Valorising Knowledge in Europe -How Intellectual Asset Management and standardisation can transform your results

Senior Project Manager, Trust-It services

Nick Ferguson is a senior manager and shareholder at Trust-IT Services. He coordinates EU-funded projects focussing on knowledge valorisation through standardisation: Cyberstand.eu which supports cybersecurity standardisation for the Cyber Resilience Act. He was also the coordinator of HSbooster.eu - the European Standardisation Booster. Nick also coordinates the DEDEP.eu project which improves the uptake of the Digital Europe Programme outputs and manages the EC's Booster dissemination services for Trust-IT.

Policy Officer, DG RTD

Anna is a Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) – Unit for Knowledge Valorisation and Technology Infrastructures. She is currently responsible for the development and implementation of policy initiatives aimed at enhancing the valorisation of academic IP and strengthening the capacities and skills of TTOs. She also contributes to the design of pilots in the fields of intellectual assets management and industry–academia co-creation.

Prior to joining DG RTD, Anna worked at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, within the Competence Centre on Technology Transfer. There, she coordinated studies on barriers to the commercialisation of green strategic technologies, the functioning of technology transfer and IPR protection systems in widening countries, and models of innovation ecosystems.

Anna holds an MA in European Studies and a BA in Political Sciences, International Relations and Human Rights from the University of Padua.

META Group & IAM4RE Coordinator 

Andrea Di Anselmo is a founding member of META Group. He has 30 years of experience in innovation and startup support gained participating to international projects and influencing strategic addresses as member of the BoD of intermediary organizations, research institutes, Business Angels Networks and SMEs. He is in the Board of Directors EBN and is the Vice President of INSME, the International Association of SMEs.
He is involved in several framework contracts from DG Research on how to use R& results advising more than 300 consortia on exploitation.
He is member of the Network “Friends of Jožef Stefan Institute”.
 

Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships Manager at IOCB Tech and Knowledge Valorisation Freelance Consultant

Hana combines a legal background with extensive experience in diplomacy, project and innovation management, and engagement across the public and private sectors, academia, and NGOs. She recently contributed to a comprehensive analysis for the European Commission on improving the transformation of research results into practical applications, serving as rapporteur for knowledge valorisation and expert in intellectual asset
management.

Previously, Hana led the Centre for Knowledge and Technology Transfer at Charles University for ten years, focusing on innovation, knowledge valorisation, and social impact. She is a co-founder and active member of Transfera.cz, and a former Vice-President and current EU Committee member of ASTP. Currently, Hana combines freelance consultancy, supporting innovation ecosystem development and the strategic use of intellectual assets—with a part-time role at
IOCB Tech, the technology transfer company of one of the most successful institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences. In this role, she focuses on knowledge transfer diplomacy, public affairs, strategic partnerships, and developing educational programmes for innovation management and knowledge valorisation.

Chief Executive at ASTP

Laura has headed up the HQ of ASTP (the pan-European members association for knowledge transfer professionals) since September 2016. Her role there combines responsibility for professional training events, conferences and advocacy to enhance capacity-building of the KT sector. Originally qualified as a Scots lawyer, specialising in EU and IP law, her transition to the world of academic/industrial collaborations started in 1992 when she established the first in-house legal function in a UK university to support these collaborations. Then followed a career across different UK universities (Dundee then Edinburgh) before moving to the Netherlands, spending 10 years at Leiden University and Medical Centre, with responsibility across all aspects of knowledge transfer activities. She has been active in key professional organisations which bring together players in this ecosystem, such as Licensing Executives Society and AUTM as well as ASTP.  

ASTP EU Expert, Knowledge Transfer Manager, University of Bologna, Italy

Since 2013, Alessandra has been in charge of IP Protection of research results, management of the patent portfolio, IP Management within EU, collaborative and contract research projects, innovation management, university-enterprise relations, and management of international projects promoting technology transfer and university-enterprise collaboration. 

Before joining the KTO, she was a Research Advisor and Project Manager for over 10 years, in charge of proposal writing, contract negotiation and project management for EU, national and regional funded projects, in particular within research programmes funding university-enterprise collaboration. 

Since 2016, Alessandra has been an expert evaluator of proof-of-concept proposals funded by the European Research Council Executive Agency.

Coordinator for Entrepreneurship at ANI - Agência Nacional de Inovação, Porto, Portugal

Katiuska Cruz brings over 20 years of experience in finance, business development, and policy advisory, with a strong focus on fostering innovation and knowledge valorisation. She currently leads the Knowledge Valorisation area at the Portuguese National Innovation Agency (ANI), where she works to strengthen collaboration between research institutions and industry, ensuring that research outcomes are translated into societal and economic impact. 

