European Commission

Karin Erika MARKIDES Deputy Director General, Vinnova,

Karin Markides was awarded a Master of Science Degree from the University of in 1974 and a Ph.D. from the same University in 1984. In 1986, Karin was appointed Docent in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Stockholm. Between June 1984 and August 1990, Karin held different academic positions at the Chemistry Department of Brigham Young University, USA. Since 1989, she holds a Chair and Professorship in Analytical Chemistry at the Chemistry Department of the University of Uppsala, Sweden. She is also a Visiting Professor at Stanford University, Chemistry Department, USA. Since April 2004, he holds the position of Vice Director General at VINNOVA (Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems). She is also holds the Chair, is a board member and member of several scientific and academic societies. Karin Markides the author of more than 200 scientific publications and owns 6 scientific patents.

Ulrica MESSING Minister of Communications and Regional Policy of Sweden

Ulrica Messing was born in Hällefors, Sweden, on January 31, 1968. In high school she attended the social studies programme. She started her political career in 1987 when she became ombudsman at Sandviken and Gävleborgs branches of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League. In 1990 she continued her social work for “Hassela Solidaritet and Hassela Kollektivet”, a substance abuse treatment centre. In the same year she became alternate member of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League. In 1991 she became a member of the Swedish and one year later, member of the National Board of Institutional Care and the National Board for Youth Affairs. In 1996 (to 1998) she got her first title of Minister at the Ministry of Labour. A year later she became a member of the National Board of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. In 1998 (-2000) she was appointed Minister at the Ministry of Culture. Since the year 2000 Ms Ulrica Messing has been Minister of Communication and Regional Policy at the Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications. Her areas of responsibility are: regional development policy, transport policy and infrastructure, postal services, telecommunications and radio communications, IT-, tourism-, forestry- and mineral resources policies. Since the autumn of 2004, she also has one area of responsibility within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and that is the control of production and export of military equipment.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

Zsolt NAGY Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Romania

Mr.Nagy was born in Târgu Mureş – Romania, on June 21, 1971. He graduated as engineer in Science of Systems and Computers, specialized in Automation and Informatics - Technical University of Cluj. His education included a series of trainings at Young Political Leaders’ School, International Republican Institute (1996-1997), Building the Future Together, Foundation for Pluralism and DAC Hungary, training for young political leaders (1998 – 1999), Washington DC (USA), Campaign Management, National Democrat Institute (1999), Budapest (Hungary), Political leader school, Robert Schuman Institute (2000).He started his political career in 1995 as counsellor for self-governments within the Executive Presidium of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR). Since 1996 he has played an active political role: deputy leader of the campaign staff for parliamentary elections, main organizer of the DAHR Congress, DAHR representative in the European Democratic Union (1998- 2003), leader of the campaign staff for the Referendum on the Amendment of the Constitution in 2003 and leader of the campaign staff for national elections in 2004. Since 2003 he has held several political positions: DAHR Executive Vice-President for Territorial Organizations and Self-Governments as well as for Youth Department. Between 2003-2004 he was appointed manager of the cooperation program for information society between the DAHR and the Ministry of Informatics and Communications from Hungary. In December 2004 he has been appointed minister of the Communications and Information Technology. He was member of several civic and professional organizations: Hungarian Scientific and Technical Society of Transylvania – 1992, Chairman of the Progress Foundation - 2000, Chairman of the Janovics Jeno Foundation –2004.

