DIH4AI Event #1
Digital Innovation Hubs for Artificial Intelligence:
collaborative schemes supporting the digital transformation and
cutting-edge experimentation
Event Date: Tue, 9/11/2021
09:30 -13:00 CET
Event Venue: Online
About the event
This is the first of a series of events to present the DIH4AI Project and to engage with key actors in the DIHs' and AI ecosystem with the aim to improve future collaboration and foster synergies.
The event started with a focus on the current AI landscape from a regulatory point of view, linking it to the role of EDIHs in supporting the implementation of the high-level strategy. New tools and methodologies to classify services and enable collaboration developed by different EU projects were presented, along with case studies and sharing of the lessons learnt.
Through their experience, speakers pointed out major challenges and opportunities of building solid collaboration schemes. The discussion focused on how to boost synergies among all key actors of the AI EU landscape at an ecosystem level and explore the potential of enhancing innovation by strengthening the DIH AI network.
Last, the event was the occasion to present the DIH4AI Open Call.
Download the Agenda
Download the speakers' presentations
Watch the recording of the event
Meet the speakers
Find out who are the speakers of the event!
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Evangelia Markidou
Head of Sector, Artificial Intelligence & Robotics, DG Connect, European Commission
Evangelia Markidou received a diploma in Computational Linguistics from the University of Stuttgart in 1999 and a Minor degree in Psychology and Neuroscience from the Universität Tübingen in 1998. She has also studied Cognitive Neuropsychology and Neurolinguistics in the University of Essex in her Postgraduate Year during the Socrates Exchange Programme (1997 - 1998). After holding the position of Programme - Policy Officer on High Performance Computing & Quantum Technology at European Commission, from 2017 to 2020, she is now Head of Sector on Artificial Intelligence Technology, Deployment and Impact.
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Sergio Gusmeroli
Research Coordinator, Polimi
Sergio Gusmeroli finalized his education at Politecnico di Milano in 1986. After several experiences in different branches of the ICT domain, in June 2000, he was appointed director and operating manager of the International Research & Innovation Unit of TXT e-solutions, an IT company leader in EU for Supply Chain management solutions. In TXT he coordinated diverse FP7 EC funded projects in the ICT for Manufacturing domain: COIN, MSEE, TELLME, FITMAN, OSMOSE. Since 2015, Sergio is a research coordinator for Politecnico di Milano and is in charge of many H2020 Factories of the Future such as PSYMBIOSYS, AI REGIO, EUR3KA about Manufacturing Digital Transformation. Sergio is coordinator of DIH4AI project AI-on-demand platform about AI DIH Network and Regionalisation of AI4EU.
Daniel Echebarria
R&D Project Manager, Innovalia
Daniel Echebarria joined Innovalia Association on January 2019, as researcher. At Innovalia, he has participated in R&D Projects on various topics: hybrid Metrology and Computerised Tomography, Quality Assurance, Industrial Equipment Upgrade for Remaining Useful Life improvement, Zero-Defect Manufacturing and Additive Manufacturing, among others. Some examples of successful projects he has participated in are: “Zero-defect manufacturing strategies towards in-line production management for European FACTORies (Z-Fact0r)” and “Manufacturing Industry Digital Innovation Hubs (MIDIH)”. Other ongoing projects to which he has also contributed are: “Digital Reality in Zero-Defect Manufacturing (QU4LITY)”, “Protocols and Strategies for extending the useful Life of major capital investments and Large Industrial Equipment (LEVEL-UP)” and “AI on-demand platform for regional interoperable Digital Innovation Hubs Network (DIH4AI)”.
Silvia Razzetti
European Research Project Coordinator, POLIMI
Silvia Razzetti is a graduate research fellow in the Manufacturing Group of Politecnico di Milano, currently working in the context of European projects (H2020) related to digital transformation for manufacturing (Artificial Intelligence, Digital Twin, Circular Economy are the main topics dealt). As part of the Politecnico group, she is collaborating in project management and coordination and in research activities related to maturity models and impact assessments. Main projects to be mentioned: BOOST4.0, AI REGIO, CAPRI, DIH4AI, XMANAI, AI.SOV.
