European Commission Karin Erika MARKIDES Deputy Director General, Vinnova, Sweden Karin Markides was awarded a Master of Science Degree from the University of Stockholm 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 Riksdag 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