Fifth European Education Summit: ‘Bright Young Minds’

Biography

Mariya Gabriel is the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. Under her leadership, the new Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the cultural strand of Creative Europe programmes are being implemented. Her main priorities are excellence in education, research and innovation, tackling the R&I divide in Europe. From 2017 to 2019 she was Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. She was elected as Member of the European Parliament in 2009, 2014 and 2019. Mariya Gabriel is First Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP) and since 2012, Vice-President of EPP Women.

In 2022, the leading news site EU-Startups.com ranked Commissioner Gabriel among Europe’s top 100 most influential women in the start-up and venture capital space. She received the Leadership Awards in recognition of her efforts to support the European innovation ecosystem at the Brussels Tech.eu Summit last May and Madrid South Summit last June. In September 2021, Mariya Gabriel received the ‘Best Global Impact’ award for her contribution to the European entrepreneurial ecosystem at the Startup Ole Forum, Salamanca. Кnown also for her involvement in the fight for gender equality, last April, she was awarded the prestigious “Donna é Innovazione” award (Woman leader in the field of innovation) by the Italian Osservatorio TuttiMedia association and Mediaset.

Biography

Better known as Brusselsgeek, Jennifer has been a journalist in print, radio and television for 20 years, the last  10+ specialising in EU policy.

Regularly listed as one of the top influencers in the EU bubble, Jennifer was awarded #1 Tech Influencer 2019 by ZN, was listed by Politico as one of the Top 20 Women Shaping Brussels in 2017, and was named by Onalytica as one of the world's Top 100 Influencers on Data Security 2016.

She regularly features as an EU expert on BBC radio, Euronews, SkyNews and others, and hosts Brussels’ must-watch weekly roundup show TOTW for Euractiv.

From editing a national daily paper in Malta, to reporting on European affairs for Middle Eastern television, she has worked across a wide range of media, and has a wealth of experience in navigating the political quagmire of the EU.

Jennifer is skilled at translating EU policy-speak into understandable English.

Biography

Chris Burns is a Franco-American journalist and media expert with more than 30 years' reporting experience in Europe, the U.S., Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East.

He's covered armed conflicts, election battles, financial crises, natural and human disasters as well as film festivals. For Euronews he’s been globetrotting to shoot magazine shows and was host of the hard talk show “The Network”. He was a Bloomberg TV reporter based in Brussels and Berlin, and a CNN correspondent based in Germany and the White House. He reported for the Associated Press from Paris, New York and Nashville. He's also a media consultant, media trainer and video producer, and has moderated panels including for the World Economic Forum, OECD, OSCE, United Nations, World Bank and EU institutions.

He graduated in political economy at the University of California, Berkeley, and did post-grad studies in Europe. Chris speaks five languages and has dual US-French nationality.

Biography

Ursula von der Leyen, Dr., born in 1958, was a member of the German Bundestag from 2009 to 2019 and a Federal Minister in Germany for more than 14 years, responsible for Family Affairs (2005-2009), then for Labour and Social Affairs (2009-2013) and later for Defence (2013-2019). She completed her medical studies with a state examination and licence to practise medicine in 1987, followed by a doctorate in 1991 and a Master of Public Health in 2001. She has been a member of the CDU since 1990. From 2003 to 2005, she was a member of the CDU Parliamentary Group in the Lower Saxony State Parliament. In 2019, she was elected President of the European Commission. As the head of the European executive, she has defined six headline ambitions for Europe for her mandate: a European Green Deal, a Europe fit for the digital age, an economy that works for people, a stronger Europe in the world, promoting our European way of life, and a new push for European democracy.

Biography

Margaritis Schinas took office as Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life in the Von der Leyen Commission in December 2019. In this capacity, he oversees the EU’s policies for migration, security union, social rights, skills, education, culture, youth, health and dialogue with churches, religious associations and non-confessional organisations.

Mr Schinas started his career in the European Commission in 1990. He also served as a Member of the European Parliament, from 2007 until 2009. Upon the completion of his parliamentary term of office, he returned to the European Commission and held various senior positions. In 2010, President Barroso appointed Mr Schinas as Deputy Head of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers. Later he served as Resident Director and Head of the Athens Office of the European Commission's Directorate‑General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN). In 2014, President Juncker appointed Mr Schinas as the European Commission’s Chief Spokesperson.

Margaritis Schinas holds an MSc on Public Administration and Public Policy from the London School of Economics, a Diploma of Advanced European Studies on European Administrative Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges and a Degree in Law from the Aristotelean University of Thessaloniki.

Biography

Mariya Gabriel is the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. Under her leadership, the new Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the cultural strand of Creative Europe programmes are being implemented. Her main priorities are excellence in education, research and innovation, tackling the R&I divide in Europe. From 2017 to 2019 she was Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. She was elected as Member of the European Parliament in 2009, 2014 and 2019. Mariya Gabriel is First Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP) and since 2012, Vice-President of EPP Women.

In 2022, the leading news site EU-Startups.com ranked Commissioner Gabriel among Europe’s top 100 most influential women in the start-up and venture capital space. She received the Leadership Awards in recognition of her efforts to support the European innovation ecosystem at the Brussels Tech.eu Summit last May and Madrid South Summit last June. In September 2021, Mariya Gabriel received the ‘Best Global Impact’ award for her contribution to the European entrepreneurial ecosystem at the Startup Ole Forum, Salamanca. Кnown also for her involvement in the fight for gender equality, last April, she was awarded the prestigious “Donna é Innovazione” award (Woman leader in the field of innovation) by the Italian Osservatorio TuttiMedia association and Mediaset.

Biography

Commissioner Urpilainen's official profile page

Biography

Graduated from the Faculty of Law of Charles University. During his studies and practice, he completed several international educational courses and was the holder of prestigious scholarships in foreign universities. Held management positions within many important scientific institutions - director of the Institute of State and Law of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, a member of the Scientific Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the chairman of the Czech Society for International Law. Also served as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and was a representative of the Czech Republic within the UN organizations. Mr. Balaš has teaching activities at Czech and foreign universities. He is co-author of several important publications related to international law. In the years 1994-1998, he was a representative of the city of Pilsen. In 2021 he was elected a member of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.

Biography

Sabine Verheyen was born in Aachen in 1964. After graduating from the St. Ursula Gymnasium in Aachen in 1983, she studied architecture at the Aachen University of Applied Sciences until 1988.

Sabine Verheyen has been a Member of the European Parliament for the German Christian Democrats (CDU) since 2009. In 2019 she was elected as Chairwoman of the Committee for Culture and Education, after having served as coordinator for the European People`s Party in this committee for five years. She focuses in particular on education and media policy as well as digital agenda issues. Furthermore, she was a member of the special committee on disinformation. As former mayor of Aachen (1999 to 2009), she focuses additionally on issues that are of relevance to the local authorities.

Biography

Panagiotis, also known as Pete, is originally from Cyprus and currently living in Belgium. Parallel to his studies in Political Sciences (Bachelor/Master), Panagiotis dedicated a lot of his free time to volunteer in a variety of CSOs. His engagement with local and national organisations opened up some career boosting opportunities. Thanks to his certification as Trainer and Facilitator of NFE-based activities, he was hired as Administrative Assistant at the Counseling Office (UCY), coordinating the HEI's NFE and ToT programme. Few years later, he directed his focus at the European level,  where he started working with and for a variety of INGOs. Since 2015, he has been working on a)the implementation and evaluation of EU-funded projects, b) educational activities led by CSOs, and c) policy and advocacy at European and International level (Youth, Education, LGBTQI+ etc.). Parallel to his current position as Project Officer at UNICA - Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe, he is also a member of the LLLP Pool of Experts and a Board Member of the European Youth Forum (YFJ).