Previously, she worked for three years in a consulting company, technological branch, strongly enhancing expertise in big data, data monetization, database management and programming.
In 2017, she graduated at Università degli Studi di Milano in Mathematics (bachelor degree focused on optimisation and master degree focused on statistics).
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David Brunelleschi
Director, Intellera Consulting
David Brunelleschi is a Director at Intellera Consulting, formerly PwC Public Sector, with 10 years of experience in management consulting services. He is specialised in change management, business development, research and policy analysis, organisation consulting, as well as in engaging transnational stakeholder networks, in training and in facilitation of international client teams, particularly within the Public Sector and with International Organisations. In most of the projects he was involved in, he supported clients in data collection and analysis, via coordination of extensive networks based across the EU. As a matter of example, he contributed to the creation of an EU Network of Digital Innovation Hubs with focus on Artificial Intelligence within the AI DIH Network project. Moreover, his professional experience allowed him to acquire a strong competence in the field of European Public Administration, focusing on support services ranging from stakeholder management, project management, international network coordination and dissemination, all the way to work flow redesign, organisational reengineering processes and IT assessments. In addition, throughout his working experience, David has also become familiar with a wide range of dissemination, exploitation of projects’ results and communication tools and instruments as well as design thinking methodologies.
Maurits Butter
Senior Scientist, TNO
Maurits Butter is an senior researcher in the field of industrial innovation policy. After graduating as a chemical engineer at the Delft University of Technology, he started his career as an environmental consultant. During 1994-1998 he worked as a policymaker for the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment (VROM) developing policies for transitions and environmental innovations. In 1998 he joined TNO as senior advisor for innovation policy, using his experience in applied innovation policy to the next level. After focusing on embedded technology foresight, he refocused on industrial innovation policy. The last decade he has been exploring how research, industry and governments can work together, using his triple helix experience. He has been working on policies for strategic innovation oriented public/private partnerships. He has been involved in the Dutch Smart Industry programme and in the EC Digital Innovation Hubs strategy, contributing to the shaping of both concepts. Presently he is the scientific coordinator of the DIHNET project and is also involved in many projects to support research, industry and governments to develop joined innovation strategies and policies that address the grand challenges of today and tomorrow.
Valentina Ivanova
Head of European Affairs, CEA List, DIGIHALL
Valentina Ivanova is chemical engineer from Chemical Technological and Metallurgical University, Sofia, Bulgaria. She started her research career in the Institute of Physical Chemistry of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Sofia, Bulgaria) where she obtained her PhD degree in Physical Chemistry. In the period 1999–2005 she was successively appointed as Senior Scientist at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium and at the University of Ulm, Germany. In that period, her work was devoted to the development of new technique for metallization of thin organic films and molecular electronics. From 2005 to 2014, she was employed at CEA-Leti (Grenoble, France) as Senior Expert in Nanotechnologies. There she lead a research on the domain of wide gap semiconductors, optoelectronics and nanostructured solar cells. From 2014 to 2018 she was appointed as scientific activities' leader for the regional platforms for technological transfer of CEA Tech. Presently, she is Deputy Director of CEA-List Institute in charge of European affairs and coordinating the DIH DIGIHALL. She published 60 scientific papers, is co-author of 10 patents, and is Fellow of Global School for Advanced Studies.
Giovanna Galasso
Associate Partner, Intellera Consulting
Giovanna Galasso is an Associate Partner at Intellera Consulting. She has a 20-years track record in management and implementation of consultancy and research projects – both for national and for European Institutions – especially in the fields of design and evaluation of digital policies, technological innovation, digital transformation, Smart Cities, eGovernment and digitising industry. She has also a strong experience supporting the European Commission in capacity building and network creation projects. In the area of Digital Innovation Hubs, she led the "Smart Factories" project to set up a network of DIHs in new EU new Member States and the "AI DIH Network" to set up the European network of DIHs in Artificial Intelligence. She is currently involved in some Horizon 2020 R&I projects, including “VISION”, the coordination and support action aimed at connecting the European Network of AI Excellence Centres, “DIH-World” to accelerate the uptake of emerging technologies by European SMEs, “DIH4AI” supporting the creation of a sustainable network of ‘AI-on-demand’ platforms, and “ETAPAS” investigating the ethical adoption of new technologies by public sector organisations.