As an Assistant Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, she supports students and researchers in developing an entrepreneurial mindset and innovation culture. In addition, she served as a European Commission Expert on knowledge valorisation, contributing to reports that address strategic challenges such as the green and digital transitions.

Her experience uniquely positions her to provide insights into knowledge valorisation, intellectual asset management, and the role of innovation agencies in supporting standardization and entrepreneurship.

Vice-Rector for Research, Development and Knowledge Transfer, University of Hradec Králové (Czech Republic)

Assoc. Prof. Hana Tomášková serves as the Vice-Rector for Research, Development and Knowledge Transfer at the University of Hradec Králové. Her professional focus lies in fostering open science, strengthening doctoral education, and creating institutional frameworks that support both secure and innovative research environments.

She advocates for a comprehensive approach to intellectual asset management that goes beyond traditional intellectual property protection and embraces diverse forms of transferable knowledge and innovation. Under her leadership, the University of Hradec Králové systematically strengthens its capacity in knowledge transfer, open science, and institutional safety, ensuring that strategic management principles are effectively embedded into everyday research and operational practice.

Full Professor at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade (UBFON)

Ivana Mijatović is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade (UBFON). She is a passionate educator in the field of standardization, teaching at the bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels. At UBFON, she has developed an innovative Standardization course that integrates active learning methods and gamification elements.

Professor Mijatović leads the UB FON team in several international projects, including the Horizon Europe initiatives HSbooster.eu (Standardisation Booster for H2020 & Horizon Europe research results), Edu4Standards.eu (Education for Standardisation in the EU), and IAM4RE.eu (Intellectual Asset Management for Research and Entrepreneurship).

From 2012 to 2023, she served as Vice President of the Board of the European Academy for Standardization (EURAS), and in 2018/2019, she was President of the International Cooperation on Education about Standardization Committee (ICES).

She is a member of several national mirror committees related to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7, CEN/TC 353, CEN/TC 365, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 36, and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 40. Her current academic work focuses on standardization, education about standardization, teaching quality, and quality aspects of technology-enhanced learning.

Senior Innovation Manager, EURICE

Claire works at the intersection of intellectual property, research valorisation, and European innovation strategy. She coordinates the European IP Helpdesk and contributes to major EU initiatives such as IP4OS, IAM4RE, and the IP SME Helpdesks. With more than a decade of international IP management experience, she helps institutions, research teams, and entrepreneurs turn intellectual assets into enablers of innovation, Open Science, and standardisation. She regularly develops and delivers training programmes on IP management, knowledge valorisation, and entrepreneurship.

Managing Director, Iambic Innovation; strategic adviser on IP valorisation and innovation policy

Eugene has over 40 years of experience in commercialising research results and intellectual property, spanning roles in industry, investment, consultancy, and policy. He is the founder of Iambic Innovation Ltd, advising universities, research institutions, and governments worldwide on IP management, research exploitation, and innovation strategy. He serves as a senior advisor for the EU IP Helpdesk, while also contributing as an evaluator and expert to the European Commission. Eugene is an active member of international standards committees on innovation and IP management and a long-standing trainer and mentor for knowledge transfer professionals.

Account Manager, RTD Collaboration and Policy & External Affairs, CEN-CENELEC

Claire Dalier is Account Manager, RTD Collaboration, Policy & External Affairs at CEN-CENELEC. She works with European research stakeholders and Horizon Europe projects to integrate standards into R&I, strengthen knowledge valorisation, and connect consortia with the right technical committees. Claire advises on standardisation strategies, exploitation and dissemination pathways, and collaboration with EU policy initiatives to accelerate uptake of results through standards. She also contributes to awareness-raising and training activities that support the integration of standardisation into research projects.

Head of Partnerships, Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office University of Luxembourg

Christophe is Head of the Partnerships, Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office at the University of Luxembourg, where he leads efforts to strengthen partnerships, valorisation, and spin-off creation. With over 25 years of experience in research–industry collaboration, he has held senior leadership roles in technology transfer in France and Luxembourg, including at Toulouse INP, Toulouse Tech Transfer, and Réseau C.U.R.I.E.. He recently served as President of ASTP, Europe’s leading knowledge transfer association, and continues to act as an expert for the European Commission and international organisations on IP, innovation, and valorisation. Christophe is also deeply involved in professional development and training for knowledge transfer practitioners across Europe.

Professor at Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI and Technische Universität Berlin

Knut Blind is Head of the Business Unit Innovation and Regulation at Fraunhofer ISI and Professor of Innovation Economics at TU Berlin. With nearly three decades of experience in research, policy, and standardisation, he has led numerous European and national initiatives on the role of standards in innovation and knowledge valorisation. He coordinates projects such as EDU4Standards, and has been instrumental in developing European and German Standardisation Panels. Alongside his research and policy work, Knut actively designs and delivers training on standardisation, innovation policy, and the management of intellectual assets.