Biography

Janis Fifka from Germany was born on the edge of the Ruhr area, raised in Westphalia, with roots in Swabia, currently living in Berlin and is a European at heart. He has been an active volunteer in youth organisations and non-profits for over ten years. Since 2020 he has been a member of the international board of the European Youth Parliament, namely the Governing Body. The EYP is a peer-to-peer educational programme whose mission is to inspire and empower a young generation of informed, open-minded, responsible, and active citizens that shape society and drive impact. With non-formal and peer-led activities, the EYP provides young people spaces to develop opinions on current topics, build intercultural understanding and friendships across borders, and learn skills. In 2021 the EYP engaged with more than 16,000 young people in more than 350 activities organised in 40 countries. Janis Fifka started in 2011 as a participant and then organised youth events. Nowadays he deals with external communication, strategic development and the EYP's educational vision. During his studies, Janis Fifka 2015 started to work as a trainer for civic education. In recent years he also has worked in public relations and just joined the team of a member of the German Bundestag this summer. Janis Fifka is a member of the board of the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe and the Young European Federalists Germany. He sits on the advisory board of the Stiftung Bildung Foundation and is part of the National Network for Civil Society.

Biography

Biliana Sirakova was appointed as the first EU Youth Coordinator in June 2021. Working in the European Commission, in the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, she aims to strengthen cooperation between all Commission services on youth issues and to integrate the youth perspective into all relevant EU policies. She has been a European Commission civil servant since 2010. Biliana's educational background is in economics and management; she holds a Bachelor's degree from Ohio Wesleyan University (US) and a postgraduate certificate from Kingston University (UK). She has eighteen years of professional experience across the public, private and non-profit sectors. Biliana's work has revolved around building and managing relationships with diverse stakeholders and communicating for impact and learning. In the framework of the European Year of Youth, Biliana is responsible for the engagement of European youth stakeholders and National coordinators of the Year.

Biography

Doctoral degree student at FIIT STU that specializes on IoT networks, cybersecurity, and computer networking in general. Also working for several years at Computer Security Incident Response Team Slovakia specializing on computer networks.

Biography

Leverne Nijman (23) is a former Dutch Youth Representative on European Affairs, her mandate ended on the 1st of November 2022. She finished her Law bachelors at Utrecht University and is currently doing the master European Competition Law and Regulation at the University of Amsterdam. Within her mandate as Youth Representative on European Affairs, she gathered the opinions and ideas of thousands of young people by giving guest lectures and workshops at schools, visiting events, and organizing projects. The opinions she gathered, were then discussed with politicians, policy makers, and within official government delegations. As a Dutch Youth Representative, she took part in the EU Youth Dialogue, the European Youth Forum and the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

This year, Leverne cycled from Groningen (Northern part of The Netherlands) to Brussels together with her colleague Leah. They spoke with more than 800 young people in schools and during youth dialogues. In Brussels they handed over the opinions, dreams & critisism of young people to Dutch and European policy makers and politicians; the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Wopke Hoekstra, the Dutch Permanent Representative to the EU Robert de Groot, MEPs Mohammed Chahim and Caroline Nagtegaal-van Doorn and EU Youth Coordinator Biliana Sirakova.

Biography

Leah Corsmit (22) is one of the Dutch Youth Representative on European Affairs. She's doing her bachelors in International Relations and History at Utrecht University. Within the mandate as Youth Representatives European Affairs, she gathers the opinions and ideas of young people by giving guest lectures and workshops at schools, visiting events, and organizing projects. The gathered opinions are then discussed with politicians, policy makers, and within official government delegations. As as Dutch Youth Representative she takes part in the EU Youth Dialogue, the European Youth Forum and the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

This year, Leah and Leverne cycled from Groningen (Northern part of the Netherlands) to Brussels to speak with more than 800 young people in schools and during youth dialogues. In Brussels they handed over the opinions, dreams & critisism of young people to Dutch and European policy makers and politicians; the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Wopke Hoekstra, the Dutch Permanent Representative to the EU Robert de Groot, MEPs Mohammed Chahim and Caroline Nagtegaal-van Doorn and EU Youth Coordinator Biliana Sirakova.

Biography

Themis Christophidou is the Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission, since March 2018. 

Born in Famagusta, Cyprus, she is a civil engineer with 38 years of experience in private and public sector management.

After having worked in the private sector for 15 years, she joined the European Commission in 2001. She has held various positions, including in the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, as Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and as Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.

Themis Christophidou holds an MSc in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (Metsovio).

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristophidouEU

Biography

Miglena Georgieva is COO in Level H ltd. – private Bulgarian company, provider of vocational education and training. She has 19 years of diverse professional experience in the private and public sector, working with broad range of stakeholders towards tackling the imbalance of the labour market. A topic she is very passionate about is matching workforce skills to employer needs.

The development of green skills and sustainable development are themes that she believes should be mainstreamed at all levels, especially in education. Miglena is part of the Education for Climate Coalition as national coordinator of the Bulgarian national group since March 2022.

Miglena holds a Bachelor degree in “Finance” from Academy of Economics “D. A. Tsenov” – Svishtov and a Master degree in “International economic relations” from University of National and World Economy – Sofia.

Biography

Conor Galvin, PhD (Cantab) is Director of the Doctorate programmes at UCD School of Education, Dublin, IRELAND, where he also lectures on various education sciences, sustainability, public policy, and research methods programmes. His research interests include sustainability and just transition, policy and policy networks, professional knowledge, and the impact of new and emergent technology on learning and society. He is UCD lead on the TAP-TS Teacher Academy – an inaugural ERASMUS+ Teacher Academies Project tackling teaching sustainability.

Dr Galvin is an adviser to the European Commission on teaching & learning for sustainability and on the new Jean Monnet Schools Action. He is a member of the Ministry of Education Ireland PISA/TALIS Advisory Council and of the National Council of Curriculum and Assessment Ireland Curriculum Specification Development Group on Climate Action and Sustainable Development (CASD). He also contributes to peace support education programmes at the UN School Ireland (UNTSI).

Dr Galvin holds The President’s Award for Teaching Excellence and the National Forum Award for Innovative and Engaging Teaching. He is past-President of the Education Studies Association of Ireland and Co-Chair Designate of the Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS). Before joining UCD, Dr Galvin taught and researched at University of Wales Swansea, and University of Cambridge, England.

Biography

My name is Kyriaki Maria Papadopoulou (Kelly). I have been studying Electrical and Computer Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki since 2021.

I have participated in the European projects “S.O.S. Planet. A Robotics Project” - 2015-1-ΕS01-KA219-015710¬4 from 2015 to 2017, “SCIENCE GIRLS: Teenage girls as co-creators of science learning engagement” – 2016-1-UK01-KA201-021248 from 2016 to 2018, “Students fight food and packaging waste through entrepreneurial education and Game-based learning” - 2018-1-PL01-KA201-050736 from 2018 to 2020 and in the “Girls Go Circular” project from EIT Raw Materials in 2020.

I have also taken part in the national competitions “Kangaroo” a Math competition from 2012 to 2016 and in the “Youth Entrepreneurship - Junior Achievement”, an Innovation Competition in 2018.

I have been a volunteer since 2013 in the “Forest Watch” activity initiated by the Volunteer Team of Pieria “O Topos mou”. I have been working since 2021 at Platon Schools as an assistant EdTech designer at the Erasmus+ projects “CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION-Climate change offers an open door to students’ re-engagement in science” - 2020-1-DK01-KA201-075029 and “Give value to nature: learn how to measure what ecosystem services do for us” - 2020-1-ES01-KA201-083255.

I was a speaker at “EU STEM Coalition” event in 2021 and at “Digital Education Stakeholder Forum: Making Education and Training Fit for the Digital Age” in 2022. I was also a moderator at “Women and Girls in STEM Forum 2022”.

Biography

Ljubica Petrović Baronica has been working at the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes (AMEUP), the Croatian National Agency for Erasmus+, for almost 15 years. As an Assistant Director, her goals include implementation of the Erasmus+ programme in the area of education and training and cooperation on policies to enable internationalisation and modernisation of the education and training in Croatia. In addition to this, she works closely with national and international partners and is a member of several working groups.

