Filipa Vala is a Strategy Adviser at PlanAPP, the Portuguese Competence Centre for Planning, Policy and Foresight in Public Administration. At PlanAPP she coordinates the Partnerships and Innovation team, which supports evidence-informed policy by seeking the relevant partners in science and society to address specific evidence demands. The team aims to consolidate participatory strategies that facilitate how the three actors of public policy interact to co-produce outputs, such as policy briefs, by “experimenting” with specific policy challenges.

Filipa holds a PhD (2001) in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Amsterdam (UvA). She was a researcher at the University College of London (UCL), the Gulbenkian Science Institute and the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED). She then focused on science communication, working on projects at the Ministry of Education and Science, the National Natural History and Science Museum, Lisbon City Council, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, among others. She has tutored and supervised students, and taught undergraduate, Master and advanced courses at UvA, UCL, and the University of Lisbon. She joined PlanAPP shortly after it was created in 2021, and remains a member of the research centre cE3c (Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes).

Malin Mobjӧrk is a Senior Researcher at the Swedish Institute for Futures Studies (SIFS). She has a background in political science and her research focuses on the intersection of technology, society, and policy. Malin's work involves analyzing the implications of emerging technologies and their impact on various aspects of society, including governance, economy, and culture. She is particularly interested in the social and ethical dimensions of technology and how they can be addressed in policy-making processes.

Pearl Dykstra is professor of Empirical Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She is the Scientific Director of ODISSEI, the Open Data Infrastructure for Social Science and Economic Innovations in the Netherlands, which received Netherlands Roadmap for Large-scale Scientific Infrastructure funding in 2020. In 2015 she was appointed as member of the group of European Commission Chief Scientific Advisors, and served as its Deputy Chair from 2016 to 2020. She currently holds the position of invited expert to the European Commission. She is an elected member and previous Vice-President of the Netherlands Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, and elected member of Academia Europaea. She served on the governing board of the International Science Council from 2018-2021 and became an elected Fellow in 2022. She received an ERC Advanced Investigator Grant in 2012 for the research project “Families in context”, which focuses on the ways in which policy, economic, and cultural contexts structure interdependence in families.

Dr. Ana Elorza Moreno is a biomedical scientist, holding a PhD in Chemistry and Molecular Biology from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, along with a Master's degree in Humanitarian Aid from Uppsala University, accredited by the European Commission. Currently, she serves as the Science Advice and Diplomacy Coordinator at the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), a public foundation under the Ministry of Science and Innovation in Spain. Dr. Elorza's expertise lies in fostering the interface between science and public policy, having extensive international experience in academia, public administration, and multilateral organizations. At FECYT, Dr. Elorza actively contributes to shaping science diplomacy strategies together with civil society. Furthermore, she has served as the Co-Chair of the Science Diplomacy task force at the Strategic Forum for International Scientific and Technological Cooperation (SFIC). Her dedication to these endeavors has earned her a place in the Steering Team of the European Commission, where she plays a role in the launch of a comprehensive European Science Diplomacy agenda. Dr. Elorza has been actively involved in supporting science diplomacy efforts in various countries where she passionately trains scientists and diplomats, paving the way for a sustainable future through the invaluable integration of science and innovation. Beyond her influential work in Science Diplomacy, and due to her extensive involvement in international science-public policy matters, Dr. Elorza is one of the coordinators at the newly established Science and Technology Office within the Spanish Congress of Deputies. This groundbreaking initiative serves to imbue scientific evidence into the legislative process and debate, creating a vital connection between scientists and members of parliament, and emphasizing the role of science in shaping informed decision-making. Dr. Ana Elorza Moreno stands at the forefront of scientific advice and diplomacy and public policy, using her vast expertise and leadership to bridge the gap between the scientific communities and governmental bodies, thereby shaping a more informed public policy.

Dr. Lisa Higgins is currently Head of Challenge Research, Education and Public Engagement in Science Foundation Ireland. Her team is responsible for the development and implementation of challenge-based funding calls, funding research teams to address significant societal and technological challenges in areas including health, climate change and sustainability, through strong engagement of researchers with non-technical experts. Lisa is also currently responsible for SFI’s Education and Public Engagement portfolio which promotes awareness of the value of STEM to society and is responsible for implementation of a number of STEM education initiatives. The team has also developed new initiatives to promote greater engagement between reserachers and policy makers, including the SFI Public Service Fellowship programme. Prior to her current role, Lisa has held a number of positions at Science Foundation Ireland, including Head of Pre-Award Research. Lisa joined Science Foundation Ireland as a Scientific Programme Manager in 2007 prior to which she worked as a researcher in both industry and academia. She holds PhD in immunology, an MPhil in Biotechnology and a BA in Chemistry.