Nedelcho NEDELCHEV Advisor to the Minister of State Administration and Administrative Reform of Bulgaria

Nedelcho Vassilev Nedelchev was born in Sofia on May 29, 1974. He studied in the English Language School in the same town. He graduated from University of National and World Economy, Sofia, in 1998 with a Masters degree in International economic relations.Deputy Minister Nedelchev began his professional career in 1995 as a financial consultant at Licensed Brokerage House AVAL Ltd. where he worked until 1997. Later he was employed by First Financial Brokerage House /FFBH/, a leading non- banking financial institution in Sofia, as a financial analyst. Mr. Nedelchev became Head of department “Analyses and corporate finance” at FFBH in 1999, and since June 2001 he has been General Manager of First Financial Brokerage House. During his years with FFBH he has been responsible primarily for the operations with foreign investors in Bulgarian capital and financial markets. Nedelcho managed in 1999 the realization of the first issue of corporate bonds in our country since 1944. He has carried out a number of investment and financial projects with international institutional and corporate investors. Bulgarian Deputy Minister of transport and communications owns Broking Certificate by the Wholesale Markets Brokers’ Association (WMBA), London. In September 4, 2003 Nedelcho was appointed as a Deputy Minister of transport and communications, responsible for communications and information technologies. At present, he has the function of the Advisor to the Minister of State Administration and Administrative Reform in Bulgaria.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

Claes DE NEERGAARD President of the Swedish Industrial Development Fund

Mr de Neergaard is President of the Swedish Industrial Development Fund. He has several Board assignments in the private and public sectors and chairs one of the larger Swedish pension funds. In 2004 he was mandated by the Minister of Industry to propose measures to strengthen seed financing in Sweden. He has been Chairman of the Nordic Investment Bank, Vice President of the European Investment Bank, Executive Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and First Vice Chairman of the Export Credits Guarantee Board. He has been CEO of a bank in Luxembourg and civil servant in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and in the Ministry of Finance. Mr de Neergaard is married and has two daughters.

Martin NICKLASSON Executive Vice President, Global Marketing & Business Development, AstraZeneca plc, President & CEO, AstraZeneca AB, Sweden

Martin Nicklasson, born 1955, was educated at the Pharmaceutical Faculty, University of Uppsala (Pharmacist and PhD in Pharmaceutical Technology). Since 1985, he is Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Uppsala, and since 1990 Adjunct Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati. He joined Astra in 1978 and held a number of research posts from 1979 to 1988. He moved to KABI in 1989 as Head of R&D in one of the Business Units, but joined Astra again in 1991 as President of Astra Pain Control AB and was appointed President of Astra Hässle AB in 1996. Between 1998 and 2002 he was Executive Vice President of the Astra and AstraZeneca Gastrointestinal Franchise. From July 2002 to December 2004 inclusive, he was Executive Vice President of Global Drug Development in AstraZeneca, and from January 2005 he is Executive Vice President of Global Marketing & Business Development in AstraZeneca.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

José PALMA ANDRES Director, European Commission, DG Regional Policy

Director in the European Commission's DG Regional Policy with responsibility for Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Austria. A regional funding specialist he was previously in charge of the units dealing with France (1995-2001)and, before that, Italy (1989- 1994). Prior to coming to the European Commission in 1987, he was the Director General of the Portuguese Ministry for Planning and Regional Development (1985-87), member of the Board of Directors of an important Portuguese food company, having started his career as a civil servant for the Lisbon regional authority and also its Vice-President (1976-1985). An economist by training, José has studied in Lisbon and at the London School of Economics.

Stephan PASCALL Adviser to the Director Rosalie ZOBEL, European Commission, DG Information Society and Media

Stephan obtained a BSc (Hons) in Electronic Engineering at the City University London and a PhD on work in Artificial Intelligence. He is a manager with extensive engineering and policy background and over 30 years’ experience with the telecommunications and space industries. In the European Commission he has worked in Telecommunications, Space Communications, Advanced Mobile Services, Trust and Confidence, Learning and Culture, Regional Development, Environment and Transport. His experience in Telecommunications and Space covers policy, regulation and technology as well as the development and management of all aspects of EU technology and implementation programmes. He has an extensive understanding of the political and technological developments and status of the Central and Eastern European Countries. He has played an active role in sensitive high level international negotiations both with the EU member states and with the various public and industrial organisations. He has extensive financial and management experience in leading skilled professional teams in achieving complex and challenging objectives with concrete results. Stephan is a recognised authority in Space Communications and an author of a number of books and publications in this and other subjects.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

