Meet the team

Stefania Grotti

Head of Research Office
Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy

Passionate and energetic professional involved in the field of academic research with strong competences in the creation of Strategic Path and Management for hiring processes in the Research Office.

More than 18 years of experience as a Research Manager at Politecnico di Milano, most of it as a Manager and Coordinator, with strong leadership and negotiation skills.

Great knowledge of funding and financial management with remarkable experience and ability to negotiate and mediate at any level and stage since 1995. Thanks to a national and international experience on complex projects, she has developed an extensive knowledge in the Organisational HR Field suitable for transnational and diverse Research Contexts (academic and industry).

Proven success in working in Strategic Coordination of Human Resources and funding opportunities (European Programmes), in private, public and academic sectors.

Dr Axel Steuwer

Director of Science Support Services
University of Malta, Malta

Dr Axel Steuwer is the Director for Science Support Services at the University of Malta. After graduating with a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Cambridge, he has been working in the centre of the quadruple helix bridging science, large scale research infrastructure, public authorities & industrial R&D for the last two decades.

An expert in undertaking science at neutron and synchrotron X-ray sources, he helped establish Sweden as the host of the European Spallation Source ERIC. His current role is supporting academics at the University of Malta in all aspects of undertaking excellent research.

Darko Ferčej

Director of E-Institute / E-Zavod
Institute for Comprehensive Development Solutions, Slovenia

Darko Ferčej finished a degree in Policy Analysis and a Masters in Environmental Sciences and is currently employed as director at the E-Institute in Slovenia. He has 14 years of experiences in international project management and 10 years as executive director of E-Institute team.

He is a skilled international project manager, open innovation expert, and is working on multidisciplinary sustainable development issues. He has been coordinator of 5 EU-funded international projects and has participated as partner in more than 30 EU and internationally funded projects, financed from 10 different programmes including Horizon Europe and FP7.

Einat Ron

LEAR and Head of the EU Liaison Office
Tel Aviv University, Israel

Einat Ron has an MSc in Life Science from Tel Aviv University and an MBA from the very prestigious program "The Kellogg Recanati International Executive MBA" given by both Northwestern University as well as Tel Aviv University. She also has a diploma in Patent writing.

Einat has been working at Tel Aviv University since 2008. Since then Tel Aviv University has increased substantially its participation in the various pillars of the framework program and under Horizon 2020, Tel Aviv University had the most ERC Starting Grants than any other university in the world. Getting there took a lot of strategic thinking, good marketing and excellent experienced staff.

Before Einat Ron has joined Tel Aviv University, she has worked for 5 years at the Israeli Innovation Authority (under the directorate to the framework program) as a delegate and NCP to the Marie Curie program as well as to Citizen and Governance, Science and Society, Health and NEST.

Olívia Rocha

R&D and Innovation European Funding Specialist
KPMG, Portugal

Olívia Rocha has an MSc in Chemical Engineering from University of Porto - Faculty of Engineering (FEUP). Her specialization field is Process and Product and her expertise field is nanotechnology, nanomaterials, and environment. Over the years, she has increased her knowledge in International R&I Funding through multiple Erasmus+ experiences (UCL – University College of London, Aarhus University, HVL – Western Norway University of Applied Sciences). After more than a decade of experience, she has grown a true passion about Innovation projects and has been working very close to Portuguese industry to make a difference in their capacity in raising funds for R&I investments, in a medium and long term.

Olívia has been working at KPMG since 2019 as R&D and Innovation European Funding Specialist. Since then, she has helped the Company to grow its commitment with Open Innovation Networks and helped Companies of all sizes to outreach their R&I results by promoting collaborative projects and helping the establishment of partnerships across full value chains, acting in all Industry sectors.

Before Olívia Rocha has joined KPMG, she has worked for 1 year at Efacec Power Solutions Group (as an Incentives Specialist), for 4 years in FEUP - Horizon 2020 Office as European R&I Incentives Advisor, and for 4 years in a Portuguese SME called Nanolayer Coating Technologies, as Business development manager and R&I Incentives advisor.

Juan Enriquez

Chief Executive Officer
ANALISIS-DSC, Spain

Juan Enriquez, manager of ANALISIS-DSC, leads a highly specialised SME engineering company in the areas of both process and mechanical engineering from Madrid, Spain. He founded the company in 2002 after finishing an MBA at the Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain. Juan also spent a number of years working at VTT Finland, in addition to six years studying in the United States.

Currently, ANALISIS-DSC is involved in a Horizon Europe project with IRIS. Additionally, ANALISIS-DSC is always in search of additional R&D projects where their expertise and know-how can be valued in consortia in their areas of interest.

Roberto Martínez

Head of the European Research Funding Office
Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain

Roberto Martínez is the Head of the European Research Funding Office at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), he also coordinates the participation of UPM in Horizon Europe and other International Programmes. He is evaluator and reviewer for the R&I Programmes of the European Commission and was the NCP for Horizon Europe from 2014-2016.

He graduated as a Telecommunications Engineer from the School of Telecommunications at UPM, and he has a Masters Degree in Economy and Innovation management and Technology Policy. From the beginning of his professional career, he has been involved in several initiatives related to the cooperation between Europe and Latin America in the Information and Communication Technologies field. His research interests are linked to innovation ecosystems driven by universities, acting as focus for value co-creation and acceleration and commercialisation of technologies.

Sandra Lacey

Research Officer
T.E Laboratories Ltd, Ireland

Sandra Lacey studied Medicine in the National University of Ireland, Galway for 5 years. She has a number of years of experience, working in the areas of Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs and Purchasing, as well as working for the government as a Parliamentary Assistant, where she was involved in research activities, as part of her role in developing public policy. Her current role in TE Laboratories Ltd includes submission of R&D proposals, collaboration with industrial partners and RTDs, new product development and project administration.

Servaas Duterloo

Head of Unit Research Funding EU and International Programmes
Delft University of Technology, Netherlands

Servaas Duterloo is the Head of the EU Research Funding & International Programmes Unit of the Directorate of Strategic Development at TU Delft, since 2012. Next to his job he is also the Secretary / Board Member Robo Valley Foundation, the Chief Financial Officer / Board Member Energy Endeavour Foundation. Servaas has studied as a Fulbright Undergraduate Scholar at Allegheny College, PA, (USA) 1983-1984, completed a Master Degree EU Law & International Relations, University of Groningen 1984-1990.

He did a traineeship at the European Commission Task Force PHARE, 1990, and obtained a Master Degree Adv. European Studies, College of Europe Bruges/Natolin 1992-1993. His previous work experience includes Manager of the Netherlands Network of Innovation (Science & Technology) Attaches of the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2004-2012, National Contact Point for EU’s FP6 RTD programme 2001-2004, Consultant with KPMG Consulting 1994-2001 and National Service as an Officer with the Royal Netherlands Navy (Admiralty’s Office) 1991-1992