Liina Eek works as Head of the Field of Science Politics in Estonian Research Council and part-time researcher in University of Tartu, School of Theology and Religious Studies. She finished her PhD in plant ecology and ecophysiology in 2002 and another PhD in 2017 in theology and religioos studies; both PhDs has been defended in Tartu University. Her main responsibility in Research Council is to coordinate the work of network of ministerial science advisers and assist ministries in regard of strategic research.

Gaby UMBACH is Part-time Professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies of the European University Institute (EUI) where she leads the Global Governance Programme’s research area on ‘Knowledge, Governance, Transformations’. At the EUI, she is also Co-Principal of the Interdisciplinary Research Cluster on ‘Crisis of Expert Knowledge and Authority’. She is a non-resident Visiting Fellow of the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), Adjunct Professor at the Universities of Innsbruck and CIFE/LUISS Guido Carli and Visiting External Examiner at the Department for Public Policy of the University of Malta. She is academic advisor and author of the Enlightenment 2.0 programme of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and involved in the ESPAS Futurium Expert Group on Horizon Scanning. Since 2022, she is Associate Editor of Cambridge University Press’ Data & Policy and Area Lead for ‘Policy & Literacy for Data’ of the Data for Policy Community. She is Editorial Board member of the International Journal Evaluation and Program Planning and Board member as well as Academic Advisor of the Institute for European Politics in Berlin.

Leena Sarvaranta has extensive experience in research and policy-making in the field of science and innovation. She was previously employed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, a state-owned, non-profit research organization with a specific public service mandate from the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Leena has held several research and management positions at VTT and has a good forward-looking overview of the national R&I system in Finland. She has also been involved in various strategic research and advisory groups, including the Strategic Research Council within the Academy of Finland and the Government Foresight Group. Leena has contributed to the development of the Smart Specialization Strategy of Helsinki-Uusimaa Region and has participated in European Commission expert groups on innovation policy. Currently, she is active in the European Commission's Expert Group on Monitoring the EU Missions.

Daniela Di Bucci is a Structural Geologist, PhD in Earth Sciences. She also holds a Master's degree in Behavioural Sciences and Administrations, and a National Scientific Habilitation as Full Professor of Structural Geology. She works at the International Relations and Activities Unit of the Italian Civil Protection Department (Presidency of the Council of Ministers). She is an expert in geo-hazards and, more generally, in the relationship between the scientific community and policy makers in the field of disaster risk reduction and civil protection. As part of her activities, she provides technical and scientific contributions: in the definition of the content of agreements and conventions of the Civil Protection Department with universities and research institutes; in supporting the Major Risks Commission; in the interaction with Ministries and Public Administrations on issues related to Disaster Risk Reduction; and, more generally, in the definition of strategies aimed at understanding and reducing disaster risks at national and international level. In the latter context, in particular, she participates: in collaborations with the Directorates General of the European Commission dealing with civil protection issues (DG-ECHO, JRC); in the Governing Board of the Global Earthquake Model Foundation; in European scientific projects (Coordinator, Partner, Advisory Board member, etc.); in activities promoted by UN-DRR for the disaster risk reduction, such as the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, and the consequent commitments at national level. She is the Author of more than 110 peer-reviewed scientific publications, national and international, and of more than 200 participations in conferences and congresses, as well as of technical and educational publications.

Barbara Prainsack is a professor at the Department of Political Science at the University Vienna, where she also directs the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Solidarity (CeSCoS), and the interdisciplinary Research Platform “Governance of Digital Practices”. Her work explores the social, ethical, and regulatory dimensions of genetic and data-driven practices and technologies in biomedicine and forensics. She holds honorary positions at the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Sydney, at the Department of Global Health & Social Medicine at King’s College London, at the Centre de recherche en éthique (CRE), University of Montreal, Canada, and at the Centre for Health, Law, and Emerging Technologies (HeLEX) at the University of Oxford. Her latest books are: Personalized Medicine: Empowered Patients in the 21st Century? (New York University Press, 2017), and The Pandemic Within: Policy Making for a Better World (with H. Wagenaar, Policy Press, 2021). Barbara is also involved in policy-related work, e.g. as a member of the Austrian National Bioethics Commission, and as Chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies which advises the European Commission.

Chloe Hill is the Policy Manager of the European Geosciences Union. In this role, she provides scientists with information and resources that enable them to actively engage in the European policy process. She also creates science-policy activities to facilitate greater science-policy interaction and engagement, including initiatives such as the EGU’s Science-Policy Pairing Scheme that is run with Members of the European Parliament and the annual EGU Science for Policy Event. Her experience working with both research and policy sectors also enables her to establish and support scientific Task Forces (such as the EGU Biodiversity Task Force) that translate, synthesise, and disseminate scientific evidence from the geoscience community to policymakers. Chloe is an External Advisory Board Member of BioAgora and Governing Board Member of EuroScience.

