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

Jakub Tkacz is a master's student in Human-Technology Interaction at Tampere University, Finland. He completed his digital traineeship at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute in Salzburg, Austria. Throughout his studies, he has actively participated in multiple entrepreneurship programs. Originally from Poland, Jakub has lived and worked in Poland, Finland, and Austria. He actively contributes to the technical community by sharing his knowledge at various meetups.

Biography

Paul is a sailor, retired DJ, design thinker and technology-consultant with a strong believe in the positive effect of education on both individuals and society. As a professional, Paul has worked on the translation of new media and technology to the educational domain. Currently, he is working on the design and implementation of micro-credentials and SSI wallets on a national level to bolster flexible education and lifelong learning.

Biography

• Teacher librarian at Leal da Câmara Secondary School (Sintra, Portugal) and History teacher
• Inter-council coordinator of the School Library Network (Cascais municipality). Teacher trainer in the areas of Educational Technologies and School Libraries
• Editor of the “Apps for Education" repository and manager and editor of the MILD platform. 

He is currently studying for a PhD in Communication Sciences, with a thesis on media education.

Biography

Seamus Barry currently serves as the Principal Teacher at Ballybrown National School, where he champions the integration of digital technology within the classroom. With a distinguished career spanning over 14 years, Seamus has amassed a wealth of teaching and managerial experience across diverse educational settings. His profound passion for digital education drives him to explore innovative ways to safely and effectively leverage technology, aiming to enhance the educational journey for learners of all backgrounds.

Based on an initiative, which he led, Ballybrown National School has become a school which strives for education excellence, developing a best practice video that showcases the school's work in this field. This video has been shared with schools across Ireland through the educational platform Oide, thereby influencing digital education practices far beyond Ballybrown's walls.

Seamus's journey into education is underpinned by a solid foundation in civil engineering, a field in which he worked on numerous construction projects prior to embracing his true calling in teaching. This unique blend of practical engineering skills and educational leadership allows him to bring a distinctive perspective to digital education, emphasizing the importance of structure, safety, and innovation in digital learning environments.

A significant facet of Seamus's work in digital education involves addressing the ethical implications of using artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom. Seamus’ presentation will focus his experiences and perspectives on the ethical considerations teachers and schools must navigate when implementing AI in educational settings.

Biography

Studies chemistry and biology at National High School for Mathematics and Sciences, currently grade 11

Attended international competitions and science forums such as:

• Conrad Challenge 2024
• National young science talents competition 2024
• FISSION 2024 – International science fair
• Science fair of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 2023 – two second places
• International young naturalists’ tournament (IYNT) 2023 – silver medal
• Women in STEM forum 2023 – third place
• FISSION 2023
• IYNT 2022 – bronze medal
• National Olympiads in: chemistry, biology, philosophy, mathematical linguistics

Volunteered in: Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC), Marathons, Concerts, orphanage in Sofia

• Active in the student council, responsible for school events organization
• Organised the Christmas market 2023 which raised almost BGN 5000 for kids with cancer diseases
• Anti-AIDS program in cooperation with BRC
• Lectures on environmental issues with experts
• Literature reading for students

Dancing classical ballet for 13 years, numerous competitions and awards

• 3 times soloist in performances
• Attended Dance world cup 2017

Biography

Viktoria has a diverse background spanning Engineering, Informatics, and Adult Education. In her role as Assistant Manager, Learning & Development at Deloitte Greece, she serves as a pivotal link between industry and academia. With a focus on fostering the future workplace skills, she designs innovative upskilling and reskilling initiatives, that empower anyone to thrive in the ever-evolving tech landscape.

Moreover, she passionately advocates for women's participation in STEM, actively engaging in communities, providing mentorship, and delivering non-formal education training.

Biography

Katrina Sichel is a London-born, Brussels-based moderator and communications specialist. A former producer of TV news packages for the BBC, Sky News, Channel 4, ITV and Reuters – for which she interviewed big figures from the arts, film, fashion and political arenas – since 2007 she has been moderating events in Brussels and internationally covering diverse topics and policy areas. Alongside she has been running multilingual pan-European communications campaigns aimed at the public and diverse stakeholders.

Moderating highlights include the opening of European Development Days 2015 & 2016 with Presidents of the EU institutions, UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, prime ministers and heads of state; media events in Budapest and Berlin for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology; EU Sustainable Energy Week and EU Mobility Week Awards; various events for EUROCITIES on waste management and the Circular Economy, as well as the Covenant of Mayors in the hemicycle of the EP; high-level conferences on Financial Instruments 2014-2020 for EIB and DG REGIO; and conferences on energy for ECI, EnBW, EWEA and CEWEP, among others.

Biography

Read the biography of Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen

Biography

Katrina Sichel is a London-born, Brussels-based moderator and communications specialist. A former producer of TV news packages for the BBC, Sky News, Channel 4, ITV and Reuters – for which she interviewed big figures from the arts, film, fashion and political arenas – since 2007 she has been moderating events in Brussels and internationally covering diverse topics and policy areas. Alongside she has been running multilingual pan-European communications campaigns aimed at the public and diverse stakeholders.

Moderating highlights include the opening of European Development Days 2015 & 2016 with Presidents of the EU institutions, UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, prime ministers and heads of state; media events in Budapest and Berlin for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology; EU Sustainable Energy Week and EU Mobility Week Awards; various events for EUROCITIES on waste management and the Circular Economy, as well as the Covenant of Mayors in the hemicycle of the EP; high-level conferences on Financial Instruments 2014-2020 for EIB and DG REGIO; and conferences on energy for ECI, EnBW, EWEA and CEWEP, among others.