Kjell PETERSON, Secretary General of TeleRegionsNetwork, CEO West Sweden

Kjell Peterson was born in 1945. He has an Engineer degree from the Gothenburg Institute of Technology and a degree in Marketing, Economy and Computer Science from the University Gothenburg. He also obtained a MBA from IMI, Geneva. Mr Peterson began his professional career as a Computer system analyst for Uddevalla ship yard, Sweden, in 1969. Soon after, he became sales manager for Nixdorf Computer, Sweden. From 1973 to 1976 he was Dep. MD of Ozalid International, followed by a one-year abroad experience as a MD for Lacer SA, Paris, a subsidiary of Ozalid Int. Later he became CEO and owner of the Swedish Scandigrapho-group and World President of the Junior Chamber of Commerce International (JCI), USA. Between 1986 and 1990 he had the position of a CEO of WPM International Management Consultants, London and became CEO of Regentus, Sweden, in 1990. Since 1992 he is holding the position of CEO for West Sweden Brussels and Göteborg. In 1998 he was elected Secretary General for the TeleRegionsNetwork (TRN).

Jaanus PIKANI Vice Chairman, ScanBalt, Board Member of Estonian Biotech Association

Jaanus Pikani has been practicing surgeon in head and neck oncology more than 10 years. Since 1993 he has gradually deviated from direct medical practice as being more involved in management and public service. He served as the secretary general of the Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia and the chief of staff of the President of Estonia. He has initiated the large scale optimisation process of Estonian hospital system while conducting merger of 15 institutions to the biggest hospital organisation in Estonia, the Tartu University Clinics, from 1998 to 2002. Dr Pikani has been among the initiators and architects of the Estonian Genome Project, the population based health and genome databank. Currently he is partner and consultant in bio- and medical technology companies; founder of the Estonian Biotechnology Association and ScanBalt.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

Perttu PURO State Secretary for Transport and Communications of Finland

Perttu Puro was born in Finland in 1971. He holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences and a Master’s degree in Law, both from the University of Helsinki. From 1997 to 1999, he was a Preparation Course Teacher of the Law Student Association Pykälä of the Helsinki University. Between 1998 and 1999, he worked as a Research Officer and Research Assistant of the National Research Institute of Legal Policy. Since January 2005 Perttu is a State Secretary of the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications. From April 2003 to December 2004, he was a Special Adviser to the Minister. He held the same position in the Finnish Ministry of Justice from March 2000 and April 2003. Between 1999 and 2000, he acted as a Clerk of Parliament of the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group. Perttu is the author of several publications on international human rights, legal protection of prisoners, and social insurance. He speaks English and Swedish and has basic skills in Spanish.

Viviane REDING EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media

Commissioner Viviane Reding was born in 1951 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. She is the former Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth, Media and Sport and the current Commissioner for Information Society and Media. After obtaining a doctorate of Human Sciences at the Sorbonne in Paris, she worked as a journalist for the Luxemburger Wort from 1978 to 1999 and became President of the Luxembourg Union of Journalists in 1986. Ms Reding’s political career began in 1979 when she was elected as a Member of the Luxembourg Parliament. During a period of ten years in the Parliament, she was the President of the Social Committee and a Member of the Office of the Chamber of Deputies, a Member of the Benelux Parliament as well as a Member of the North Atlantic Assembly (as leader of Christian Democrat/Conservative group). Further political roles at national level included being the Communal Councillor of the City of Esch (1982-1999), the President of Cultural Affairs Committee (1992-1999), the National President of Christian-Social Women (1988-1993) and the Vice-President of the PCS (Parti Chrétien-Social) (1995-1999). Ms Reding’ s European career began in 1989, when she was elected Member of the European Parliament. Between 1989 and 1999 she played an active role as the President of the Petitions Committee 1989-1992, Vice-President of the Social Committee 1992-1994 and Vice-president of Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs Committee 1997-1999, the Head of the Luxembourg Delegation to the EPP as well as a Member of the EPP group office.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

Ms Reding is married and has three children.