Cathrine Holst is Professor at the Department of Philosophy, University of Oslo. Previously she was Professor at the Department of Sociology and Research Professor at ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo. Holst has been leader of several research projects on the role of expert knowledge in governance and democracy, and published on democratic and political theory, public policy, political epistemology, Nordic and EU politics. In 2020-22 she was leader of a multi-disciplinary research group at the Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) in Oslo with the project What is a good policy? (GOODPOL). In 2022-23 she was Visiting Scholar at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. She is currently leader of the research project The influence of experts on public policy (INFLUEX 2023-2028). Her most recent book is Expertise, policy-making and democracy (Routledge, 2022).

Dr Chris Tyler is Director of Policy in University College London’s Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (UCL STEaPP), where he leads STEaPP’s policy programming and explores how policy makers use scientific evidence, particularly within legislatures. Prior to joining STEaPP, Chris spent five years as Director of the UK’s Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) and before that was the first Executive Director of the Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) at the University of Cambridge. Chris has a degree in anthropology from the University of Durham and a PhD in biological anthropology from the University of Cambridge. He sits on the Board of the Campaign for Social Science and the Polaris Council for the US Government Accountability Office.

Dr. Jaakko Kuosmanen works as Academy Secretary at the Finnish Academy of Science. He has been the Chief Coordinator of a national science advice development initiative - Sofi - which led to an establishment of a new science policy platform. Jaakko has previously worked as a research fellow and lecturer at the Martin School and Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. He has also worked as a public policy consultant in five different continents, and he is a member of the National Foresight Steering Committee at the Prime Minister’s Office in Finland. Jaakko is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Helsinki.

Dr Ron Iphofen FAcSS is an Independent Research Consultant, a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences, the Higher Education Academy and the Royal Society of Medicine. Since retiring as Director of Postgraduate Studies in Health Sciences at Bangor University, his major activity has been as an adviser to several agencies within the European Commission for both the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and Horizon 2020, and a range of governmental and independent research institutions internationally such as in France for L’agence nationale de recherche (ANR); in Canada for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC); and in Ireland the National Disability Authority (NDA) of the Ministry of Justice and the Institute of Public Health. He has been Vice Chair of the UK Social Research Association and now convenes their Research Ethics Forum. He has advised the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) and the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) among many others. He has advised on several major EC projects including the RESPECT project (on pan-European standards in the social sciences) and SECUR-ED (on passenger transport security). He recently completed an EU-funded project influencing policy on research ethics and scientific integrity across all non-medical sciences on which he was PI: the PRO-RES Project https://prores-project.eu/. Ron founded the gerontology journal Quality in Ageing and Older Adults while his books include: Ethical Decision Making in Social Research: A Practical Guide, Palgrave Macmillan (2009/2011); the book series Advances in Research Ethics and Integrity Emerald (from 2017); he co-edited with Martin Tolich the SAGE Handbook of Ethics in Qualitative Research (2018) and edited the SPRINGER Nature Handbook of Scientific Research and Integrity (2020). He co-edited three open access publications for the PRO-RES Project: Ethical Issues in Covert, Security and Surveillance Research, Emerald Publishing(2022); Ethical evidence and policymaking: Interdisciplinary and International Research, Bristol University Press (2022); Ethics, Integrity and Policymaking: The Value of the Case Study, Springer (2022) (see: https://prores-project.eu/deliverables/ )

Gun Rudquist, Head of Policy at the Stockholm University, SU, Baltic Sea Centre. MSc in Agronomy from Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Cornell University, US. She has a professional background from agriculture production, development aid and the NGO sector, focusing on societal transformation towards sustainability. The interaction between science and the rest of society has always been a focal point for her work. At 2016 she started working for the SU Baltic Sea Centre. At the Centre policy analysts, researchers and communicators work together to ensure that relevant research on the Baltic Sea reaches decision-makers both at national, regional and EU level, at the right time and in the right format.

