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Angele is the entrepreneur behind AcrossLimits. She was barely out of University when she decided she could make a difference to the IT industry. After a few challenging years she fell in love with European projects and the great world out there, and set about changing her company from a small Malta-based firm, to an innovative research SME.

Angele is normally seen in high heels and with a smile on her face. Her tongue-in-cheek humour and positive attitude has helped the company move forward even when things got tough with the crisis and all. Her background in innovation (read ‘crazy ideas’) has given birth to many of our projects.

Angele speaks fluent Maltese, English and Italian and can be contacted most easily via email or Whatsapp.

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Jacqueline is the motor behind all day-to-day operations at AcrossLimits. She deals with all number crunching aspects of projects and clients and everyone, (including Angele!), understands that her word is law when it comes to money.
Her path to working in finance has been an extremely winding one! She originally studied sciences as she wanted to become a doctor of medicine, but she shelved this dream after a while. She then worked with large local organisations like AirMalta and MIM before making AcrossLimits her home.

Her hobbies are mainly reading fantasy books, and crafts – anything from crochet to egg-decorating. She has a number of pets that include tropical fish, water turtles and fresh-water shrimps.

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Emanuele is Italian and began programming when he was just a teenager. He continued to develop his skills while he juggled part-time work and also studied. His studies specialized in CMS and web languages. He enjoys teamwork and challenges, and always aims for the best result. Emanuele’s hidden talents are playing the piano, synth and electric guitar since he was a teenager. He has combined these skills to also become a soundtrack composer. In his free time, he loves playing video games, racing cars and developing new tuning systems for Japanese cars. His motto is “Carpe Diem!”.

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Rebecca is the Head of EU Projects & Business Development at AcrossLimits. She comes from an EU background, having a BA in European Studies and a Masters in European Public Affairs. As a student, she led a youth NGO that implemented Erasmus+ projects. This experience made her aware of the positive impact that EU-funded projects – even the small ones – have on individuals and communities. As a result, she sought a career in EU funds. Over the past few years she has gained experience in assisting clients to apply for and implement various centralised and de-centralised projects. She particularly enjoys those relating to youths, culture, community building, and equality.

In her free time, she is typically adding books to her online cart… whilst blatantly ignoring the 30 other books in her to-be-read pile. She also enjoys drawing and has been getting into trouble for doodling on her notes since childhood – a habit which she is still trying (and failing) to break.

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Senfer is the Head of Partnerships at AcrossLimits. She has a 15+ year background working in both EU and USAID projects and is also an experienced ICT/Robotics and Coding teacher. She loves block coding and robotics, and has coached her previous school’s LEGO robotics team for three years. Senfer is always ready to learn new things and is passionate about education, ICT, technology and equal rights and opportunities for all. She is a graduate of Brunel University (UK) and University of Essex (UK).

Senfer is a committed vegetarian and loves all animals, especially dogs. She has a love for gardening and can usually be found replanting something in her garden. The rest of her time is usually taken up by her reading the latest paranormal fiction or playing Minecraft Education with her son. Her one vice is coffee and that is non-negotiable, her son will vouch for that fact.

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Mila studied B. Communications (Hons) and English at the University of Malta, she went on to begin her career in social media and copywriting in 2013. Working in different industries over the years, including a marketing agency, retail brand, igaming & hospitality, Mila developed into a jack of all trades. She has also completed various related short diploma courses over the years. Her main strengths lie in social media marketing & management, content writing, website administration, and even graphic design. Developing these skills allows her to keep things interesting on the daily.

Outside of work, Mila enjoys cooking & baking, watching true crime documentaries, travelling, and obsessively taking photos of her dog (who is the goodest boy ever). She occasionally also spends time with her husband. This usually includes finding new places to explore or deciding whether to order one or two desserts at dinner.

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Maria Elena is a Project Manager at AcrossLimit. She started her career in the EU funding sector 15+ years ago within the public sector, where she delved into bringing to life the LIFE+ Programme. This led to developing an interest in EU funding, particularly environmental and green projects. Her past roles involved the coordination of Direct Funding Instruments, as well as acting as Malta’s liaison for the Interreg Italia-Malta programme. These roles involved guiding, assisting and mentoring stakeholders, possible partners and others: elements that turned out to be one of her passions. She was also involved in the negotiations and drafting of the new programmes in collaboration with national representatives and managing authorities, as well as European Commission bodies.

Maria Elena is very fond of her family, and her free time is generally taken up running around with her kids. If any time is left, she loves a good read, heartfelt laughter with good friends and savouring good food!

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Daniel is a Projects Officer at AcrossLimits. He comes from a legal background, having a Bachelor of Laws (Hons.) from the University of Malta. As a student, he was the Projects Officer and then President of a youth NGO that implemented Erasmus+ projects. Through this experience he gained first hand knowledge of the transformative impact that EU projects can have, and sought to be a part of this impact through larger projects. As a result, he has pursued a career in policy development and EU funds. He particularly enjoys projects related to sustainability, good governance and Single Market cohesion policy

In his free time, Daniel enjoys hiking in the countryside, following select committee and parliamentary debates and cooking. He also enjoys reading political autobiographies and books focusing on policy development in contemporary history.

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Daniela is a Content Writer and Junior Project Officer at AcrossLimits. She comes from a language background, with a bachelor’s degree in English and French, as well as knowledge of Italian, German and Spanish. She is currently reading for a Master in Translation and Terminology Studies. Since AcrossLimits is heavily involved in EU projects, Daniela believes that having intercultural and linguistic skills is an asset when communicating with clients, experts and partners abroad.