Lars-Göran ROSENGREN CEO, Volvo Technology Corporation & Technology Coordinator AB Volvo, Sweden

Dr. Lars-Göran Rosengren has participated in building and running advanced R&D in several strategic automotive areas including transport telematics, human system integration, vehicle electronics, engine combustion, and hybrid drive trains, etc within the Volvo Group during the last 30 years. The aim has been to generate technologies maximizing transport effectiveness, safety, and sustainability. Results have been obtained and transferred into new and improved premium products on the market. He has worked in different positions and is at present CEO of the Volvo Technology Corporation, a corporate innovation and business unit working with the Volvo Group companies, Volvo Cars and other selected partners. Dr. Lars-Göran Rosengren is also Coordinator of the Volvo Group Board on Technology over seeing all R&D in AB Volvo with aim to maximize progress and commonality utilizing available synergies and global competencies. He is a member of the European Council for Automotive Research, the European Road Transport Research Advisory Committee, past president of the European Industrial Research Managers Association, member of the Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and Program Council for Swedish Vehicle Research. Dr. Rosengren has been responsible for the majority of Volvo Group EC Framework Program (1 – 6) participation.

Jørgen ROSTED Director of the Division for Research and Analysis of the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs (FORA) of Denmark

Jørgen Rosted was born in 1945. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Economics from the University of Copenhagen. From 1971 to 1976, he acted as an Economist in the Secretariat of the Danish Economic Council. Between 1976 and 1988, he worked in the Danish Ministry of Finance. In the following years he stayed in the Ministry. In 1988, he became Director of the Economic Department and in 1993 Director of Finance. Between 1993 and 1994, Jørgen held the post of a Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Denmark. During the next eight years, he was a Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Business Affairs. Since 2002, he is Director of the Division for Research and Analysis of the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs (FORA) of Denmark.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

Jan UDDENFELDT Senior Vice President, Senior Advisor to CEO, LM Ericsson, Sweden

Dr. Jan Uddenfeldt has been with Ericsson since 1978, and became head of the Research Department at Ericsson Radio Systems in 1985, and in 1990 he became Vice President of Research and Development responsible for Ericsson’s cellular radio products. In 1998 he was appointed Chief Technology Officer for the Ericsson Group with responsibility for Ericsson´s worldwide activities in Research and Development. Since 2004, Dr Uddenfeldt is holding a position as Senior Vice President and Senior Advisor Technology to CEO. He is also a visiting Professor at the Royal Institute of Technology. Dr. Uddenfeldt has been actively involved in the development of both 2nd generation wireless technologies e.g. GSM, and 3rd generation WCDMA. He has been establishing technology cooperations with major telecom operators in US, China, Japan and Europe. He got his PhD from Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and received an honorary Doctor’s degree from the University of Lund in 1996 and was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) in1989. He was awarded the German Edward Rhein Foundation Technology Prize for the innovation of GSM in 1997 and the Swedish KTH Prize in 2000 for GSM and 3G.

Per UNCKEL Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers

Per Unckel is currently the Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers. He has a background as a Swedish politician and represented the in parliament from 1976 to 1986 and from 1994 to 2002. Between 1991 and 1994 he belonged to the government as minister of education and science. During that period he reformed the Swedish university system, giving the universities a more autonomous role in the Swedish society. As minister of education and science he also served as the coordinator of the government’s commission on information technology chaired by the prime minister. Its first results were published in the report “Wings to human ability” (1994). Per Unckel is Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers since 2003. The Nordic Council of Ministers is the official institution of Nordic government cooperation.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

Michael TRESCHOW Chairman of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise

Mr Treschow was born 1943 in Helsingborg, Sweden. He earned a Master of Science degree from the Institute of Technology in Lund, Sweden.Since March 2002 he is Chairman of the Board of Ericsson. Michael Treschow was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Electrolux Group until April 2002, a position to which he was appointed in 1997. As of May 2004, Mr Treschow is Chairman of the Board of AB Electrolux.Before joining Electrolux, Michael Treschow was President and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Copco AB. He spent three years in the United States as Area Manager out of his 22 years with Atlas Copco. Mr Treschow also spent one year in France as responsible for the set- up of Bahco Ventilation’s operation in France. For his excellent efforts in Swedish trade issues, Mr Treschow received in June 2000 the King's Medal of the Twelfth Dimension with the Ribbon of the Order of the Seraphims from His Majesty the King of Sweden. In May 2000, Mr Treschow was awarded the Spanish order "Insigna de Gran Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Civil" for strengthening the trade relations between Sweden and Spain. In September 2002, Mr Treschow was awarded the French order "Grade de Chevalier dans l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur" for strengthening the trade relations between Sweden and France. In 2004 he was bestowed the title of Commandor of the Order of the Crown for strengthening the trade relations between Sweden and Belgium. Other positions include Chairman of the Board of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise as of May 2004, Chairman of the Board of AB Electrolux as of April 2004 and Board member of ABB Ltd. since 2003.

Plamen VATCHKOV Chairman of the State Agency for Information Technology and Communications of Bulgaria

Dr. Vatchkov obtained a M.Sc. in Industrial Electronics and PhD in Technical Sciences at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute at 1977. He is Associate Professor in Technical Sciences at the Higher Commission for Attestation. Dr. Vatchkov has specialisations in Microprocessor Devices, Management and Quality Management. Dr. Vatchkov started his career in 1973 as engineer at the Central Computing Institute in Sofia. He has gained his wide professional experience both in the public and private ICT sector. His professional and personal qualities have allowed him to hold a number of highly responsible positions, like Assistant Professor at the Technical University in Moscow; Deputy Director of the Institute for Technical Cybernetics and Robotics of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; General Director of Micro Processing Systems; Managing Director of Bulvar Electronics, Ltd; Director of Information Technology, Overgas Holding; Deputy Director Operations of Cabletel. From 1985 until 1992 Dr. Vatchkov was a member of the Scientific Council of the Institute for Technical Cybernetics and Robotics. Now he is a member of the Academic Council of the International University and a member of the Balkan Academy of Sciences. Dr. Vatchkov is a member of the Federation of the Scientific and Technical Unions in Bulgaria and the Union of the Scientists in Bulgaria.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

Nikolay VASSILEV Minister of State Administration and Administrative Reform of Bulgaria

Mr. Nikolay Vassilev was born on 28 November1969 in Varna, Bulgaria. In 1994 he graduated in economics from the University of Economics in Budapest. In 1995 he got a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Finance and Economics from the State University of New York.In 1996-1997 he specialized in taxation policy and finance at the Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. In 1997 he got a Master’s Degree in International Economics and Finance from the Brandeis University, Massachusetts, USA. In 2000 he became the Senior Vice President and Director for Central and Eastern Europe Studies at Lazard Capital Markets, London. In 1997-2000 he was an Associate Manager of the Emerging Markets in Europe and World Emerging Markets Strategies, UBS Warburg, London. In 1997 he was an analyst for the Emerging European Capital Markets of the SBC Warburg Dillon Read, New York. In 1996-1997 he was an officer for Japanese finance markets strategies at the Analyses Department of the SBC Warburg, Tokyo. In 1994 he consulted the Investment Fund Varna, Bulgaria, on the legal aspects of instituting a privatization fund. From 1993 to 1994 he was a tax consultant for Coopers & Lybrand, Budapest. Mr. Vassilev is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He is fluent in Russian, Hungarian English and has working knowledge of German, French and Japanese.