Senior research fellow and International liaison at the Netherlands Council for Government Policy (WRR) Anne-Greet Keizer works as senior research fellow and international liaison at the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR), an independent advisory body for government policy. Her work has focused among other things on topics such as the relevance of behavioural sciences for policy making, the role of think thanks and the advisory system in the Netherlands, information and policy, and art and culture policies. Anne-Greet is co-author of the publications iGovernment (2010) Revaluing culture (2015), and Why knowing what to do is not enough (Springer, 2019). As international liaison she is responsible for maintaining WRR’s international contacts, together with the chair and director. From 2017 to 2020 she was executive secretary of the European Science Advisors Forum (ESAF). Anne-Greet studied Public Administration and Art & Culture at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Mario Nava (Director General, EC DG Reform), joined the European Commission in 1994 and held various senior positions. Since June 2020, he is the Director General of DG REFORM, in charge for the technical support to Structural Reform. Previously, he served as Director for “Horizontal policies”, Director for “Financial system surveillance and crisis management” and, from 2011 to 2016, Director for “Regulation and prudential supervision of financial institutions” in the Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union Directorate General. During those years he also represented the European Commission at the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Prior to that, he was Head of the “Banking and Financial Conglomerates” Unit and of the “Financial Markets Infrastructure” Unit. He was also a member of the Group of Policy Advisers of the EU Commission President, and a member of the Cabinet of the Competition Commissioner. In 2018 he was President of the Italian Financial Market Authority (Consob). Alongside his current work, he is active in research and teaching. He is currently Visiting Professor at Bocconi University (Milan) and at Solvay Business School (Brussels) and has been teaching in several universities in Europe and Latin America.

Racha El Herfi holds a doctorate in public law, in particular European Union law, from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. She conducts research in the field of the European Union's external relations and is also interested in European democracy (integration and citizenship). After working in the research departments of the French Court of Cassation and the Court of Justice of the European Union, Racha joined the research department (Scientific Unit) of the Parliament of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg as an expert in European and economic law. The Scientific Unit was set up at the end of 2021. Its role is to provide MEPs and the parliamentary administration with all the scientific information they need to draft increasingly complex legislation.

Professor Carlos Gonçalo das Neves, a Portuguese and Norwegian citizen, graduated in Veterinary Medicine, from the Technical University of Lisbon in 2004, and obtained his PhD in veterinary science in 2009 from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Sciences. He holds also a Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a Certificate in Public Policy from the London School of Economics. He is the Chief Scientist of the European Food Safety Authority, having served previously between 2019 and 2022 as the Director of Research and Internationalization of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI), and between 2014 and 2017 as head of virology and head of food safety and emerging threats at the same institution. He holds a joint position as Full Professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of Tromsø. Prof. das Neves has worked in the field of wildlife diseases, and has experience on topics related to ONE HEALTH, emerging threats, wildlife health and food safety and systems. He has a strong background in science to policy translation, advocacy and societal awareness. In 2013 he obtained the diploma of specialist of the European College of Zoological Medicine, and is currently the chair of the Wildlife Population Health Speciality. Between 2014-2018 we served also as an expert in animal welfare and health for the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and the Environment. He is a Commissioner of the Lancet ONE HEALTH Commission, and a member of the Global 1 Health Network and of the One Sustainable Health Forum, as well as a lead author on the ongoing IPBES Nexus assessment on the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health. He is a Member of the IUCN Wildlife Health Specialist Group, and has served between 2019 and 2021 as the President of the Wildlife Disease Association. He has also served as Honorary Consul of Portugal in Norway between 2010 and 2017.

Eric Lambin, a geographer and environmental scientist, divides his time between University of Louvain and Stanford University. His research tries to better understand the causes and impacts of land use changes in different parts of the world. He was awarded the 2014 Volvo Environment Prize and 2019 Blue Planet Prize. He published several broad audience books, including “An Ecology of Happiness” (University of Chicago Press, 2012). He is member of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission.

Joanna DRAKE has been the Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General (DG) for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) since 2021. In this role, she provides overall assistance to the Director-General in the management of the DG, contributing to the definition, coordination and implementation of strategy and policy orientation. She is also Mission Manager for the EU Mission Cancer. She was previously Deputy Director-General of DG Environment (2016-2021) where she chaired a cross-cutting Task Force spear-heading strategic positions for the DG on (inter-alia) the post-2020 Commission financial framework negotiations, Brexit co-ordination, the urban agenda and the future-proofing of the EU's environmental acquis. Between 2010 and 2015 she was director for SME's and Entrepreneurship in the DG for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW). During her tenure in DG GROW she also led the Commission's Task Force on The Collaborative Economy, New Business Models And SME's. By training, Joanna is a doctor of laws from the University of Malta, where she also lectured full time in the Department of European and Comparative Law. She acquired a post-graduate degree in Advanced European Legal Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. She held various legal and management posts in the private and public sector before joining the European Commission as head of the European Commission Representation in Malta in 2005. She also had a key role in the Malta-EU accession negotiations as member of the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee.