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

Jan De Craemer is a staff member of the Knowledge Centre for Digital Education (Flemish Ministry of Education and Training). For more than 25 years, he has been responsible for ICT policies and initiatives in many different areas such as ICT-infrastructure, curriculum reform, in-service training and ICT for special needs.

He currently represents Flanders to the European Commission ET2020 Working Group on Digital Education (DELTA). 

He is also the Chairman of the European Schoolnet Steering Committee and member of the Board of Directors of European Schoolnet.

Biography

José’s journey at DIGITALEUROPE began in 2021 when he joined as a Project Manager. Today, he holds the position of Director for Projects. José has more than 15 years’ experience as project coordinator of EU projects and several major European studies on different ICT fields (egov, einclusion, ehealth, artificial intelligence, data spaces, twin transition, etc.)

In his professional career, Jose has combined managerial work for ICT consultancies (ONCE Foundation ICT company and Funka) and teaching at several universities, such as, Leeds Metropolitan University, Carlos III University of Madrid, Complutense University of Madrid and Universidade Portucalense. He has also been the Academic Director of the UOC-ONCE Foundation Master on Accessible Technologies. Nowadays, he is an associate researcher at UNIR and co-direct the Industrial PhD UNIR-DIGITALEUROPE.

For many years José has been participating as expert in ICT standardisation processes, such as Head of Interoperability Working Group at UNE or Project Team Leader in the context of Mandate 376 at CENCENELEC. Jose is also a renowned speaker in international conferences and scientific events. He has written several books and a wide range of scientific articles in ICT related fields.

José holds a Computer Science degree and a Master in Telecommunications, both degrees from Polytechnic University of Valencia. Moreover, he holds a PhD in Business Administration from Carlos III University of Madrid. In more recent times, he has also received training on Organisational Strategy at the London School of Economics.

Biography

Saara Martikka is a passionate advocate for literacy skills and an accomplished Finnish language and literature teacher at Kauriala School in Hämeenlinna, Finland. Her extensive background includes serving as a multi-literacy advisory teacher and being a valued member of the media literacy project group for the Uudet lukutaidot (new reading skills) development program. 

As an expert in teaching Finnish media literacy in international media, Saara's knowledge and experience are widely recognized. 

Biography

Teresa Rizzi is a master's student in Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Trento, Italy. She has a bachelor degree in psychology and her main research interests regard user experience and Augmented Reality, with the aim of creating a safe environment for people and empower them in exploring innovation in everyday life; that's why she is now writing her master’s thesis about an AR campus experience at Aalto University, Finland.

Teresa's team, 11chips, won the DigiEduHack 2021 with an idea regarding Augmented Reality for education. With their tool students and teachers can visualize abstract concepts and make abstract ideas reality. You can check out their solution online with the name "Hachi".

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

Simona joined the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission in 2017 and since then she has been working on innovation in education and digital education. She is now part of unit ‘Digital education’, which is in charge of the implementation of the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027.

Simona is currently in charge of the policy work on the effective and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence in education and training and on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education. She had an active role in the preparatory work towards the development of the Guidelines for teachers and educators on promoting digital literacy and tackling disinformation, under the Digital Education Action Plan. Her other tasks include the coordination of the Digital Education Hackathon and the effective cooperation with European EdTech sector. Previously, Simona oversaw stakeholder engagement and strategic communications.

Before joining the Commission worked on initiatives aiming to bridge the gender digital divide in another international organisation. She holds MSc in Media and Communications Governance from the London School of Economics and Political Science and BSc (Hons) in Media Studies and Sociology from City, University of London.

Biography

Marta Markowska is Team Leader for Digital Education Empowerment and Outreach in the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) at the European Commission in Brussels. Her previous policy work at the European Commission focused on social inclusion and equality, implementation of the European Strategic Framework for Education and Training as well as working as a press officer.

Biography

Leonie Bultynck is a policy assistant in the Digital Education unit, European Commission Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC).

Leonie joined the European Commission in 2019 and is part of the core team dealing with the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027. She is in charge of the implementation of Action 13, which is dedicated to enhancing girls and women’s participation in the STEM field. Leonie also supports the work on the dissemination of the Action Plan and the Network of National Advisory Services under the Digital Education Hub.

Prior to joining the Commission, Leonie had gained experience in other international organisations, including the United Nations and Smithsonian Institution. She has an MSc in History from the University of Ghent and an MSc in Cultural Management of the University of Antwerp.

Biography

Katrina Sichel is a London-born, Brussels-based moderator and communications specialist. A former producer of TV news packages for the BBC, Sky News, Channel 4, ITV and Reuters – for which she interviewed big figures from the arts, film, fashion and political arenas – since 2007 she has been moderating events in Brussels and internationally covering diverse topics and policy areas. Alongside she has been running multilingual pan-European communications campaigns aimed at the public and diverse stakeholders.

Moderating highlights include the opening of European Development Days 2015 & 2016 with Presidents of the EU institutions, UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, prime ministers and heads of state; media events in Budapest and Berlin for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology; EU Sustainable Energy Week and EU Mobility Week Awards; various events for EUROCITIES on waste management and the Circular Economy, as well as the Covenant of Mayors in the hemicycle of the EP; high-level conferences on Financial Instruments 2014-2020 for EIB and DG REGIO; and conferences on energy for ECI, EnBW, EWEA and CEWEP, among others.