovak Academy of Sciences. Since its founding in 2017, Alterras Therapeutics has been leading a drug development company that innovatively modulates the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system to treat diseases such as hypertensive pulmonary hypertension or adult acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). He is very actively involved in the support of science and research. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the European Cardiovascular Research Council. He has published 63 papers in peer-reviewed journals with more than 1200 SCI citations.

As one of the youngest scientists, he received a prestigious grant from the European Commission Marie Curie-IEF and several awards such as the People’s Bank Award for Education, Guoth SLS Award or honorable mention in the nomination of Scientist of the Year for outstanding scientific results, publications, strengthening foreign cooperation, foreign representation of young Slovak science. He is a member of the SaS Education Team and its science and research expert.

He was approved by the Government of the Slovak Republic as the State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports of the Slovak Republic on March 21, 2020.

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

Miia PAANANEN works as Senior EU Advisor for Turku-Southwest Finland European Office, the liaison office representing the City of Turku and the Region of Southwest Finland. She is responsible for the policy areas linked to green and digital transition and advising on EU projects. Miia is a co-leader of ERRIN network’s Smart Cities working group. She graduated from KU Leuven with an advanced MSs in European Politics and Policies and holds an MA in French studies, European studies and teacher education training from the University of Turku. 

Apostolia Karamali is the head of the Research and Innovation Actors and Research Careers unit at the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission. The unit designs and implements policy for the higher education sector, research organisations, researchers, research and technology infrastructures. The unit operates in the context of the new European Research Area (ERA) and in synergy with the European Education Area (EEA), employment, social and industrial policy. In particular, the unit supports the establishment of a European framework for research careers in the European labour market; offers services to researchers and institutions; promotes the development of a sustainable European ecosystem of research and technology infrastructures; maintains an observatory and promotes knowledge creation, circulation and use.

Catherine WENDT is currently head of unit for Smart and Sustainable Growth in the Directorate General for Regional and Urban policy. She moved back to regional policy after some years working on external policies. From 2010 she was a head of unit in the Directorate General for Neighbourhood and enlargement negotiations, first on communications, then on Kosovo and finally on Montenegro and Serbia. From 2004-2009 she was a member of the private office of the European Commissioner for Trade, Peter Mandelson. During the first part of her Commission career, she worked on regional policy programmes for the United Kingdom, before becoming the head of the Merseyside Regional Office in Brussels. Catherine has Dutch and British nationalities and studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford.

Ms Rosalinde VAN DER VLIES, is the Director of the Clean Planet Directorate in the European Commission’s, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and Deputy Mission Manager of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. Before her appointment as Director, Ms van der Vlies was the Head of Coordination & Interinstitutional Relations Unit, and acting Head of Communication & Citizens Unit. Previously she held positions in Directorate-General Environment, Directorate-General Justice and Home Affairs, and in the private office of Janez Potočnik, the European Commissioner for the environment.Before joining the European Commission, she worked as a competition lawyer in an international law firm in Brussels and was a part-time teacher at the Catholic University in Brussels.

Prof. Maria DA GRAÇA CARVALHO is currently a member of the European Parliament. She was a senior advisor of Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, from November 2014 to December 2015. Previously, she was a member of the European Parliament between July 2009 and May 2014. In that capacity, she was one of the rapporteurs of Horizon 2020. She was also Principal Adviser to President Barroso in the fields of Science, Higher Education, Innovation, Research Policy, Energy, Environment and Climate Change from 2006 to 2009. She served as a Minister of Science and Higher Education of the XV Constitutional Government of Portugal and Minister of Science, Innovation and Higher Education of the XVI Constitutional Government. She is a Full Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico (University of Lisbon). 

Claire GIRY has been appointed Director General for Research and Innovation at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation in June 2021. A doctor in molecular and cellular biology, trained at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Lyon, Claire Giry was responsible for developing national, European and international partnerships at the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm).

She was also technical advisor to the Prime Minister for higher education and research between 2007 and 2009. She then became head of the joint department of the Directorate-General for Higher Education and Professional Integration (Dgesip) and the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DGRI) of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. She was in charge of territorial issues and the implementation of the first Programme d’investissements d’avenir (PIA).

