Speakers

As Head of Global Innovation at Galp, she has more than 20 years of experience in innovation and technology transfer. She has worked at various companies, including the José de Mello Group, Worten, and Sonae. She began her career as a researcher in San Francisco on a Fulbright scholarship. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the Portuguese Catholic University and an MBA from Porto Business School.

In December 2025, she was appointed to the board of the European Commission’s European Innovation Council (EIC).

Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering (1991), Full Professor at the University of Minho; he served as Dean of the School of Engineering (2005–2009), Rector of the University of Minho (2009–2017), and President of the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities (2014–2017), Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the CEER Foundation of the Universities of Northern Portugal and Galicia (2010–2016), and President of CCDR Norte—the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (2020–2026).

Entrepreneur and manager with extensive experience in innovation and public policy. He founded MobiComp, which was acquired by Microsoft, and was Secretary of State for Entrepreneurship, Competitiveness and Innovation. He currently chairs the CNCTI and is a member of several strategic councils in the areas of technology, science and economic development.

She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Nova School of Business and Economics. Throughout her professional career, she has held positions in the fields of research, teaching, consulting, and public administration. She served as a specialist advisor in the Office of the Minister of the Presidency (2024–2025), a consultant at Kepler Forensic Partners, and a researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon. She is currently Deputy Director-General of PLANAPP—Center for Public Policy Planning and Evaluation.

She holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom and conducts research in the areas of foreign policy, security, defense, science diplomacy, and climate policy.

Her career combines research, international teaching, public policy analysis, strategic consulting, and project management, and she has collaborated with governments, diplomatic missions, parliaments, and international organizations in Portugal and the United Kingdom. She is currently a researcher at the Conflict Analysis Research Centre at the University of Kent and Chair of the Executive Committee of PARSUK—the Association of Portuguese Researchers and Students in the United Kingdom.

He holds a master’s degree in International Business and Politics from Copenhagen Business School and is a Ph.D. candidate in International Political Economy at the same institution, where he conducts research in the areas of international political economy, global finance, sustainability, and the governance of multinational corporations.

His professional career includes experience in public administration, strategic consulting, entrepreneurship, and innovation, promoting cooperation between Portugal and the Nordic countries and supporting the Portuguese scientific diaspora.

Founder of the University & Innovation as a Service (UIaaS) platform, he is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of SPOT Nordic and a Young Advisor to the Portuguese Diaspora Council.