Daniel Saez Domingo
Technology Transfer Director ITI and EUhubs4Data representative
Daniel Saez Domingo is the Strategic Intelligence and Technology Transfer Director in ITI, where is in charge of empowering ITI clients, partners and alliances' ecosystem to leverage and evolve the R&D&I activity in ITI and the transference of value to the market. Member of the BoD of BDVA and Gaia-X and ITI representative in ARTEMIS, IDSA, NESSI, AIOTI, ECSO, one6G or Networld2020, among others. Daniel is the coordinator of the Data Cycle Hub, the Data Innovation Hub to foster data driven and artificial intelligence-based innovation, which is coordinating EuHubs4Data, the European Federation of Big Data Innovation Hubs.
Fabio Pianesi
Chief Strategy Officer for European Affairs, FBK
A psychologist by education, Fabio Pianesi joined the Natural Language Processing unit of Fondazione Bruno Kessler-FBK (Trento) in 1988, after several years spent working as language neuropsychologist. At FBK he served first as Deputy-Head and then as Head of the Cognitive and Communication Technologies division (1998 – 2008). From 2008 until 2011, he led the joint FBK-UniTn Computational Cognition Laboratory and managed FBK’s Ambient Assisted Living activities. In 2011, he joined EIT Digital, first as Co-Location Manager and Vice-President of the Trento Node, then serving as Research Director (2013 - 2016) and finally as “Head of External Collaboration”, supporting the build-up of local innovation ecosystems across Europe and connecting local innovators to EIT Digital network. Since January 2021 he is “European Affairs Chief Strategy Officer” at FBK. From September 2021, he is serving as member of the Supervisory Board of EIT Digital.
Gabriel González Castañé
EU Programme Manager, University College of Cork
Gabriel González Castañé is an EU Grant Manager/Senior Research Coordinator in the Insight-Centre for data analytics at University College of Cork. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and Technology from University Carlos III of Madrid on the topic of applied modelling and simulation of energy aware Cloud Computing environments. and a MSc in Distributed, Multimedia and Secure computing systems. He has participated in several Spanish National Projects during his studies and moved to Dublin City University in 2015, and to University College Cork in 2016 as technical coordinator of an H2020 project. Since then, he was working in industrial projects for the centre until he started on AI4EU leading with Barry O'Sullivan the ecosystem development activities. He has been actively contributing to the creation of a European AI Ecosystem supported by the Networks of Excellence and the AI on demand platform and services, where he is involved in leading WPs in two Networks of Excellence out of the four (TAILOR, HumanE AI Net) and the CSA (VISION) on activities related to education and community outreach and ecosystem. Furthermore, he created the Interoperability Working Group and chairs the Services Working Group, built with the 6 ICT 49 awarded project where he is technical coordinator of a service for the AI on demand platform supporting Matchmaking. His interests are digital ecosystems and platforms, governance processes, and from simulation, distributed (cloud/edge/..) computing and simulation-optimisation.
Natalie Cernecka
Head of Business Development, TeraLab IMT
Natalie Cernecka is in charge of TeraLab’s business development. A Cambridge PhD graduate, she has an initial background in higher education and research (Cambridge, Keio, CNRS) and subsequently in business development both in France and abroad, before entering the technology sector where she focuses on data and AI. In 2016-2017, as Director of Partnerships for an edtech start-up, she launched three 100% online degrees in data science, first of their kind in France and Europe. Since 2019, she has been part of the organizing team of the WiMLDS Paris meetup.