Claire Giry then directed the “Centres of Excellence” programme of the General Secretariat for Investment, before joining Inserm in 2012 where she held various positions before being appointed Deputy Director General and then Acting Director. 

Dr. Joaquín SERRANO is Head of Subdivision of the State Research Agency of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Since 2021, he has been working in the management of international projects, first at the Spanish Center for Industrial Technological Development and later, in different departments of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Dr. Serrano has been actively involved in managing H2020 joint programming initiatives and has represented Spain in the GPC (Groupe de haut niveau pour la Programmation Conjointe), a dedicated configuration of the European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC). Currently, he is a member of the Strategic Configuration of the Horizon Europe Program Committee and of the Partnership Knowledge Group whose mission is to advise the Commission on the implementation of the strategic coordination process for EU R&D associations. 

Dr. rer. nat. Frank OSTERHOFF, DLR Project Management Agency, Unit European and international Cooperation, manages the National Dialogue on Synergies between Horizon Europe and Structural Funds on the behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The National Dialogue is an exchange platform between the research and science ministries of the German federal states (EU regions) and the federal ministries for research and economics. He is also interested in: Regional Innovation Policy, Regional Transformation, Sustainability Management, and Corporate Social Responsibility. 

Anatoly SUBOCS is a policy officer at the RECOVER Task Force of the European Commission, which is in charge of the €724 billion-worth EU Recovery and Resilience Facility. As a member of the R&I horizontal team, he follows the implementation of R&I-related measures across all Member States’ recovery and resilience plans. 

Anatoly Subocs has worked in the European Commission since 2008. Most of that time, he was part of the Directorate General for Competition investigating antitrust and merger cases in various industries (digital, aviation, pharmaceuticals, etc.). This also involved assessing the interaction between competition and innovation. He was later involved in Brexit negotiations as a member of the European Commission’s UK Task Force. Before joining the Commission, he worked in a U.S. law firm in Brussels. Anatoly studied Law at Concordia University in Tallinn, Estonia and obtained an LL.M degree in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Aleksandra KORDECKA is heading the Unit in charge of Horizon Europe Missions and Partnerships in the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (RTD). 

Aleksandra previously held a variety of positions in the European Commission, including Head of Unit Strategic Planning and Programming of Horizon Europe, Head of Unit Administration in the Executive Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises (EASME), Assistant to Director-General in Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW) and head of EU Delegation and chief EU negotiator to Regional Fisheries Management Organisations.

Aleksandra is Polish and holds MSc from London School of Economics and a dual UK/US BA degree from Richmond, the American International University in London. Aleksandra is married and has 2 children.

The Minister of Science, Research and Innovation Helena LANGŠÁDLOVÁ studied the political science at the University of Political and Social Sciences. In 2010 she graduated with a master’s degree in political science and politics in international relations at the University of International and Public Relations. From 1984 to 1986 she worked as a construction technician at the Department of Construction and Spatial Planning of Praha-západ. From 1998 to 2006 she was the mayor of the town of Černošice and served as the town’s deputy mayor from 2006 to 2010. From 2000 to 2008 and from 2012 to 2013 she was a member of the Central Bohemian regional assembly. From 2004 to 2010 she was a member of the European Committee of the Regions.

In 2010 she was elected a member of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. From 2010 to 2013 she served as vice-chair of the Budget Committee, a member of the Committee on Public Administration and Regional Development, the chair of the Permanent Commission on Family Issues and Equal Opportunities and the chair of the Subcommittee on Banking, Insurance and Financial Markets. From 2013 to 2017 she was the vice-chair of the Committee on European Affairs and from 2014 was a member of the Subcommittee on European Funds and Cross-Border Cooperation. In 2014 she became a member of the Czech Republic – Israel and the Czech Republic – United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. In 2015 she was elected chair of the Subcommittee on Migration and Asylum Policy. She was also a member of the Committee on Petitions from 2016.

From 2017 to 2021 she was a member of the Economic Committee and the Committee on European Affairs. In 2018 she became chair of the Subcommittee on Migration and Asylum Policy.

