Our speakers' bios
 | Bernd Sibler Bavarian State Minister of Science and the Arts State Minister Bernd Sibler, MdL, born in Straubing in 1971, has been Bavarian State Minister of Science and the Arts since November 2018. He previously held the posts of State Secretary of Education (2007-2008 and 2011-2013) and State Secretary in the Bavarian Ministry of Education, Science and the Arts (2013-2018) before becoming Bavarian State Minister of Education (from March 2018 to November 2018). Since 1998, the high school teacher for German and history has been a member of the Bavarian State Parliament for the constituency of Deggendorf. |
 | Mariya Gabriel Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, Youth and Sport Mariya Gabriel is the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, Youth and Sport. Under her leadership, the new Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the cultural strand of Creative Europe programmes will be defined and implemented. Her main priorities are excellence in research, innovation and education (ERA, EEA, EIA); tackling the R&I divide in Europe; Europe as a leader in strategic innovation areas through the digital and green transition, with a particular attention for young people and regions. "No one left behind" and "Think out of the box" are her mottos. |
 | Angelika Niebler, MEP Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy Since 1999, Prof. Dr. Angelika Niebler is a Member of the European Parliament. She is Chair of the CSU Group in the European Parliament and Co-Chair of the CDU/CSU Group. As a lawyer with a doctorate, she is a member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, which she also chaired some years ago. Further, she is a substitute member of the Legal Affairs Committee and the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Age and a member of the European Parliament's Delegation to the United States. Angelika Niebler has been Deputy Party Chair of the CSU since 2015 and was elected President of the Union Economic Advisory Council in 2018. Since 1991, she has worked for various law firms in Munich, since 2015 as Of Counsel at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher. In addition to her work as a lawyer, she is a professor for the Master of Science in Business Administration / Business Innovation and Management Consulting at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich. |
 | Signe Ratso Deputy Director-General, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission Signe Ratso is Deputy Director-General and a member of the Management Board of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission. She is Chief negotiator, responsible for negotiations of association agreements with third countries associated and future potential associated countries to the EU R&I programmes Horizon Europe and Euratom, association policy and its interlinkages with EU R&I international cooperation strategy. She is also resposible for Open Innovation and for citizens' engagement and social innovation in research and innovation policy. As a member of the Management Board she oversees some of the priority areas of the Commission in DG R&I. Before joining DG R&I she worked in different senior management positions in DG TRADE since 2006. Signe Ratso has always been involved in international affairs. Before joining the Commission she worked as Deputy Secretary General (from 1994 to 2005) at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of the Republic of Estonia. She has two University degrees from Tartu University in Estonia. |
 | Claudia Gamon, MEP Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy Claudia Gamon is an Austrian Member of the European Parliament (NEOS/Renew Europe). She focuses mainly on the topics digitalisation, energy, research and technological progress. Claudia is a member of the Industry Committee (ITRE) and a substitute member of both the Environment Committee (ENVI) and Internal Market Committee (IMCO). She studied International Business Administration and International Management at the Vienna University of Economics and the Université catholique de Louvain. Claudia gained her first political experience in 2011 as leader of the Young Liberals in the Austrian Students' Union. From 2015, she had represented NEOS as a Member of the Austrian Parliament before she was elected to the European Parliament in 2019. |
 | Marjolijn Brussaard President of the Executive Board, ArtEZ University of the Arts; Board Member, Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences; President of UAS4EUROPE Marjolijn works at ArtEZ which was awarded best UAS in the Netherlands 2018. She is a member of the board of the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences and represents the Netherlands in UAS4EUROPE. She has worked around the world, in curriculum & management development. She has been involved in international boards in Art & Design and funded several international networks. Last post held was Dean of Art & Design at Nottingham Trent University. |
 | Krista Taipale Director for International Affairs, Regional Council of Häme, Finland Ms Krista Taipale (Master of Social Sciences, International relations and law) has been working 20 years in various expert and executive positions relating to European affairs in Brussels. Her fields of expertise are EU's regional and urban policies, innovation ecosystems, EU's innovation and research policy, European networks and EU-funding. Ms Krista Taipale is currently working as a Director responsible for international affairs and Häme Goes Global-project at the Regional Council of Häme, Finland. Previously, she has worked as a Director of international and EU-affiars at Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council, Director of Helsinki EU Office in Brussels and Head of Turku-Southwest Finland European office. She has also worked at the Innovation Center of Helsinki University of Technology (currently Aalto University). Ms Krista Taipale has various expert positions related to regional innovation ecosystems and smart specialisation. |
 | Pascal Brunner CEO & Co-Founder, Vatorex Pascal Brunner is an entrepreneur by nature. Having founded his first own company at the age of 15, he has always been keen on innovation. After studying human movement sciences and sports at ETH Zurich, Pascal Brunner co-founded his current company Vatorex and still leads it today as CEO and visionary. The Swiss startup gives beekepers tools to better manage their hives and make a positive impact on the environment. In this leadership role, he understands that success can only be achieved by empowering people and bringing together complementary skills. |
The event will be moderated by Simon Pickard, Network Director, Science|Business