With 25-years’ experience in the field of Research and Innovation, SMEs and regional matters, built both at national/international level and in public/private organisations (almost 20 years at the European Commission), Magda DE CARLI is currently Deputy Director for ‘ERA and Innovation policy’ in DG R&I at the European Commission and Head of the Unit ‘European Semester & Country Intelligence’. As such she is responsible to forge strategic bilateral partnerships with Member States to foster R&I investments, deep reforms of their R&I system and active participation in the delivery of the renewed ERA policy, the New European Innovation Agenda and other EU R&I priorities. In particular, she is tasked with ensuring a strong R&I dimension in the context of the European Semester, the Recovery and Resilience Plans and of Cohesion policy, including synergies with Horizon. She is also responsible for the Policy Support Facility, and promoter of the Enhanced dialogue with Member State. Earlier, she headed the units in the Commission in charge of the European Research Area, of the Widening programme and of SME Policy. She has a university degree in Economics and Master degree in European Economics and Public affairs.

Antonio Loprieno is Professor of History of Institutions at the University of Basel, Switzerland. He assumed the Presidency of the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, (ALLEA) in May 2018, after having served as Rector of the University of Basel, President of the Swiss Rectors’ Conference and President of the Swiss Academy of Science and of the Austrian Science Council. He studied Egyptology, Linguistics and Semitic studies at the University of Turin in Italy, and then taught at various European and American universities, including the University of Göttingen (Germany), the University of Perugia (Italy), and UCLA (USA). His basic research is in the area of Egyptian and Semitic linguistics, ancient history and cultural studies, particularly the interface of language and culture in ancient Near Eastern civilizations. But as a consequence of his service in academic leadership functions, he has become increasingly involved in higher education studies, science communication and science advice. Currently, he also presides the Science Advice Programme for European Academies (SAPEA), which is the academic arm of the EU science advice mechanism (SAM).

Agnieszka Gadzina-Kołodziejska is a Deputy Head of Science for Democracy and Evidence Informed Policy Making Unit at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). She has worked for the European Commission since 2007, at the Directorates responsible for Regional Policy (DG REGIO) and Internal Market (DG MARKT) and in the JRC since 2013. Before the Commission she was a Head of Lower Silesian Regional Office in Brussels. She has a Master in Political Science from University of Wrocław.

Stephen Quest is the Director-General of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) as of 1 May 2020. Prior to this, he was the Director-General of the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (TAXUD) and the Director-General for Informatics (DIGIT), driving the digital transformation of the Commission. His career spans more than 30 years in the European civil service, and has included work on the EU budget, social and environmental policy and four years as Assistant to the Secretary-General. As Director-General, Stephen is particularly focused on modernising organisational culture and promoting innovation within the Commission, both as regards the use of technology and empowering and involving staff in decision-making. He is particularly passionate about communication and the interface between policy and technology.

Marcus, who is a German and British citizen, has been working in several parliamentary committees in the European Parliament as EU official over the past 11 years, notably the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee (ECON), the Special Committee on the Luxleaks tax revelations (TAXE) and on the PanamaPapers (PANA), and in the Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), before managing the secretariat of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA) in 2020-2022. Prior to that he was an advisor in the EU Committee of the Regions, in an regional representation office of a British region, and in a consultancy in Luxembourg. Marcus studied business and economics in Germany (University of Bayreuth) and France (EDHEC Business School).

Prof. Maria Leptin has been the President of the European Research Council (ERC) since November 2021 and chairs the ERC’s governing body, the ERC Scientific Council. She is a biologist best known for her work on the mechanisms that allow a developing body to take on its correct shape. After her studies in mathematics and biology at the University of Bonn and the University of Heidelberg, Germany, Maria Leptin carried out her PhD research at the Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland. She then moved to the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, became a group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany, and professor at the Institute of Genetics, University of Cologne, Germany. She spent extended research periods and sabbaticals at the University of California, San Francisco, USA, the École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France, and at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK. Before her appointment as ERC President, Maria Leptin was the Director of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) in Heidelberg, and a research group leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. She is an elected member of EMBO, the Academia Europaea and the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina). She is an Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, a Foreign Member of the Royal Society and an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

Maria Chiara Carrozza graduated in Physics and obtained her Ph.D. in Engineering at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa) in 1994. She is the President of the National Research Council since 2021. She is Full Professor of Industrial Bioengineering at the BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, where she was Rector from 2007 to 2013. Member of the Italian Parliament from 2013 to 2018, she served as Minister of Education, University and Research. From 2018 to 2021 she was Scientific Director of Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation. From 2015 to 2021 she was Independent director in the Board of Directors of the Piaggio SpA (2015-2021) and Partner of the start-up IUVO Srl since 2015. She was founder and President of the Italian Scientific Association of Biomedical Engineers. She was member of the Steering Committee of Quantum Tech FET Flagship, DG Communication Networks, Content and Technology and Chair of the Expert Group responsible for the interim evaluation of FET Flagship. From 2019 to 2022 she was Chair of the European Commission Expert Group for the development of impact evaluation methodologies of Partnerships in Research and Innovation. She is author of several scientific publications and 15 international patents, and involved in research and academic projects with Japan, Korea, and China. Research interests: Neurorobotics, Bionics, Biorobotics, Rehabilitation Bioengineering, Exoskeletons, Robotic Prostheses, Microengineering, Sensing for Biorobotics.