After earning her MA in English and Czech language and literature from the University of Zagreb, she worked as a teacher. Ljubica received Chevening/OSI scholarship in 2007 for the Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and School Improvement at the University of Cambridge which enabled her to further explore her passion for educational change. She worked on projects focusing on teacher leadership and leadership for learning.

In addition to her responsibilities at AMEUP, she is committed to developing the SALTO centre for Inclusion and Diversity, a resource centre whose mission is to make the Erasmus+ programme more inclusive and diverse and help build an inclusive and cohesive society that celebrates diversity.

Biography

Themis Christophidou is the Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission, since March 2018. 

Born in Famagusta, Cyprus, she is a civil engineer with 38 years of experience in private and public sector management.

After having worked in the private sector for 15 years, she joined the European Commission in 2001. She has held various positions, including in the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, as Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and as Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.

Themis Christophidou holds an MSc in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (Metsovio).

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristophidouEU

Biography

Mariya Gabriel is the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. Under her leadership, the new Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the cultural strand of Creative Europe programmes are being implemented. Her main priorities are excellence in education, research and innovation, tackling the R&I divide in Europe. From 2017 to 2019 she was Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. She was elected as Member of the European Parliament in 2009, 2014 and 2019. Mariya Gabriel is First Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP) and since 2012, Vice-President of EPP Women.

In 2022, the leading news site EU-Startups.com ranked Commissioner Gabriel among Europe’s top 100 most influential women in the start-up and venture capital space. She received the Leadership Awards in recognition of her efforts to support the European innovation ecosystem at the Brussels Tech.eu Summit last May and Madrid South Summit last June. In September 2021, Mariya Gabriel received the ‘Best Global Impact’ award for her contribution to the European entrepreneurial ecosystem at the Startup Ole Forum, Salamanca. Кnown also for her involvement in the fight for gender equality, last April, she was awarded the prestigious “Donna é Innovazione” award (Woman leader in the field of innovation) by the Italian Osservatorio TuttiMedia association and Mediaset.

Biography

Elvira Fortunato is the Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education. She graduated in Physics and Materials Engineering in 1987 from the School of Science and Technology of Nova University Lisbon (FCT NOVA), where in 1995 she completed her PhD in Materials Engineering: Microelectronics and Optoelectronics. Prior to taking on Government roles, she was a Full Professor in the Materials Science department at FCT NOVA, Director of the Associated Laboratory Institute of Nanomaterials, Nanofabrication and Nanomodeling, and Vice-Rector for Research of NOVA University Lisbon. She is a pioneer in European research on transparent electronics using sustainable materials and environmentally friendly technologies. In 2008, at the 1st edition of the European Research Council (ERC) grants, she was awarded an Advanced Grant for the project INVISIBLE, and in 2018, she was awarded a second Advanced Grant for the project DIGISMART. In 2021, she obtained a Proof of Concept with the e-GREEN project: From forests to Green Electronics. With more than 800 scientific papers published, in the last few years she has been awarded more than 50 prizes and international distinctions for her work, in particular the title of Grand Officer of the Order of Infante D. Henrique, bestowed by the President of the Republic in 2010, and the Human Rights Prize awarded by Parliament in 2021. She is an elected member of the Engineering Academy, the European Science Academy, the Lisbon Science Academy, and the European Academy.

Biography

Sabine Verheyen was born in Aachen in 1964. After graduating from the St. Ursula Gymnasium in Aachen in 1983, she studied architecture at the Aachen University of Applied Sciences until 1988.

Sabine Verheyen has been a Member of the European Parliament for the German Christian Democrats (CDU) since 2009. In 2019 she was elected as Chairwoman of the Committee for Culture and Education, after having served as coordinator for the European People`s Party in this committee for five years. She focuses in particular on education and media policy as well as digital agenda issues. Furthermore, she was a member of the special committee on disinformation. As former mayor of Aachen (1999 to 2009), she focuses additionally on issues that are of relevance to the local authorities.

Biography

Alojzy Z. Nowak  Ph.D. – Rector of the University of Warsaw. He obtained his doctorate in 1991, and in 1995 he received his post-doctorate. In 1992  he studied economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA; in 1993 he studied banking, finance and insurance at the University of Exeter, UK; in 1996, he studied international economics at the Free University of Berlin and in 1997 international economics at RUCA (Antwerp). 

Professor, Rector of the University of Warsaw, former Dean of the Faculty of Management,  Vice-Rector of the University of Warsaw for Research and Liaison and Director of the Centre for Europe, President  of the Scientific Council of the National Bank of Poland. Main research interests: International Economics, Finance, Banking, Economic Integration of Europe, Economic Analysis of the European Union.  

In December 2018  together with 22 eminent economists from around the world (which included 4 Nobel Prize winners), Professor Alojzy Z. Nowak became a member of the Scientific Council of the Institute for New Structural Economics at Peking University. 

Author and co-author of over 250 papers and books published both in Poland and abroad.  Visiting professor and lecturer at many universities worldwide: USA, China, South Korea, England, France, Russia, Germany. Member of many supervisory boards in national and international  companies.  As of 2018, Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak chairs the Academic Sports Association– a mass students’ sport organisation, one of the biggest sports associations in Poland.

Biography

Jurist and expert in economic regulation. He studied law at the University of Salamanca, where he would obtain his doctorate (extraordinary prize).

He has also been a Doctor honoris causa from: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (Argentina), Universidad Presbiteriana Mackenzie (Brazil), Universidad de Panamá, Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (Dominican Republic), Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Perú) and Universidad Nacional de San Agustín (Perú). In addition, he has recently been appointed member of the General Codification Commission, a superior collegiate body that advises the Minister of Justice of the Government of Spain. Likewise, he has become part of the Commission on Interntational Education of HACU (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities) for a period of three years. 

He is the autor of 38 books and more than one hundred research papers, which can be consulted in the Dialnet database. His total scientific production includes almost 200 publications. Likewise, he has directed nearly 40 doctoral theses, has participated in noumerous teaching innovation projects and in 25 research projects with competitive calls from administrations and public and private entities. 

Strong supporter of public universities promoting a culture of innovation that stimulates creativity, entrepreneurship and talent, all in line with the New European Innovation Agenda. He also considers that higher education centers should be authentic levers of transformation so that the European Union occupies a place of leadership during the forthcoming arrival of the seventh wave of innovation.

Biography

Michael Teutsch is Head of Unit "Schools and multilingualism" in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. The unit is a policy and programme unit contributing to the building of a European Education Area. Michael deals with (1) policy cooperation in the areas of schools and multilingualism on topics such as key competences development and equity in education, teachers' professional development, learning for environmental sustainability, language learning, or quality early childhood education and care; (2) with the European flagship programme Erasmus+ in the areas of schools, vocational education and training, and adult learning; and (3) the digital education platforms eTwinning, the European School Education Gateway, and the European adult learning platform EPALE. He joined the Commission in 2001, to work on labour mobility issues in DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Before that, he had worked in the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and in research projects in Germany and Italy on the European structural funds, and on transport and environment policy.

Biography

Ms Anita Muižniece took up the position of the minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia in September 2021, previously working as a Parliamentary Secretary of the same ministry (2018-2021). The minister obtained Masters’ degree in Education Sciences from the University of Latvia, before that Ms Muižniece earned a degree in Pedagogy. Ms Muižniece has also studied business management and marketing and graduated from Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration.

The minister is a member of NGO “Independent Education Association”. Ms Muižniece speaks Latvian, English and Russian languages.