Since April 2021, Ms Anna PANAGOPOULOU has been Director of ‘ERA & Innovation’ at the Research and Innovation Directorate General of the European Commission. The directorate is responsible for Research and Innovation Policy, reinforces at crosscutting level the engagement with citizens & society, with academic and research organisations and with research and industrial infrastructures. The directorate is also responsible to promote dialogue and collaboration with Member States, research and innovation actors on research and innovation policy, investments and reforms. Between 2016 and 2021, Ms Panagopoulou had been Director of directorate ‘Common Implementation Centre’ responsible for the implementation strategy for European Union R&I programmes. Previously, she was Head of Department for Programme Support and Resources at CINEA in 2014. Ms Panagopoulou started her career in the European Commission in 1997 being responsible for files in the area of EU research and innovation, transport and energy policy. Beforehand she worked for 6 years in the private sector. She holds a degree in electrical engineering.

Petr GAZDÍK graduated at the Faculty of Education of the Masaryk University, in the field of teaching of general educational subjects (mathematics–geography). After his studies, he began working as a teacher at the Josef Bublík Primary School in Bánov. In 2002, he was elected Mayor of Suchá Loz, which he led for two terms. Under his leadership, Suchá Loz gained the title of 2007 Village of the Year in the Zlín Region. Since 2010, when he was elected a Member of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, he has been working as an unreleased and unpaid Deputy Mayor for the town. In 2008, he was elected as a Representative of the Zlín Region for the Mayors and Independents Movement (STAN). Here, among other things, he chaired the Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Rural Development. During 2016–2020, he was a Councillor for the Zlín Region in the area of Education.
In 2010, he was elected a Member of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and defended his seat in the following three Parliamentary elections. In the Chamber of Deputies, he held the function of Chairman of his Parliamentary Group (TOP 09 and Mayors) and in the following term Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. During the previous electoral term, he was also a Member of the Committee for Science, Education, Youth and Sports or the Election Committee.
For four years, he was Chairman of the Czech Commission for UNESCO. Since 2020, he has also been a Member of the think tank “Vzdělávání21” (Education21) at the Charles University. As an external lecturer, he is currently teaching regional politics at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Charles University. He is a co-founder of the MAYORS AND INDEPENDENTS Movement and was its Chairman during 2009–2019.

Raquel Yotti is the Secretary General for Research at the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain. Until her appointment she was Director General of the Spanish Institute of Health “Carlos III”, the main public funding organization for biomedical research in Spain, She is a clinical cardiologist and her research interest focus on cardiac imaging inherited heart diseases. Among previous positions, she was the head of the Clinical Cardiology Department at the Gregorio Maranon General University Hospital, and associate professor of the Department of Bio-engineering at the Carlos III University in Madrid.

Baptiste BUET is an EU public affairs professional, specialized in the energy sector. He is director of InnoEnergy’s expert team on EU energy policy as well as EU public investment, supporting ca. 150 investment portfolio companies of InnoEnergy. Next to this, Baptiste is leading the company’s communication activities vis-à-vis EU stakeholders on energy, innovation, and industrial strategy. Baptiste has been contributor to EU energy and climate policy: EU 2020 and 2030 energy and climate framework, EU emissions trading scheme, EU 2050 climate strategy, InvestEU, EIB lending policy, sustainable finance. Prior to joining InnoEnergy, Baptiste was head of EU affairs at Orano (former Areava), which he joined in 2007. A lawyer by training, Baptiste started his career in the French public administration.

Václav VELČOVSKÝ combines both academic and policy-making assets in his career. Since 2015, he has been the Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic in charge of international cooperation, the European Union affairs and the European Structural and Investment Funds. In former times, he worked at the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic, where he was responsible for international affairs in the public administration, and at the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic with focus on the civil service reform. He studied Czech Language, Literature and History at the Charles University in Prague (Master), Slavonic Studies at the University Leipzig and Pedagogy at the Charles University in Prague (Ph.D.). He is author of four monographs and dozens scientific articles on the Czech-German relations history, language policy and pedagogy. He is fluent in English and German. 