Principal Expert Scientific Quality, Section, Office of the Chief Scientist. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden Dr. Albiger has a PhD degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Strasbourg, France and is an Associate Professor in Medical Microbiology from Lund University, Sweden. She led multiple research projects at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden and the Public Health Agency of Sweden (1998-2006) and Lund University, Sweden (2006-2011). In 2011, she joined the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) where she held several roles. From 2011 to 2015 she was the Programme Manager and the Deputy Head of the Programme, Antimicrobial Resistance & Healthcare-Associated Infections. In 2016, she joined ECDC Microbiology Coordination Section to implement ECDC’s microbiology strategy, providing scientific and technical advice for the diagnosis, detection, identification and characterisation of infectious agents in the European Union. In 2017, she joined ECDC Scientific Process and Methods Section (formerly Scientific Advice Coordination Section) to implement ECDC’s scientific strategy, promoting good scientific practice and strengthening the overall quality and impact of the Centre’s scientific outputs and services. During the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, she was part of ECDC response team.

Stephane Jacobzone is a senior adviser in the Public Management and Budgeting Division, serving the Committee of Senior Budget Officials, advising on a range of strategic projects. Stephane has led work on evidence Informed policy making, monitoring and evaluation, as well as on risk and resilience through the OECD Risk Forum established in 2012. He coordinated the organisation of the Public Governance Ministerial Meetings in Venice 2010 and Helsinki 2015, and the activities of the Public Governance Committee from 2011 until 2018. He has also led thematic work on strategic agile and innovative government and many country reviews. He previously worked on regulatory issues, as well as on health and ageing. Prior to OECD, he started at the French Treasury/INSEE on public finance, forecasting, evaluation of public and social policies. Mr. Jacobzone is a former alumni of the Ecole Polytechnique and ENSAE (French National Academy for Statistics and Economics).

Elias started working at the Joint Research Centre in April 2023 as a Policy Analyst. Prior, he worked in different Think Tank roles at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels and the Simon Institute for Longterm Governance in Geneva (remote). His academic background is in behavioural and decision science. Many things can ignite his curiosity but for now, he is channelling his energy into understanding the behavioural and organisational drivers of political decision-making with the hope that this leads to more evidence-informed and inclusive policies. Other professional interests include adaptive and anticipatory governance, decision-making under deep uncertainty and existential risks from emerging technology. Outside of work, he is currently rekindling an old interest in acting. His complete CV can be accessed here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elias-kock/.

Francisco Javier Moreno-Fuentes is Senior Researcher at the Institute of Public Goods and Policies of the Spanish National Research Council (IPP-CSIC). BA in Sociology from the Universidad Complutense, Master in Social Sciences from the Juan March Institute, MSc in Social Policy from the LSE, and PhD in Political Science from the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid. Between July 2018 and September 2019 he was Deputy Director of the Spanish High Commissionate against child poverty. He held visiting positions at international institutions (Harvard, Sciences-Po Paris), and taught at both graduate and undergraduate levels (Universitat de Barcelona, CEPEL-Université de Montpellier, Universitat Pompeu Fabra). He has been a researcher for the European Social Policy Network (ESPN) of independent experts on social protection and inclusion of the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission since 2014. His main areas of interest are the comparative analysis of public policies, with a special focus on immigration, welfare regimes, healthcare and urban policies. Since July 2022, he is the Vicepresident for International Affairs of CSIC.

Ms Susanne Caarls is Head of Department Europe and International & Societal Impact and Open Science at the Directorate Research and Science Policy of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (The Netherlands). Previously, Susanne worked at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations on the development of the digital government. She also worked closely with the Caribbean part of the Netherlands as a senior strategic advisor to the Kingdom Representative of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba and a program manager for Sint Maarten. In addition, she was seconded to the Council of Europe where she worked on strengthening democratic processes and institutions and to the European Commission where she provided technical support to European countries in the field of public administration.