Biography

Hon. Clifton Grima is the Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation

Hon. Grima is a lawyer by profession. He graduated as a Doctor of Laws from the University of Malta in 2010 and was elected in Parliament in October 2016. He has served as a Member of the Maltese Parliament ever since. Following the June 2017 General Election, Hon. Grima was entrusted with a Cabinet role as Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Sport and Voluntary Organizations. In 2021 was appointed as Minister for Education and Sport.

As Minister, Hon. Grima is currently responsible of Malta’s Education sector and Sport industry. He is known for his input in the setting of new strategies aimed at the development of new future-oriented sectors. 

Hon. Grima was also responsible for a complete overhaul of the laws regulating the voluntary sector aimed at ensuring more accountability and transparency. As part of the aforementioned goal he set up a national authority dealing with sport governance and integrity and an authority, EquestriMalta, to serve as a regulator for equestrian sport.

With the aim of putting Malta on the world sports map and hosting competitions on an international level Hon. Grima pushed for the development of Malta's sport strategy and the modernization of Malta's sport infrastructure.

Biography

Pap Ndiaye was appointed Minister of National Education and Youth by the President of the French Republic, on the proposal of the Prime Minister, on Friday 20 May 2022.

Pap Ndiaye is a graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure, he is a qualified History teacher, he holds the agrégation, a teaching competitive exam, and he is a Doctor in history.

He holds an MA from the University of Virginia. Pap Ndiaye is an academic specialised in US social history and the history of minorities. He holds a Ph. D. from the EHESS (Paris) and was appointed full professor at Sciences Po in Paris in 2013. Previously, he has been a visiting professor at New York University and Northwestern University.

From March 2021 to May 2022, Pap Ndiaye was Director General of the “Palais de la Porte Dorée” France’s national immigration museum,

His publications include: 

• Democracy in America in the 20th Century (La Démocratie en Amérique au XXème siècle) (co-authors with Jean Heffer and François Weil), Belin, 2000; 
• Nylon and Bombs: Du Pont and the March of Modern America, (Studies in Industry and Society) Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007; 
• The Black Condition: An Essay on a French Minority (La Condition noire: essai sur une minorité française), Calmann-Lévy, 2008 and Folio Gallimard 2009; 

Pap Ndiaye holds honorary distinctions: Knight of the National Order of Merit and of the French Legion of Honour, the highest decoration awarded in France.
 

Biography

Graduate in Philosophy and Education Sciences (Psicology) by Santiago de Compostela University.

Secondary Education teacher since 1980, in Social Sciences (Geography-History) and Educational Counselling (Psicology-Pedagoy), assigned in schools in Galizia, Asturias, Madrid and the Balearic Islands, where he served as school principal in two different vocational training schools. He has also been an associated professor at the Faculty of Education, University of the Balearic Islands from 1997 to 2004.

He became a school inspector in 1990, serving till 2021.

In 1987 and 1988, he was the coordinator of the experimental Programme of Educational Counselling in the Balearic Islands. In 1989 he was appointed technical advisor at the Cabinet of Educational Counselling, in the Directorate General for Pedagogical Innovation, Vice-Directorate General for Experimental Programmes, Ministry of Education, where he served till 1990. From 2004 to 2008 he was assigned the post of Director of the Central State Administration in the Balearic Islands

In 2008, he was elected Member of the Chamber of Deputies during the IX parliamentary term, holding the posititions of Secretary in the Commission for Integral Policies for Handicapped People,  Board Member of the Commissions of Home Affairs and Public Works, attached to the Commission of Education, Constitutional Commission and Commission for the European Union.

He has been a member of the National Education Council and its Permanent Commission, as a Person of Recognized Standing. In August 2021, he returned to the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training as Director General of Education Planning and Management, until May 2022, when he was appointed Secretary of State.

Biography

Since 2009 she is Member of the European Parliament (SPD), for the cities Krefeld, Dusseldorf, Krefeld, Mbnchengladbach, Remscheid, Solingen, Wuppertal and the administrative districts Mettmann and Neuss (constituency), and Member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D).  She is coordinator of the S&D-Group in the Committee on Culture and Education (apart from culture and education this committee is responsable for information-society, media, youth and sports policy), substitute Member of the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection.  Her main political activities are in the fleids of media, culture, youth politics and sports.

Biography

Larry Flanagan, ETUCE President, is the former General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland, the country’s largest teacher union. Prior to taking up this post Larry had 33 years’ experience as a practitioner across a variety of roles but primarily as a Principal Teacher of English. He is a Council member of both the UK and Scottish Trades Union Congresses.

Biography

Professor Paul Downes is Professor of Psychology of Education, and Director of the Educational Disadvantage Centre, Institute of Education, Dublin City University, Ireland and Affiliate Professor, University of Malta, Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health. With over 110 peer reviewed publications in areas of education, psychology, sociology, philosophy, law, anthropology and social policy, he has given keynote lectures and invited presentations in 30 countries and for 16 countries’ official ministries. He has been involved in various expert advisory roles for the European Commission, including the Pathways to School Success Working Group and European Education and Training Expert Panel to support the EU’s post-2020 Strategic Cooperation Framework. A Foundation P&V Brussels, Laureat Award Winner for his article on Connecting You(th): Overcoming Divisions in Society, he has been a Visiting Research Fellow at University of British Columbia, Vancouver and University of Cambridge, Lauterpacht Centre, and member of the Irish Senate and Parliament Expert Group on early school leaving. He is co-author of the Assessment of the implementation of the 2011 Council recommendation to reduce early school leaving, published by the Commission (2019) and led a 12 country European study on access to education. A member of Editorial Boards including the British Educational Research Journal, Journal of School Violence, Interpersona and International Journal of Emotional Education, his book Reconstructing Agency in Developmental and Educational Psychology: Inclusive Systems as Concentric Space (Routledge 2020) was nominated for the American Psychological Association’s (APA) William James Book Award and the J. I. Staley prize for interdisciplinary Anthropology.

Biography

Iglika Atanassova is a middle and high school Science and Physics teacher at 97 Secondary School Bratya Miladinovi in Sofia, Bulgaria. She started her teaching career as a Teach for Bulgaria fellow in 2015. Outside of teaching, she has run and developed programs to support students from small and underserved communities in rural Bulgaria to become positive change agents in their communities and lives by acquiring strong literacy and leadership skills and attaining secondary education. Iglika has an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Education Leadership with a concentration in Languages and Literacy.

Biography

Antoaneta Angelova-Krasteva has been Director at the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) since 2016. She is currently Director for Innovation, Digital Education and International Cooperation. She is responsible for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, which are key components of the Horizon Programme. She also coordinates the EU Digital Education Action Plan.

Antoaneta joined the European Commission in 2008. She has occupied various management and expert positions across the Commission and dealt with a wide range of topics such as external relations and enlargement, internal security and police cooperation, cyber security, stakeholder relations and international affairs. Antoaneta has also worked as a diplomat to the Permanent Representation of Bulgaria to the EU in Brussels for five years. She is a graduate in political science at Sofia University, with training and qualifications in European studies from Germany (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung) and the UK (Sussex University).

Biography

Graduated from the Faculty of Law of Charles University. During his studies and practice, he completed several international educational courses and was the holder of prestigious scholarships in foreign universities. Held management positions within many important scientific institutions - director of the Institute of State and Law of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, a member of the Scientific Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the chairman of the Czech Society for International Law. Also served as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and was a representative of the Czech Republic within the UN organizations. Mr. Balaš has teaching activities at Czech and foreign universities. He is co-author of several important publications related to international law. In the years 1994-1998, he was a representative of the city of Pilsen. In 2021 he was elected a member of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.

Biography

Niki Kerameus is the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs of the Hellenic Republic. She serves as a Member of the Hellenic Parliament since January 2015. Ms. Kerameus is a lawyer practicing mainly in the field of international arbitration, with significant experience in Greece, France and the U.S.A. She is a graduate of the Harvard Law School and the University Paris II - graduated first in both and summa cum laude. She is a founding member and first President of the Non-profit Foundation “Desmos”, which locates surplus from companies and individuals to cover the needs of Greece’s most vulnerable citizens and social welfare organizations.