José CARLOS CALDEIRA is member of the Board of INESC TEC and also member of the Board of PRODUTECH – Production Technologies Cluster. He is member of the MANUFUTURE High Level Group and Chairman of its Implementation Support Group. He is also member of the Board of EFFRA – European Factories of the Future Research Association. He is invited associated professor at Porto Faculty of Economics, on Innovation Policies, and he is also S3 expert for DG REGIO and JRC. Between October 2014 and January 2018, he was the President of ANI – Agência Nacional de Inovação – the Portuguese National Innovation Agency.

Wolfgang POLT, Director of POLICIES, the Institute for Economic and Innovation Research of JOANNEUM RESEARCH (Austria). Economist, Policy Analyst and Consultant. He has been working on Research, Technology and Innovation policies for the OECD, the EU and national governments (e.g. in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Japan, Sweden). Most recently, his work was focused on developing the conceptual foundations of and helping STI policy to implement ‘Mission-oriented policies’. In this vein, he has contributed to some reports laying the ground for the establishment of the 5 missions in Horizon Europe and is currently the coordinator of the TRAMI project (Transnational Cooperation on the Missions Approach) within Horizon Europe, which will in the next two years support the EC and national/regional governments in the implementation of missions. In the Austrian context, he is the chair of the Experts Advisory body on Strategic Intelligence for the implementation of the Austrian missions.

Dr Bonnie WOLFF-BOENISCH recently became the new Director of CESSDA ERIC, the Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives.

The European Infrastructure brings together social science data archives from 23 member countries. CESSDA promotes the results of social science research and facilitates national and international research and cooperation. Key to this is providing large-scale, integrated, and sustainable data services.

Dr Bonnie Wolff-Boenisch has over twenty years of experience in the European and international science and funding landscape. She contributed to the establishment of the international science policy organisation Science Europe, the international science policy organisation, which promotes the interests of some of the largest and best-known research performing and research funding organisations in the world.

As Head of Research Affairs, she was responsible for setting and implementing strategic objectives for all research disciplines, including the social sciences. She led strategic projects linked to changes in the research system, provided scientific advice for science policies and advocacy, and leveraged international and interdisciplinary multi-stakeholder networks.

Before joining Science Europe in 2012, Dr Wolff-Boenisch led a European Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) project for life and environmental research at the European Science Foundation-Science Connect, France, and the Alfred Wegner Institute for polar and marine research, Germany. 

Katrin PIHOR is the Director of the Research Policy Department of the Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia. She has been responsible for leading the preparation of the Estonian new strategy on Research, Development, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RDIE), which is a common strategy for designing the environment for the high quality research and development supply of the research institutions, boosting the RDI demand of businesses and public sector and linking it to the societal challenges and economic goals. She is involved in preparation of the Estonian Operation programme for the Structural Funds, being responsible for the content of the interventions under specific objectives, enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies. She is also currently guiding the preparation of roadmaps of the RDIE focus areas, the basis for the Smart Specialisation is Estonia.

She has more than 10 years´ experience in policy analysis and evaluations, while working as an evaluation expert and Member of the Board of the Praxis Centre for Policy Studies, one of the leading think tanks in Estonia. Previously she has been working as the Deputy Director of the EuroCollege, University of Tartu, lecturing on EU policies.

Marco De MAGGIO gathered expertise in the field of Research and Innovation while working as the member of the Public Investments Evaluation Unit of the Development and Cohesion Policy Department or the researcher on technological, strategic and organizational innovation at the Scuola Superiore ISUFI (University of Salento) etc.

Currently he has been working in the Agency for Territorial Cohesion of the Italian Government since 2016 as the Senior Advisor for the analysis, programming and implementation of research, technological development and innovation policies. Alongside with this position he runs lessons of Innovation Economics and Management. 

Luca FERRARESE holds a long experience in designing and implementing territorial development and R&I initiatives at the regional and transnational level in the framework of different EU policies and funds, further focusing on Cohesion Policy and European Territorial Cooperation. Luca Joined the Interreg Central Europe Joint Secretariat in 2009 and since 2011 he is leading the Secretariat.