Migle Laukyte is a Tenure Track professor in cyberlaw and cyber rights at the Law Faculty of the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona (Spain). Her research focuses on legal, ethical and philosophical questions related to AI, robotics and other disruptive technologies: in particular, she is interested in the impact of these technologies on human rights, ethics of technology, philosophy of law and the understanding of agency, personhood, autonomy and risks. She is also a member of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies ( EGE) and a member of EBP Expert Group on Blockchain Ethics ( EGBE), as part of European Blockchain Service Infrastructure (EBSI).

As the Director for Innovation in Science and Policymaking in the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Jolita leads a team of dedicated scientists and passionate professionals from a broad range of disciplines with the mission to bring innovation and scientific evidence in EU policymaking. Her Directorate provides scientific knowledge, foresight methods, evaluation techniques and engagement with citizens as a way of strengthening the positive impact of EU policies on society. Prior to joining the Joint Research Centre, Jolita was, for more than 10 years, Director for Latin America and Caribbean, Overseas Countries and Territories in the Directorate-General for International Partnerships. She has extensive experience of working in the United Nations in the field of international cooperation. Her formal background and experience is in quantitative economics and international trade and trade negotiations.

Jacqueline has a disciplinary background in Biomedical sciences (master degree, cum laude) and Science, technology and society studies. Her research aims to understand how research and innovation can better contribute to solving societal challenges in an equitable and responsible way. She particularly focuses on methodology development for multi-stakeholder engagement in research and innovation, and the governance of food or health system transformation (in Europe and in low- and middle-income countries). She coordinated amongst others the EU-funded FIT4FOOD2030 project on improving R&I so as to contribute to more sustainable, resilient, responsible, competitive and inclusive European food systems (2017-2020). Currently she is coordinator of the EU-funded FoodCLIC project on developing integrated urban food policies to ensure the availability and consumption of healthy, affordable, safe and sustainably produced food (2022-2027), and is work package leader in the EU-funded CLEVERFOOD project (2023-2027) that focusses on developing European networks of food system transformation projects, Living Labs and actors in which participants can exchange experience and jointly learn. She was a member of the High-Level Expert Group on Food Systems Science advising the European Commission on Science-Policy-Society Interfaces (2021-2022).

Markus J. Prutsch, born in 1981 (Wagna, Austria), is senior researcher and administrator at the European Parliament, associate professor of modern and contemporary history at Heidelberg University, and a Member of the Global Young Academy (since 2020; Member of its Executive Committee since 2023), as well as a fellow of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (since 2014). After having studied history and political science in Austria and Germany, he was a researcher at the European University Institute (Florence, Italy), where he received his Ph.D. in 2009, specializing in nineteenth-century political history and theory. Between 2009 and 2012, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Helsinki within the international research project Europe 1815-1914, funded by the European Research Council. Since 2011, he has been working in different capacities at the European Parliament, where he is currently responsible for culture and education policies, and oversees a strategic project on fostering evidence-based policy-making. He has lectured at universities and conferences in various countries in Europe and beyond, including the USA and Indonesia, and his work has been awarded on several occasions. His main fields of interest are: European political and constitutional history; political theory and philosophy; comparative research on democracy and dictatorship; memory and identity studies; evidence-based policymaking. Major publications include: Making Sense of Constitutional Monarchism in Post-Napoleonic Europe (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013); Constitutionalism, Legitimacy, and Power: Nineteenth-Century Experiences (Ed. together with Kelly L. Grotke, Oxford University Press, 2014); European Identity (European Parliament, 2017); Science, Numbers and Politics (Ed., Palgrave Macmillan, 2019); Caesarism in the Post-Revolutionary Age: Crisis, Populace and Leadership (Bloomsbury, 2020).

Iphigenia is a policy officer and team leader in the Unit Valorisation Policies and IPR in DG Research and Innovation, specialising on citizens’ engagement for knowledge valorisation and policy uptake of research results. She is currently involved in developing new schemes and testing methods of engaging citizens and communities for innovative solutions drawing on research, as well as in the development of a code of practice on citizens’ engagement for knowledge valorisation, developed in co-creation with a community of practice of multiple stakeholders. Iphigenia has many years of experience in research and innovation policy, and has previously worked in fields such as SMEs, social innovation, industrial and digital policies and science advice for policy. She holds a degree in IT from Athens University of Economics and a Doctorate in economic geography from Oxford University.

Lionel Bonjean serves as the Director General of the DG Economy, Employment and Research, within the Public Service of Wallonia. In his current role, Lionel Bonjean is dedicated to advancing research and innovation, fostering sustainable growth and employment in Wallonia. He plays a pivotal role with his teams in shaping policies that not only promote a thriving and innovative ecosystem for the region's development but also seamlessly align with the goals of the broader European Research Area. Before taking on the position of Director General at SPW Economy, Employment and Research, Lionel Bonjean served as the General Administrator of the Public Enterprise for Digital Technologies and Information Technology for the Wallonia-Brussels Federation for seven years. With a background in Political and Administrative Sciences, specialising in European and International Affairs Management, he possesses a solid academic foundation. He further enhanced his qualifications with a certificate in Business Management and successfully completed an Interuniversity Executive Master in Public Management.