Biography

Radovan Fuchs, Minister of Science and Education

Radovan Fuchs was born in 1953 in Zagreb. After graduating from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb, he completed his master’s degree in biomedical sciences and his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences in the areas of pharmacology and toxicology at the Biomedical Centre, Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden.

He worked as a research assistant at the Biomedical Centre, Uppsala, and as a head researcher, science advisor, and assistant to the director for international cooperation at the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health in Zagreb. In two terms he was assistant to the Minister of Science and Technology, State Secretary and special adviser to the President of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. He was first appointed Minister of Science, Education and Sports in 2009, and again in 2020. 

He has published over 100 original scientific papers and co-authored 11 books in the fields of science and research, of which 10 have been published internationally. He speaks English, Russian and German. He is married and father of two children. Minister Fuchs is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union and a member of the chairpersons of the Science and Education Committee of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

Biography

Dr Jens Brandenburg has been a Member of the German Bundestag representing the Rhine- Neckar region since 2017. In the Parliamentary Group of the Free Democratic Party, he was spokesperson on study, vocational training and lifelong learning as well as spokesperson on the Study Commission "Vocational Training in the Digital Work Environment" until 2021. In December 2021, he was appointed Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Education and Research. He studied political science and economics at the University of Mannheim and completed his PhD at the Graduate School of Economic and Social Sciences. Prior to becoming a Member of the German Bundestag, he worked for a global management consulting firm.

Biography

Petr Štěpánek is a Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Macromo and a bioinformatics student at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Macromo allows people to know their health risks in advance based on an analysis of their genetics and lifestyle factors built into a mobile app, which he develops with his team. In the past, Petr has founded the Next Zone, a hardware startup incubator and a community space in Prague that nowadays helps dozens of young people and students to turn their ideas into reality. It is located in the school he graduated from, the Smichov Secondary Technical School, and serves as a meeting and networking hub for people interested in education and startups from Prague and the rest of Europe. His first startup, which Petr co-founded during his high school studies, was focused on developing modern and compact electric skateboards as a last-mile solution. He spent three months in Shenzhen in a hardware incubator during that time, which later inspired him to build the Next Zone.

Biography

Co-Founder and CEO of Ed-Tech startup Twin Science & Robotics, Asude Altintas is aspiring to deliver holistic and humanitarian-centered STEM education to children around the world. After attending Stanford’s Social Entrepreneurship Program, Asude started her career at one of Turkey’s leading NGOs, YGA, initiating several high-impact social initiative projects. She was invited to speak at the United Nations to present YGA’s technology-based solutions as best practice examples from around the world. During her 5-year tenure as president, Asude guided YGA through several successful projects earning the NGO several awards including MIT Innovators Under 35, Forbes (2x), and GSMA (2x). Asude led and hosted a successful TV program for children on CNNTurk to increase interest in STEM fields. She co-founded Twin and is now a growing figure in the Ed-Tech sector and advocate for STEM education, especially for girls in underserved communities.

Biography

Stefan Zotti is team leader in the European Commission/DG EAC, responsible i.a. for the Jean Monnet actions, the Education for Climate Coalition and investment in education policies. Before rejoining the Commission he was Director General of the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (OeAD-GmbH) and Vicepresident of the Brussels-based Academic Cooperation Association (ACA). Between 2010 and 2013 he served as member of cabinet of Commissioner Johannes Hahn (Regional policy). Stefan holds a PhD in Theology (bioethics) and a master in European Studies.

Biography

Mr Prodromos Prodromou was appointed Minister of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth on the 3rd of December 2019. He had previously served as Government Spokesman from March 2018 until December 2019, as well as a member of the House of Representatives in 1996-2006 and, again, in 2013-2016. He holds Degrees in Economics, Sociology and Political Sciences from the University of Paris (Universite de Paris-X-Nanterre). He also holds post-graduate diplomas in Economic Science (Universite de Paris-X-Nanterre), Sociology (Universite de Paris-X-Nanterre and Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales) and Political Science (Universite de Paris-X-Nanterre).

Biography

Dr Igor Papič was born on 24 May 1966 in Ljubljana. He is a Professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana. From 2011 to 2013, he was the Vice Dean for the field of pedagogical work, from 2013 to 2017 the Dean of the Faculty, and from 2017 to 2021 the Rector of the University of Ljubljana.

He holds bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. In the 1990s, he was a trainee at the Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution Department in Erlangen, Germany. In 2001 he was a visiting professor at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.

He has led numerous national and international research and development projects. In 2009, together with his partners, he founded one of the first spin-off companies of the University of Ljubljana. He has been invited to lecture at the University of Manitoba, the University of Manchester, the University of Alberta, Sichuan University and elsewhere.

From 2006 to 2017, he was Chair of the Programme Council of the Smart Grid Technology Platform. He is President of the Electrotechnical Association of Slovenia. He was one of the initiators and the first President of the Rectors' Forum of the Universities of South-Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, and in 2020 he was the first President of the EUTOPIA European University Alliance.

He is committed to a knowledge-based society and to accelerating the transfer of knowledge from academia to everyday life, which is a prerequisite for the successful development of Slovenia in the coming decades.

Biography

Ligia Deca is the Minister of Education of Romania. Previously, as Presidential Adviser for Education and Research, she coordinated the “Educated Romania” project, which aimed to establish a long-term strategic vision for the national education sector. She is also a University Lecturer at the National University for Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest.

She has been awarded a PhD in Political Science by the University of Luxembourg, her research focusing on the internationalization of higher education.

Author of several papers and studies in the field of education policy, approaching topics ranging from the internationalisation of tertiary education to adaptive educational practices in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ligia Deca has also worked as an expert for the Council of Europe, European Commission, EQAR, DAAD and others. In 2014, she was invited to be a member of the ‘Science in Education’ Expert Group set-up by the European Commission. Ligia Deca was also a member of the Fulbright Board of Directors in Romania between 2017 and 2020.

Biography

Michaela Sojdrova has been a member of the European Parliament for the Czech Christian Democratic Party since 2014. From 1996 to 2010, she was repeatedly elected to the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament, where she worked as a member and vice-chair of the Committee on Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. 

Her experience from Czech School Inspectorate and the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) at the OECD, where she worked between 2010 and 2014, has been a great asset for the parliamentary work in the European Parliament.

In 2022, she was elected as a Vice-Chair of the Committee for Culture and Education. During the first half of her second parliamentary term, she served as the European People´s Party coordinator in the CULT Committee. She is now acting as a deputy coordinator.

As the rapporteur of the European Education Area and a standing rapporteur of the European Solidarity Corps, she primarily focuses on education in its all forms, volunteering and young people.

Biography

Tatjana Babrauskiene has been a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) since 2015. 

She was the EESC rapporteur of several opinions, amongst which: SOC/715 – Higher education package;  SOC/684 – Adult learning;  SOC/663 – Promoting skills for a more just, cohesive, sustainable, digital and resilient society;  SOC/637 - Updated skills agenda;  SOC/636 – Towards an EU strategy for enhancing green skills and competences for all;  SOC/629 – Sustainable funding for lifelong learning and development of skills, in the context of a shortage of skilled labour.

At the national level, Tatjana is the Head of International relations of the Lithuanian Education and Science Trade Union (LESTU) and an expert of the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation (LPSK) in VET, CVET and HE. She has long experience in advocating for adult education and LLL at the European level, including as a member of the European Commission's Advisory Committee on Vocational Education and Training (ACVT) and Cedefop. In 2010, when the European Social Dialogue in Education was established, she was appointed Lithuanian delegate of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Education sector (ESSDE). She is also a representative of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) in three European Commission working groups on education: adult learning, VET and school education.