Vytautas VITKAUSKAS President of the Association "INFOBALT", Lithuania

2001 - 2004 Mr. Vytautas Vitkauskas was President of the Association “INFOBALT”. 1994 – 2001 Vice- president of the Association “INFOBALT”. Since 2000 he has been Information Technology advisor to the chairman of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. Since 1990 he has been General director and CEO, the main shareholder of the JSC “INTA”. 1982 - 1989 Mr. Vitkauskas worked as Deputy Chief of Microwave Lab of Physics Faculty at Vilnius University. 1974 – 1982 was a scientific researcher at Vilnius University Physics Faculty. Mr. Vytautas Vitkauskas took part in the following courses abroad: 1991 - Business English Courses, Leamington Language Centre, UK; 1992 – Intensive MBA Management courses, Faculty of Administrative Studies, York University, Canada. Special Award for new business contacts. 1993 – Course for MOTOROLA distributors, Motorola University, Dublin, Ireland.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

Mats WICKTOR Head of Swedish Customs Future Centre

Mats Wicktor initiated his career as a Customs-Officer in the Swedish port of Trelleborg. At the time when Sweden accessed the European Union, he worked as national expert of preferential treatment of agricultural products that lead to an employment as Customs expert at the Swedish Board of Agriculture. In 1999, he re-joined Swedish Customs as manager of the national business development department at the Customs Future Centre. In 2001 he was appointed deputy head of Swedish Customs Future Centre and has participated actively in the development of i.a. The Stairway, StairSec and also The Virtual Customs Office. Wicktor is from September 2005 Head of Swedish Customs Future Centre and Member of Swedish Custom Top Management Team. Currently he is chairperson of Swedish Customs eBoard for realising a full 24-hour agency. Wicktor has been a member of Swedish Trade Council SWEPRO. Internationally he is the Chairperson of World Customs Organisation’s Permanent Technical Committee Working Party and Vice Chairperson of World Customs Organisation’s Permanent Technical Committee.

Ulla-Maj WIDEROOS Coordinate Minister for Finance of Finland

Ms Wideroos was born 1951 in Jakobstad, Finland. After graduating from Business College and joining the Swedish People’s party, she has held several high level posts in different regional and political organisations and in the Parliament: In April 2003 she became Minister at the Ministry of Finance. As a Member of Parliament, from 1995 onwards, she had the position of Vice Chairperson (1998-1999) and Chairperson (1999-2003) of the Swedish People's Party parliamentary group. Former positions included Special Adviser to the Minister of Transport and Communications (1991- 1992), Municipal Manager of the Municipality of Oravais (1986-1995), Regional Managing Director at Oravais Hus Ltd. (1985-1986) as well as Information Secretary at the Nordic Information Bureau in Vasa (1982-1985). Ms Wideroos’s political career began in 1973 when she became Executive Secretary of the Swedish People's Party Youth Organisation in the Ostrobothnia Region.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

Helmut WIEDENHOFER Head of the Department for Research Planning, Technology Consulting and Project Management, Joanneum Research, Austria

Helmut Wiedenhofer studied Electronic Engineering at the University of Technology Graz, mainly focussing on the field of “Medical Technology“. After his study followed a development activity at SIEMENS Matsushita (now: EPCOS) and at the Institute for Electronic System Development of JOANNEUM RESEARCH. Being head of the staff function Research Planning of JOANNEUM RESEARCH, he additionally became deputy manager of the department for Research Planning, Technology Consulting and Project Management of JOANNEUM RESEARCH in July 2002, his main responsibility being taken in strategical corporate planning, shareholding management, agency of JOANNEUM RESEARCH in boards of Kplus-centres etc. Since October 2005 he is authorised signatory of JOANNEUM RESEARCH. Since July 2004 he is also member of the managing board of the Rail Tech Cluster Austria (RTCA). He has extensive management experience in leading skilled professional teams in achieving complex and challenging objectives e.g. project management „NANONET Styria – The Styrian Nanotechnology Initiative“ (in co-operation with vice-rector Martha Mühlburger, University Leoben), project management „Measures for Strengthening the R&D-co-operation with countries of the EU Region of Future“ (in co-operation with Dr. Christian Hartmann, JOANNEUM RESEARCH, Institute of Technology and Regional Policy), collaboration on the set-up of the Humantechnology-Cluster Styria (in co- operation with the Styrian Business Promotion Agency, Federation of Styrian Industry, Roche Diagnostic GmbH, Neuroth AG, Medical University Graz, VTU – Engineering GmbH, zeta Holding GmbH).