Simon Vydra, Ph.D. is the head of the Government Analytical Unit at the Office of the Government of Czech Republic, working with line ministries and the office of the Government to improve evidence-informed policymaking, primarily with regards to the legislative process. Simon holds a PhD in public administration and data science and has worked as a researcher at The Hague Centre for Digital Governance prior to his work with GAU, focusing on the role of big data (and analytical methods necessary to process it) in the science-policy interface.

Marek Havrda, Ph.D. is Deputy Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Government. He contributes to coordination of the Czech Republic’s positions on EU policies and supports the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2022. Marek has built expertise in the area of evidence-based policy making, Impact Assessment (IA) and the use of behavioral economics for policy formulation, inter alia he supported IAs in the domains of Health and Consumer protection in the European Commission, led IA for a major legislative initiative at the Czech Ministry of Finance, served as Advisor for EU Structural Funds at the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and since 2014 has been a Member of the Impact Assessment Board of the Legislative Council of the Czech Government. Between 2016 and 2021 Marek led Artificial Intelligence Policy & Social Impacts activities at GoodAI, a private AI R&D start-up, and contributed to international Artificial Intelligence ethics and governance initiatives including UNESCO Recommendations for Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (led development of Ethical Impact Assessment methodology), OECD Network of Experts on Artificial Intelligence and IEEE Ethically Aligned Design (co-authored IEEE 7010-2020 Standard). Previously, he served in leadership roles with think-tanks, e.g. EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, and co-founded SCHOLA EMPIRICA, a think-and-do-tank focusing on evidence-based education. In his early career, Marek gained experience with global material technology companies.

Maarja Kruusmaa is an Estonian robotics professor and a Chief Scientific Advisor for European Commission. She is a board member of the Estonian Academy of Science and has held several positions and commissions of trust in science administration and science policy, including the position of a vice-rector for research in TalTech (Tallinn University of Technology) and a president-elect of NORDTEK (Network of Nordic Universities of Technologies), a member of Estonian Research and Development council and a member of Future Emerging Technologies Advisory Board with the European Commission. As the Chief Scientific Advisor, she was recently responsible for the recommendations for the European Commission on Strategic Crisis management.

Ms. Ismahane Elouafi holds the position of Chief Scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, a new position created within FAO’s core leadership structure. Her appointment was announced by FAO Director-General QU Dongyu at the 35th FAO Regional Conference for the Near East in September 2020. From 2012 until her appointment, Ms. Elouafi was Director General at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture based in the United Arab Emirates. Ms. Elouafi had previously held senior scientific and leadership positions, including Senior Adviser to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Branch in Ottawa, Canada (2006-2007); the National Manager of Plant Research Section (2007-2010); and Director of Research Management and Partnerships Division at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (2010-2012).
BIOGRAPHY: https://www.fao.org/about/leadership/elouafi

Anastasia Tsartsara is the Head of the ‘Interior, Digital Governance, Justice & Institutions’ Sector within the General Secretariat of Coordination/Presidency of the Government of the Hellenic Republic. She is responsible for the line Ministries’ strategic planning, through the implementation of Annual Action Plans and the monitoring and evaluation of their performance. In the same context her main work focus lies on national reforms, as specifically described in the Greek Recovery and Resilience Plan and the European Semester. In terms of academia, she holds a degree in international affairs and an MBA. After her graduation from the National School of Public Administration, she worked as Specialised Scientific Personnel (SSP) in the fields of regional development and public economics. She is an adult trainer with an intense interest, over the last years, in promoting innovation in the public sector. To this end she designed and implemented a special training program for public sector officials, under the auspices of the National School of Public Administration, and the branch of “executive officers”. She also organized and run two Hackathons, as assigned by the Ministry of Digital Governance, aiming at simplifying processes via a modern “service design” approach. She aspires to establish a Policy Lab with a sheer focus on innovation at the centre of the Government.

Anne-Sophie Stevance is the head of the global science policy Unit of the International Science Council (ISC). She has experience working at the interface of science and policy on global environmental change and sustainable development issues. Her work includes bringing diverse scientific expertise to understand conflicts and trade-offs between the Sustainable Development Goals, reframing risk reduction policy to address the underlying socio-economic drivers of risk, organise scientific cooperation to better address public and policy needs for science. She leads the ISC’s work in the multilateral system to advance evidence-based decision-making in global policy processes, including on sustainable development.