Dr. Lisa ALMESJÖ is senior policy officer and head of office at the Swedish innovation agency Vinnova’s Brussels office and as such focusing on national and European research and innovation policy. Dr. Almesjö is also leading Vinnova’s involvement in the CSA-project TRAMI, as co-lead together with Business Finland of the work package dedicated to knowledge exchange and mutual learning. Before joining Vinnova in 2018, she was international coordinator at the Swedish Research Council Formas, working e.g., with European partnership programs and international collaboration such as the Belmont Forum. 

Joana MENDONÇA is an Associate Professor at the Department of Engineering and Management of the Instituto Superior Técnico, where she teaches Innovation Management and Design Thinking, Entrepreneurship, Economic Engineering as well as project units. She is an investigator at the Centre for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research IN+, where she managed the Technology Management and Policy Laboratory.

Her research focuses on commercialization processes and on the adoption of new technologies, as well as on the role of human capital in those processes, and her work has been featured in publications such as Research Policy, Small Business Economics and Technological Forecasting and Social Change. She was a co-coordinator for the master’s in engineering and Management of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and for the PhD program in Engineering and Public Policy.

She is a member of the scientific board of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal international partnership since 2014 and has been the scientific coordinator for CEiiA since 2018.

She was an advisor for the Minister of Economics and Innovation in 2016. Between 2013 and 2015, she was a researcher at the IN+, taking part in the IRGC international network, as well as a visiting professor at IST. Between 2010 and 2012, she was a vice-director at the Portuguese General Directorate for Statistics on Education and Science. In 2009 and 2010, she was an advisor for the Secretary of State of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

She obtained her PhD in Engineering and Industrial Management from IST, University of Lisbon, in 2009. She has a master’s degree in Engineering Policy and Management of Technology from IST and a bachelor’s degree in Technological Chemistry from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon.

Samuel ENGBLOM holds a Ph.D. in Law from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. He has taught at various universities and published research articles in the areas of EU law, labour law, migration law, and international trade law.

Radka WILDOVÁ graduated from the Faculty of Education, Charles University in Prague. Before joining the Educational Faculty administrative staff in 1993, she taught at several primary schools and thus has a practical experience. Between 2009 and 2016, she was Dean of the Faculty of Education, Charles University. From 2016 to 2022, she held the position of Vice Rector for the Conception and Quality of Education at the Charles University. Since February 2022 she has been the Deputy Minister for Higher Education, Science and Research at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. She is author and co-author of numerous publications and member of several national and international expert teams.

Jiří NANTL is the Director of the Central European Institute of Technology at Masaryk University and, since November 2020, also Deputy Governor of the South Moravian Region. He has been involved over past two decades in educational and scientific policy working as, among other things, First Deputy Minister of Education in 2012-2013. He was principal architect of the Strategy of the Educational Policy of the Czech Republic up to the year 2020 and contributed to the preparations of changes in university legislation and the implementation of new models of higher education quality assurance in the Czech Republic. He was previously served in number of positions with responsibility for educational system such as Vice-Chairman of the Council of Higher Education, member of the National Council for Qualifications and member of the Committee for Educational Policy of OECD. Since 2019, he has been Deputy Chair of the Appeals Committee at EQAR – European Quality Assurance Register in Higher Education and as member of the Committee for Strategic Advice at EURASHE – European Association of Institutions in Higher Education.

A neurologist and professor of cell biology, Jacques DEMOTES is an advisor to the biology and health research department at the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. While at ECRIN, he has contributed to numerous initiatives and collaborative projects related to multinational clinical trials. In particular, he chaired the working group that drafted the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Council Recommendation on the Governance of Clinical Trials. 

Prior to ECRIN, he worked as a clinical neurologist and basic neuroscientist, then as Director of the Clinical Investigation Centre in Bordeaux. 

Jacques DEMOTES received his M.D. (with a specialisation in neurology), a Ph.D. in neuroscience, a M.S. in neuroscience, and a B.A. in mathematics and computer science from the University of Bordeaux. He also received an MBA from IAE Paris, and completed a training course in science policy with the Institute of Advanced Studies in Science and Technology in Paris.