Colin WOLFE European Commission, DG Regional Policy

A graduate of Dublin University, Ireland, and the University of British Columbia, Canada, Colin worked in the private and public sector in Ireland before joining the European Commission in 1989. He has extensive experience of the Structural Funds, having managed interventions in Austria, Czech Republic, France, Ireland, Slovakia and the UK, as well as having been responsible for horizontal matters such as budget, employment and social inclusion issues. He has also worked in EuropeAid, the European Commission development assistance service, where he managed institution-building, policing and justice issues and projects in the Western Balkans and the ex-Soviet Union. Since 1999, Colin has worked principally on pre-accession and enlargement matters, having overseen negotiations with Hungary and Malta, and the negotiation and implementation start-up for Structural Funds interventions in Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is in this capacity that he identified and addressed the need to orient measures to linking research, innovation and business which has led to this Gothenburg Conference.

DG Regional Policy

European Commission

Ivan ŽAGAR Minister for local self-government and regional policy of Romania

Minister Ivan Žagar was born on 12 January 1962 in Maribor. He finished his University studies in 1986 at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Maribor, Department for Mechanical Engineering Construction and energy studies. He continued his studies in the same Faculty, where he obtained his Master degree in 1989 with the thesis on “Transport problems in solids and liquids by boundary element method” and latter on his PhD in 1992 on “the Boundary- domain integral method for dynamics of laminar and turbulent fluid flow”. From 1988 he followed an academic career in the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Maribor, where he was nominated as assistant professor for Mechanical Engineering. He was awarded the National Award for Young Researchers for his research work in the field of numerical analysis of transport phenomena and fluid dynamics by boundary element method. During his work he followed an expert training at the Wessex Institute of Technology in the area of numerical analysis of fluid mechanics and training on the Paul Scherer Institute in the area of thermohydraulics, numerical analysis of diphase in the Villingen Switzerland Experimental work. In 1995 he was elected as Mayor of Slovenska Bistrica and remained in this position till 2004 when he was appointed as Minister without portfolio for local self-government and regional policy.

Rosalie ZOBEL Director, European Commission, DG Information Society and Media

Rosalie A. Zobel was born in England. She received a bachelor's degree in Physics from Nottingham University, UK, in 1964, and a PhD in Radiation Physics from London University in 1967. She started her career in the Information Technology industry in ICL in 1967, and later held positions as a systems engineer in CERN (Centre Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire), Geneva, Switzerland, the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, UK, and the Max-Planck Institut für Plasmaphysik, Garching, Germany. At the latter she became operations manager of the first CRAY Supercomputer centre in continental Europe. In 1981 she moved to the USA and took up a position in the AT&T Headquarters, Basking Ridge, USA. She held positions as senior marketing manager for open systems software both for the USA and international markets, and was responsible from 1983-1986 for the international UNIX business. In 1986 she became senior marketing manager for information technology products in AT&T Japan. She returned to Europe in 1988 as Deputy Head of Unit of the European Community's ESPRIT Business Systems unit. In 1991 she launched the initiative in Open Microprocessor systems (OMI). From 1995 she was the Head of Unit “Business Systems, Multimedia and Microprocessor Applications", and EU-coordinator of the G7 Pilot Project Global Marketplace for SMEs". From 1999-2002 she was Director of New Methods of Work and Electronic Commerce. Since 2003 she is Director of "Components and Systems" in the Information Society and Media Directorate-General of the European Commission.

DG Regional Policy