Biography

Iselin Mulvik has worked as a senior researcher at the Public Policy Management Institute (PPMI) since 2019. She collects data on global trends, attitudes and values to evaluate how countries fare on 21st-century skill development with a strong focus on sustainability mindsets, green skills development, inclusion and diversity. Examples of studies she has led at PPMI were the 'Pilot Study on educational innovation around nature-based solutions', contracted by DG RTD (2019), 'Teachers' readiness to integrate Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Education into their teaching', contracted by UNESCO (2020), a 'Study to investigate the national and institutional policies and approaches to education for environmental sustainability (EES)’, contracted by DG EAC (2021), and the ongoing study for ETF on mapping and analysing policies for skills for the green transition in 17 ETF partner countries. Before joining PPMI, Iselin worked as a research assistant at universities and in the third sector on several topics, including childhood poverty, labour market policies, conflict resolution and migration, using quantitative and qualitative methods. Iselin has a master’s degree in social policy research from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor’s degree in comparative politics from the University of Bergen that she completed in South Africa, Norway and Turkey. Outside of PPMI, Iselin runs an NGO, European Dialogue and Democracy Association (EDDA), that organises election observation missions for students.

Biography

Themis Christophidou is the Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission, since March 2018. 

Born in Famagusta, Cyprus, she is a civil engineer with 38 years of experience in private and public sector management.

After having worked in the private sector for 15 years, she joined the European Commission in 2001. She has held various positions, including in the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, as Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and as Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.

Themis Christophidou holds an MSc in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (Metsovio).

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristophidouEU

Biography

Mariya Gabriel is the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. Under her leadership, the new Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the cultural strand of Creative Europe programmes are being implemented. Her main priorities are excellence in education, research and innovation, tackling the R&I divide in Europe. From 2017 to 2019 she was Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. She was elected as Member of the European Parliament in 2009, 2014 and 2019. Mariya Gabriel is First Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP) and since 2012, Vice-President of EPP Women.

In 2022, the leading news site EU-Startups.com ranked Commissioner Gabriel among Europe’s top 100 most influential women in the start-up and venture capital space. She received the Leadership Awards in recognition of her efforts to support the European innovation ecosystem at the Brussels Tech.eu Summit last May and Madrid South Summit last June. In September 2021, Mariya Gabriel received the ‘Best Global Impact’ award for her contribution to the European entrepreneurial ecosystem at the Startup Ole Forum, Salamanca. Кnown also for her involvement in the fight for gender equality, last April, she was awarded the prestigious “Donna é Innovazione” award (Woman leader in the field of innovation) by the Italian Osservatorio TuttiMedia association and Mediaset.

Biography

Simon is a native of County Wicklow and was first elected to Dáil Éireann in the 2011 General Election as the youngest member of the 31st Dáil. He was reelected in the 2016 and 2020 election.

He has served as Minister of State in the Departments of Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of the Taoiseach with Special Responsibility for OPW,Public Procurement and International Banking (including IFSC). During his time here, he drove a new strategy for financial services in Ireland and managed Ireland’s worst floods.

Simon was Minister for Health in 2016 to 2020 managing the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. During his time in health, he introduced a new all-party agreement on reforming the health service, steered new contracts for nurses, doctors and GPs. He introduced laws modernising Ireland’s laws on abortion, introduced a new law curbing the sale of alcohol for children and secured agreement on a life-saving drug for people with cystic fibrosis.

In his present role as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon has prioritised the delivery of regional technological universities, reform and integration of the third level system including apprenticeships, advancing social inclusion and equality in education and developing Ireland’s human capital through education, skills and training.

Biography

Ms. Li Andersson was appointed Minister of Education in Finland in June 2019. She is the chairperson of the Left Alliance party, former chair of her party’s youth organization and current member of the City Council of Turku. She is serving her second term as a Member of Parliament. She was elected in Parliament in 2015. She was born 1987 in Turku. 

Before and during her political career, Ms. Andersson has had numerous responsibilities in civil society organisations and trade unions. She has been a steady advocate for human rights, equality, civil society, as well as social and ecological sustainability. She holds a Bachelor degree in Social Sciences (international law) from Åbo Akademi University, which is the only exclusively Swedish language multi-faculty university in Finland.

Biography

Minister of Universities, Joan Subirats, born in Barcelona in 1951.

Regarding the academic training, he is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science and Administration at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (2021), professor of Political Science and Administration at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (1990) and Doctor in Economic Sciences at the Universidad de Barcelona (1980).

Concerning the political and professional career, he is the current Minister of Universities (December 2021 - present). He was the Deputy Mayor's Office for Culture, Education, Science and Community at Barcelona City Council, from July 2019 until July 2021, and the responsible for the Culture area of the Barcelona City Council from January 2018 until May 2019.

Previously, he has been researcher and visiting professor at various American and European universities. Prince of Asturias Chair at Georgetown University in 2003. He is also founder and researcher of the Government and Public Policy Institute at Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.

Biography

João Costa is Minister of Education in the XXIII Constitutional Government.

He is a Full Professor of Linguistics at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of NOVA University Lisbon. He holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Leiden, Netherlands and he has been a visiting researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.

He graduated in Linguistics from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon.

He has been Secretary of State for Education in the XXI and XXII Constitutional Governments.

Until November 2015 he has been the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, at NOVA University Lisbon.

He has been Chair of the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (Talis).

He was chair of the Scientific Council for the Social Sciences and Humanities of the Foundation for Science and Technology until November 2015.

He has been member of the Scientific Committee of the National Reading Plan, of the National Commission of the International Institute of the Portuguese Language and of the Advisory Council of the Camões Institute.

He has been also Chair of the European Association of Linguistic Students (SOLE) and the Portuguese Linguistic Association.

Besides his teaching and research activities at the University, he has been a guest lecturer at several universities in Brazil, Macau, Spain and the Netherlands.

Biography

Giuseppe Valditara is Full Professor of Roman Private Law and History of Roman Public Law. He has taught at the University of Turin. During his career, he has held several seminars in many foreign international universities. He is enlisted in the Special Register of Lawyers at the Court of Appeal of Milan.

As a Senator of the Italian Parliament, he has been Member of the Commission on Education, University and Research, Member of the Bicameral Commission for Regional Affairs, Vice President of the Bicameral Commission on Childhood and Member of the Constitutional and Internal Affairs Commission.

He is the coordinator of “Lettera 150”, an initiative launched with a manifesto endorsed by over 150 university professors which has elaborated many reform proposals in different sectors, reaffirming the value of scientific knowledge and high competences, critical to defeat crisis and to build a new, more efficient Italy, based on freedom, responsibility and solidarity.

He is the author of several renown publications on Roman Private Law, Roman Public Law, Roman History and Italian Constitutional law. At European level, he has been the Italian delegate in the Horizon Europe Shadow Programme Committee. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Journal Iura, the Romanist Journal “SDHI”, and of the Spanish Journal "Seminarios Complutenses de Derecho Romano”. He has been Vice President of the Scientific Committee of the Journal "Federalismo e Libertà" and directs the series "I libri del Federalismo" and the cultural Magazine "Lettera 150".

Biography

Emil BOC is the mayor of Cluj-Napoca, the second-largest city in Romania in terms of size and economic development. He is a former Prime Minister of Romania (2008-2012) and a former president of the Democratic Liberal Party (2005-2012). On the EU level, currently he is the president of the European Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER), and a member of the Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC). He is also a rapporteur on Brain Drain in the EU, on Achieving the European Education Area by 2025, and on the European Strategy for Universities. He holds a PhD in Political Sciences and is an associate professor at Babeş-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca. He has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Law from Michigan State University in East Lansing, U.S.