Monika VRBKOVÁ is the Head of Technological Cooperation team at JIC responsible for access to finance services. She has more than ten years of experience in delivering advisory services and training on the EU funding to innovative SMEs. She specializes in Horizon Europe and its European Innovation Council programmes. Monika VRBKOVÁ is also the main contact point for the EIT Digital in Czechia, providing the innovation, entrepreneurship and education opportunities of EIT Digital to potential Czech beneficiaries. She was the Chair of a working group of Enterprise Europe Network, which provided recommendations on the evolution of services for SMEs in the overall context of Horizon Europe.

Táňa HÁLOVÁ PERGLOVÁ is involved in the team of the Czech Presidency in the Council of the EU at the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic in Brussels. She has gained professional experience in research and innovation policy in different positions in CzechInvest, CZELO (Czech Liaison Office for Research and Development in Brussels), and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. Before joining the Czech EU Council Presidency team, she worked as Director of Horizontal and International Section in the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. She dealt with human resources, international cooperation, synergies with Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe, innovation policy or gender aspects in research and innovation. She strongly supports cooperation at all levels and gender equality.

Lucie Núñez Tayupanta has been working at the position of the Head of Unit of the European Research Area at the Department of Research and Development of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic for three years. She is responsible for creating and developing strategy for an effective R&D policy at national level and engaging stakeholders to ensure its successful implementation. Furthermore, she is involved in implementing international cooperation in R&D and coordination of the Czech participation in international R&D programmes, notably the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon Europe. Since 2013, Lucie has participated in activities carried out by the High Level Group for Joint Programming (GPC) and, subsequently, Transitional Forum for Partnerships as national delegate of the Czech Republic; currently she serves as national representative in the Horizon Europe Strategic Programme Committee, ERA Forum and Partnership Knowledge Hub. Furthermore, she has been national delegate for several years in Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). 

Inka VAVERKOVÁ works as a consultant for research, development and innovation in the Strategic Studies Department of the Technology Centre of the Czech Academy of Science. She focuses on the analysis of research and innovation policies, and research infrastructures. Before joining Technology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, she worked at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic, where she first dealt with the European Research Area and then participated in preparation and implementation of the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education (OP VVV) and preparation of the Operational Programme Johannes Amos Comenius (OP JAK), both in areas of research and development. In her work, she also addressed the issue of synergies between the EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation, and the EU Cohesion Policy Funds.

At the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Sylvie SAMKOVÁ has long been involved in supporting research, development and university projects from the EU Cohesion Policy Funds.

In the past ten years, she has held the position of Head of the Call Conception Unit, which is mainly responsible for preparing interventions to support improvement of research and development capacities, and international competitiveness of universities, and also factual supervision of the implemented projects to meet the objectives of the Operational Programmes. She has participated in the implementation of the Operational Programme Research and Development for Innovation (OP VaVpI), the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education (OP VVV), and jointly with her team is currently intensively preparing interventions for the new Operational Programme Johannes Amos Comenius (OP JAK), which will be implemented until 2029. Synergy interventions with Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe have been implemented under the last two Operational Programmes. Namely, they include co-funding of Teaming for Excellence projects based in the Czech Republic and alternative funding of high-quality Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions – Individual Fellowship projects.

Lukáš LEVÁK joined the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Czechia in 2009, after completing his studies (History, Latin America Studies) at the Charles University. Before he was appointed the Director of Department for R&D (2014), he had been in charge of development of bilateral cooperation of Czechia in R&D, and participation of Czechia in the ARTEMIS and ENIAC Joint Technology Initiatives under the 7th EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. Since 2014, Mr Lukáš LEVÁK has been the Director of Department for R&D, which consists of the Unit for Research Infrastructures and the Unit for European Research Area. His duties and responsibilities, therefore, comprise particularly policy-making and public funding of research infrastructures (including Czech memberships in international R&D organisations and the ERIC consortia), and formulation and implementation of the strategy for international collaboration of Czechia in R&D in the framework of the European Research Area (including agenda of the EU Competitiveness Council of Research Ministers). As of 2014, Mr Lukáš LEVÁK has been the Czech delegate to ERAC (European Research Area and Innovation Committee), while also serving as the delegate of Czechia to ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) since 2019. Mr Lukáš LEVÁK has also represented the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Czechia on other platforms, such as the ERA Forum, the ELI ERIC General Assembly (Extreme Light Infrastructure European Research Infrastructure Consortium) or the ESS ERIC Council (European Spallation Source European Research Infrastructure Consortium).