Biography

Gabrielle Fack is Professor of Economics at the University Paris-Dauphine - PSL and research affiliate at PSE (Paris School of Economics), IPP (Institut des Politiques Publiques), CEPR (Center for Economic Policy Research) and CESifo. She holds a PhD in Economics from the Paris School of Economics. Before joining University Paris-Dauphine, she was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University, assistant professor at University Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona) and lecturer at Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne University. Her research focuses on Public Economics, with a special interest for policies aimed at reducing inequalities in access to Education and Housing. She was the chair of the European Comission expert group of Quality Investment in Education and Training in 2021-2022.

Biography

Akis Kyriacou is the Deputy Head of Unit for Evidence-based policy and evaluation in DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. 

Akis joined the European Commission in 2005.  He has worked in different Commission departments in the areas of education, growth and the business environment, SMEs and industry, and consumer policy. This included policy work, providing technical support to EU Member States, and developing the knowledge base. He has also worked for a national administration in the areas of the EU multiannual financial framework, regional policy and economic policy.

Akis has a background in economics and international political economy.

Biography

Education and qualifications

After obtaining his final secondary diploma from the Lycée technique Mathias Adam in Lamadelaine, Claude Meisch enrolled at the University of Trier, from which he graduated in mathematics and economics in 1998.

Governmental posts

Following the legislative elections of 20 October 2013, Claude Meisch joined the government as Minister of Education, Children and Youth and as Minister for Higher Education and Research. After the legislative elections of 14 October 2018, Claude Meisch was appointed for a second term as Minister of Education, Children and Youth, as well as Minister for Higher Education and Research.

Other political posts

A member of the DP since 1994, Claude Meisch was elected to Parliament for the first time in 1999 as candidate for the Democratic Party in the constituency of the South. He was re-elected in 2004, 2009 and 2013.

At local level, Claude Meisch initially served as a municipal alderman in Differdange from 2000 to 2002, then as mayor from 2002 to 2013, an office he held until his appointment to the government.

Claude Meisch served as chairman of the Democratic Party from 2004 to 2013.

Professional activities

Claude Meisch worked for Banque de Luxembourg from 1999 to 2013.

He was chairman of the intercommunal syndicate of the Princess Marie-Astrid Hospital (Hôpital Princesse Marie-Astrid) in Niederkorn from 2005 to 2013 and a member of the executive board of the Émile Mayrisch Hospital Complex (Centre hospitalier Émile Mayrisch – CHEM) from 2008 to 2013.

Biography

After a distinguished career in mathematical physics, Professor Robbert Dijkgraaf gained extensive experience in organizing research and education both nationally and internationally, as the president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and more recently, as the director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, USA. Both as a scientist and in his administrative roles, Robbert Dijkgraaf remained committed to explore possibilities to both teach and inform people on subjects close to his heart, and to discuss them in-depth – as we have seen in Dutch newspapers, TV shows, and in his own publications (e.g. his book “The usefulness of useless research”).

Being the minister of education as of January 2022, Robbert Dijkgraaf cannot completely hide his analytical background to solve problems or to come to improvements, also with respect to our Dutch education system. In this sense, he distinguishes three elements that need to be united in order to come to a thorough mission for education in the Netherlands, as he mentioned in his opening speech to the academic year at Maastricht university in September 2022: "In my view, the overarching mission for further education in the Netherlands is to connect 3 elements: a high quality, a broad accessibility and a connection with the society we know now and the society we foresee for the future". How we can combine these elements may be elaborated upon in the panel discussion ‘Future-Proofing Education: Trends and Challenges’.

Biography

Maria Gaydarova has been a representative of Bulgaria in the General Assembly of the European Association of School Directors (ESHA) and the European Federation for Intercultural Learning (Expert Network, European Federation for Intercultural Learning - EFIL). She is the founder of the Foundation World Education Forum Bulgaria (WEFBG) and a member of the European Federation of Employers in Education (EFEE).

Ms Gaydarova has a master's degree in mathematics with profiles in mathematical assurance, informatics and pedagogy from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. She has an additional qualification in “Organization and management, theory and heuristic methods”, as well as a first professional qualification degree in “Organization and management of educational institution” from the same University. She holds a diploma in “Research and Innovative Working Methods in Education, Coaching, Leadership and Management” from the University of Worcester in the UK. Since September 2022 Maria Gaydarova has a PhD in Methodology of training in informatics and information technologies.

Maria Gaydarova is among the first innovators in the education system in Bulgaria. Since 1998, she has been leading a school in Plovdiv - officially recognized by the Ministry of Education and Science as one of the first innovative schools in the country. She is the initiator and driver of the project “Innovative Schools” of the Municipality of Plovdiv and foundation “World Education Forum Bulgaria”. Ms Gaydarova is a three-time recipient of the “Rilski Neophyte” honorary award of the Minister of Education and Science for high professional achievements - in 2008, 2014 and 2020. In 2014, she also won the “Director of the Year” prize in the national competition of the Union of the Bulgarian teachers.

Since May 2022, Maria Gaydarova is a Deputy Minister of Education and Science in Bulgaria.

Biography

Giuseppina joined the Lifelong Learning Platform's Steering Committee in 2017, and is currently serving the Platform as President. She is also the Secretary General of the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions since 2018. She started being active at school level in 2007 and joined her first European event in 2008. In the past 15 years, Pina focused extensively on access to education, empowerment, inclusion and diversity, vocational training and democratic participation and she worked hard with different stakeholders in Europe to promote a holistic vision of lifelong learning. She owes most of what she learnt to non formal education, but she also learnt a thing or two in her academic studies focusing on language, gender studies and management.

Biography

Eva Keiffenheim has dedicated her career to transforming education systems so that all people can thrive throughout life. Eva advises NGOs, think tanks, EdTechs, and policymakers, on strategic decisions related to learning science and the future of education. Eva has co-authored ""A New Education Story: Three Drivers to Transform Education Systems"" for Big Change, a catalyst for long-term positive change in education. Moreover, in partnership with Big Change, the Lego Foundation, and the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, she co-launched a global initiative at the United Nations General Assembly - Transforming Education Summit in New York.

Eva is a TEDx speaker, Salzburg Global Fellow, and Teach for All alumna. A first-gen student herself, Eva co-founded Speed Up, Buddy!, an NGO that aims to improve educational equality. Eva has published the weekly Learn Letter and several hundred articles consumed by over 2 million avid learning enthusiasts. She is proficient in three languages and has lived in Argentina, China, Chile, India, Germany, and the US.

Biography

Matteo Vespa is the President of the European Students’ Union.

Matteo, a Sardinian, has been active in the organised student movement at the local, national, and European levels since 2016. From 2018 to 2020, he served as International Officer for UDU – Unione degli Universitari, Italy’s main student union.

As a member of the ESU Executive Committee, he worked extensively on academic freedom, Belarus, Next Generation EU, the Conference on the Future of Europe, global outreach and solidarity, the European Education Area and European Universities, brain drain, Erasmus+, Swiss-EU student mobility, Internationalisation at Home, and the proposal for a European level Students At Risk scholarship scheme.

Matteo graduated from the University of Bologna with a Master’s degree in International and Diplomatic Sciences. In his book Europa e India: partiti a confronto (Edizioni Epoké, 2019), he examined the nature of European political parties in comparison to India.

His current areas of responsibilities are: uropean Education Area and European Universities, Public Responsibility, Governance and Financing of Higher Education, BFUG Working Group on Fundamental Values of the EHEA, Students At Risk scholarship scheme, Ukraine.

Biography

Themis Christophidou is the Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission, since March 2018. 

Born in Famagusta, Cyprus, she is a civil engineer with 38 years of experience in private and public sector management.

After having worked in the private sector for 15 years, she joined the European Commission in 2001. She has held various positions, including in the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, as Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and as Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.

Themis Christophidou holds an MSc in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (Metsovio).

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristophidouEU

Biography

Mariya Gabriel is the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. Under her leadership, the new Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the cultural strand of Creative Europe programmes are being implemented. Her main priorities are excellence in education, research and innovation, tackling the R&I divide in Europe. From 2017 to 2019 she was Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. She was elected as Member of the European Parliament in 2009, 2014 and 2019. Mariya Gabriel is First Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP) and since 2012, Vice-President of EPP Women.

In 2022, the leading news site EU-Startups.com ranked Commissioner Gabriel among Europe’s top 100 most influential women in the start-up and venture capital space. She received the Leadership Awards in recognition of her efforts to support the European innovation ecosystem at the Brussels Tech.eu Summit last May and Madrid South Summit last June. In September 2021, Mariya Gabriel received the ‘Best Global Impact’ award for her contribution to the European entrepreneurial ecosystem at the Startup Ole Forum, Salamanca. Кnown also for her involvement in the fight for gender equality, last April, she was awarded the prestigious “Donna é Innovazione” award (Woman leader in the field of innovation) by the Italian Osservatorio TuttiMedia association and Mediaset.

Biography

Born on 11 June 1977 in Koło. In 2001, he graduated from the Faculty of Law, Canon Law and Administration of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. In 2006, he was awarded a doctoral degree in legal sciences based on his dissertation titled “Principles of the rule of law and social justice in the systemic practice of the Third Polish Republic", and in 2015, a postdoctoral degree in legal sciences based on his lifetime achievements and the paper “Economic freedom. The first pillar of the social market economy".

Specialising in constitutional law, he wrote numerous monographs and scientific articles and serves as a professor at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin.

In 2015-2019, he served as the Voivode of Lublin. At that time, he was involved in the implementation of the structural reform of the Voivodship’s schools and institutions and actively participated in the debate on the education system reform.

In 2019, he was elected to the 9th term Sejm of the Republic of Poland. His duties included serving as the deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Justice and Human Rights Committee.

On 19 October 2020, he was appointed Minister of Education and Science. As Minister he is responsible for education and upbringing, VET, higher education and science. Minister Czarnek is also responsible for the affairs of the Polish academia, including students, doctoral students, and scientists.

Married with two children.

Biography

Dr. Jurgita Šiugždinienė holds her doctoral degree of Social Sciences from Kaunas University of Technology, awarded in 2008. In 2012 she served as Deputy Chancellor and Acting Chancellor at the Office of the Prime Minister. Over the years she has been holding different managerial positions at Kaunas University of Technology: she was Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities in 2013-2015, Deputy Rector for Studies in 2015–2017 and Acting Rector in 2017–2018. Since 2020 Dr. Jurgita Šiugždinienė is Minister of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania.

Ms. Šiugždinienė has had over 15 years of experience of consulting on public administration, including consultations of authorities on public administration reform, civil service, and strategic management from over 15 countries, such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Palestine, Afghanistan, East Timor, Georgia, Armenia, Belarus. During 2003–2007 she was adviser on Local Government and Decentralisation in the Regional Centre for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (Bratislava), UN Development Programme.

She was Member and Vice President for Studies in the Board of Directors in CESAER in 2018–2020. She was actively engaged in the programme ,,Kurk Lietuvai” (Create for Lithuania), supervised by the Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania in different volunteering activities.

Since 2012 she is Member of the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats party.

She is holder of the Order of Academic Palms of the Government of France for merits to French culture.

Biography

Tõnis Lukas was born in Tallinn on 5 June 1962. He is married and the father of two daughters and a son. Lukas joined the Isamaa Party in 1992 and is a member of theAcademic Unit of the Tartu District of the Estonian Defence League. In 2006, he received the Order of the National Coat of Arms, Fourth Class.

In 2021–2022, he served as the Director of the Estonian Literary Museum.

In 2019–2021, he served as the Minister of Culture.

In 2018–2019, he served as the Director of the Tartu Vocational Education Centre.

In 2013–2018 and 1992–1995, he served as the Director of the Estonian National Museum.

In 2011–2012, he was a member of the 12th Riigikogu.

In 2007–2011, he served as the Minister of Education and Research. 

In 2002–2007, he was a member of the 9th and 10th Riigikogu.

In 1999–2002, he served as the Minister of Education.

In 1996–1997, he served as the Mayor of Tartu.

In 1995–1996, he was a member of the 8th Riigikogu, serving as the Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee.
 

Biography

Dr. Ivelina Borisova is UNICEF’s Early Childhood Development Advisor (ECD) for the Europe and Central Asia Region and currently the acting Regional Advisor for Education. In this role she leads the regional strategy and program priorities on early childhood development and education across the region.

Prior to this, Ms. Borisova was UNICEF’s global lead in the area of early childhood education and care (ECEC), responsible for global strategy development, advocacy and partnerships in the area of ECEC, aimed at achieving equitable access to quality pre-primary education by 2030.

Prior to joining UNICEF, Ms. Borisova served as the Director of Impact and Innovations for Early Years at Save the Children, managing a broad portfolio of global initiatives, innovations, and regional multi-donor funds.

Ms. Borisova has rich field experience across numerous regions and countries. She is a national of Bulgaria and she holds a Doctorate in Human Development and Education from the Harvard University.

Biography

Andrii Vitrenko, Doctor of Economics and Associate Professor, has a solid track of reseach, teaching and administrative activities in various capacities at higher education institutions, both in Ukraine and abroad. Since mid-2020 he served as the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, and starting August 2021 continues his political leadership in Ukrainian education system in the capacity of the First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine.

Biography

Has 12 years of experience in the implementation, management of local and international projects, in particular the programs of the European Commission, national government and local government programs.

Over 10 years of experience in training and education field, including training sessions, workshop and training process, as well coaching and consulting.

As a trainer, he conducted over 1000 hours of local and international training and workshops in Polish, English, Ukrainian and Russian. In the trainings he shares his experiences in the field of outdoor/adventure education, intercultural education, diversity and inclusion, project management, group work, he also conducts trainings in the field of non-formal education, interpersonal competences and personal development, as well as migration topics.

Editor and author of publication about outdoor education (Outdoor Academy - guidebook, Outdoor Academy - manual of educational program for youth groups, Outdoor Education- from theory to practice).

Currently is vice-president of Foundation Ukraine, one of biggest migrants supporting organization in Poland, working in direction of cultural and social integration and adaptation of all migrant groups in Poland. Since 2016 running training company Outdoor Academy, that provides trainings and educational project for business, public institutions and non-governmental organizations.

Educational background

• Sociologist
• Business trainer - Graduated business trainer academy organized by SET Group
• Alumnus of "Professional NGO Manager" course, organized by the Polish- American Freedom Foundation, also has educator qualifications and pedagogical preparation
• Outdoor education trainer – advance course by Outward Bound Romania
• ERCA instructor of Temporary Low Ropes Courses by European Rope Course Association

Biography

Ms Lotta Edholm has since 18 October been Minister for Schools in the Swedish Government.

Her main responsibilities are pre-school, primary and secondary education.

Ms Edholm has a long experience of education politics both on national and municipal level.

Biography

Mariya Gabriel is the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. Under her leadership, the new Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the cultural strand of Creative Europe programmes are being implemented. Her main priorities are excellence in education, research and innovation, tackling the R&I divide in Europe. From 2017 to 2019 she was Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. She was elected as Member of the European Parliament in 2009, 2014 and 2019. Mariya Gabriel is First Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP) and since 2012, Vice-President of EPP Women.

In 2022, the leading news site EU-Startups.com ranked Commissioner Gabriel among Europe’s top 100 most influential women in the start-up and venture capital space. She received the Leadership Awards in recognition of her efforts to support the European innovation ecosystem at the Brussels Tech.eu Summit last May and Madrid South Summit last June. In September 2021, Mariya Gabriel received the ‘Best Global Impact’ award for her contribution to the European entrepreneurial ecosystem at the Startup Ole Forum, Salamanca. Кnown also for her involvement in the fight for gender equality, last April, she was awarded the prestigious “Donna é Innovazione” award (Woman leader in the field of innovation) by the Italian Osservatorio TuttiMedia association and Mediaset.