Jana KOLAR is the Chair of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) and the Executive Director of the Central European Research Infrastructure ERIC (CERIC-ERIC), a European research infrastructure for characterisation of materials and biomaterials. She has a broad range of expertise, ranging from policy development and implementation, research and innovation, to entrepreneurship. Among others, she was Director General of Science and Technology at a ministry in Slovenia, Chairman of the Board of Slovenian Technology Agency, a Member of the Governing Board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, etc. She was a member of the High-Level Group of Innovators for a European Innovation Council that advised the European Commission on how to strengthen support for breakthrough, market-creating innovation and of the ERA Council Forum Austria – a high-level expert body advising the Austrian Minister responsible for Science and Research, for which she was awarded a Golden Badge of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria. 

She has authored/co-authored several expert reports contracted by the European Commission.

Trained as a chemist, she had published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers and a European patent.

Jean-Eric PAQUET became Director General of the Directorate General for Research and Innovation of the European Commissions on 1st April 2018; however, his involvement in the EU research policy dates back from 2002, as Deputy Head of Cabinet of Philippe Busquin, then European Commissioner in charge of research and development.

Jean-Eric PAQUET’s career at the European Commission started in 1993. Since then, he contributed in shaping EU policy in various fields and achieved major breakthroughs, notably in the Directorate General for Transport, where he led the development of the Trans-European Transport Network Policy and was responsible for Europe’s transport infrastructure policy and investment strategies, the single European Rail Area, inland waterways and port policy.

He also gained considerable experience at international level: in the Directorate General Enlargement, his portfolio covered Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and FYROM. He was also EU Ambassador in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania from 2004 to 2007.

In 2015, he was appointed Deputy Secretary General of the European Commission, in charge of Better Regulation and Policy Coordination.

In all his endeavours, he puts co-creation and systemic change at the heart of the decision-making process, and strongly believes that citizens should be more involved in shaping public policy agendas.

Allen WEEKS is Director General at the Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC (ELI ERIC), which he joined in November 2017. Since that time, ELI has been established as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium and is the world’s most advanced high-power laser research infrastructure, with locations in the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Before joining ELI, Allen WEEKS was a senior manager at the European Spallation Source ERIC (ESS ERIC), where he managed the In-Kind Coordination programme. That effort brought together over 50 European institutions to deliver more than €550 million to construction of the leading next generation neutron source. He was also responsible for managing communication and outreach activities, as well as grants.

Allen WEEKS began working with European and global research infrastructures already in 2005, coordinating the FERMI free-electron laser project in Trieste, Italy. He has experience in industry, having served as Executive Director at Instrumentation Technologies for Business Development. He spent six years in the pharmaceutical industry. Allen WEEKS has experience with many aspects of research infrastructure management and has worked with a large number of stakeholders in Europe, and around the world.

Allen WEEKS is American, and has called Slovenia his European home for 30 years. He has also lived in Slovakia, Italy, Sweden and now the Czech Republic, and has worked extensively in Hungary and a number of other European countries.

Martin BUNČEK is the Managing Director of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TACR).  He has been with the Technology Agency from its very beginning – first in the position of Member of the Board, then as the Deputy Chair and since March 2018 as Managing Director. Martin BUNČEK graduated from the University of Pardubice, Faculty of Chemical Technology, and completed his postgraduate studies at the Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy. Then, he worked at different positions in the company GENERI BIOTECH s.r.o., where he participated in its conceptual orientation, especially in the research and development field. He is involved in many international working groups or expert/evaluation panels.

Tomáš SACHER studied media and communication. As an author and moderator, he has been covering economic and political issues, focusing on European integration. He participated in the selection of the Czech Innovation of the Year. From 2016 until recently, he was the Head of the Czech Centre in Berlin, and for the last two years he also served as President of the EUNIC Berlin network. This year, he took over the leadership of the Czech Centres’ projects for the Czech EU Council Presidency.