Daniela loves travelling abroad to come into contact with other cultures. However, being an avid reader of historical fiction, fantasy and romance, she also believes that reading books can “let you travel without moving your feet” (Jhumpa Lahiri). Moreover, in her spare time, she indulges in one of her greatest passions – music. She has been studying piano, guitar and voice for more than 10 years and has taken part in several choral concerts in Malta and overseas. For Daniela, music is one of the best elixirs for the mind and soul. Her favourite genres are classical and sacred, but she also loves singing out loud to some pop and rock hit songs.

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Melisa is a Junior Project Officer at AcrossLimits. Having studied Psychology with Communication at Canterbury Christ Church University, she later went on to follow a digital marketing path. She spent several years as a freelance content writer, and marketing specialist for companies based in Cyprus. She had also spent some time in the technical support sector before finding herself at AcrossLimits. Passionate about people and eager to learn, Melisa has a knack for actively listening and helping all those around her to the best of her ability.

Outside of work, Melisa likes to go on long walks with her two dogs (who are both surprisingly determined to finish the trails despite their short legs), and tries to plant and grow her own food, even though insects seem to get to them before she can. She finds cooking very therapeutic and enjoys spending a lot of her time in the kitchen.

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Senay is a Junior Project Officer at AcrossLimits. She comes from an art background, with a Bachelor’s degree in Animation Production. She’s an enthusiast with a deep love for movies, often diving into the world of cinema to explore storytelling and creativity. 

Outside of work, her passions extend to the realm of music, as she can skillfully play the electric guitar. Her love for animals is another significant aspect of her life, and you can often find her sharing her affection with furry friends.

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Arnas is a Technical Writer at AcrossLimits. He comes from a diverse academic background, having a Bachelor of Science in Politics and International Relations from the University of London, and also an Advanced Diploma in Digital Marketing. This led him to take a variety of occupations, ranging from social media manager in the private and voluntary sector, policy writer, a freelance marketing consultant, and business journalist.

He has also volunteered as a project manager and communications officer for local non-profit charities in Malta focused on addressing poverty and social exclusion of vulnerable youths and elderly.

He’s not particularly picky on what projects he likes to work on, taking on each new field as a challenge and opportunity to learn. However if he had to choose he’s keen on projects addressing social inequality, citizen empowerment, FinTech and other emerging technologies.

In his free time, Arnas likes to take the opportunity to tend to his plants, partake in some home improvement, catch up on his reading, and see if there’s any way he can get his cat and dog to get along.

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Ever driven by a passion for art and solving problems in creative and efficient ways, Beth graduated university with a B.Sc. I.T. (Hons.) degree in Artificial Intelligence and an M.Sc. degree in Digital Games, but eventually steered her career back toward her artistic roots through self-directed learning and practice, going from working as a software developer within academia, to working as a game designer, and ultimately, a 2D/concept artist within the mobile games industry.

As a Digital Media Officer at AcrossLimits she designs various kinds of visuals (such as logos and brand identities, social media graphics, websites, and even some game art) across EU projects, proposals, and other endeavours undertaken by the company.

Music is a constant companion in Beth’s work and life – if she’s not singing, playing guitar, or listening to music through a device, rest assured there is still an endless stream of music playing in her head. Outside of work hours, she enjoys indulging in the latest pop culture and entertainment news, immersing herself in a good film, TV show or video game, expressing herself through drawing and digital painting, and dreaming of solving all the world’s problems.

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Leonardo is our Web & Game Developer who is an expert in CMS Websites, e-Learning platforms and integrations with custom applications both on Frontend and Backend. He also provides IT support to clients and projects in the most efficient way. He loves video games, racing cars, passing time with various softwares on PC and collecting Consoles, both old and new.

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Steve is old. And grumpy. The first computers he got his hands on were not PCs. The first code he cut was not even OO. Since then he has gone from pseudo code and writing compilers to developing technology policy and technology strategy at the national and international levels.

Steve has worked in academia, small business, large business and government long enough to know that he does not like politics of any kind. He originates from the north of England where words are precious and used sparingly and questions receive short, sometimes blunt, answers. If you don’t like what you hear, he is more than happy to debate with you. And even if there’s a gang of you, he is stupid enough to not back down if he believes that right is on his side. This mix of personality disorders means that clients often call on Steve to solve
thorny problems.

Steve currently focuses on three main technical areas: High Performance Computing, Artificial intelligence & Machine Reasoning, and Novel Software Architectures. He is regularly appointed by the EC in expert roles for these areas. He also knows a thing or two about Cyber Security, Informatics and Technology Transfer. He is a business mentor. His hobby is Ontology, even the misguided forms. His heroes are WVO Quine, CS Pierce and Noam Chomsky.

Steve doesn’t care if he is colour coordinated or not, he cuts his hair when it annoys him, and only sometimes irons his shirts. Unable to safely climb mountains and run marathons any more, Steve spends his spare time listening to dreadful music, eating curry and sitting in traffic jams.

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Anna Maria works mostly from Brussels although she is also often zooming around different European countries. She focuses on issues related to digital agenda, education, entrepreneurship and social affairs. Anna’s background is quite eclectic having been an entrepreneur herself, with companies in areas related to business management, environmental services and training. She is one of the Maltese representatives in Brussels for the Economic and Social Committee, having also been Vice President for Communications of the same institution for a couple of years. Within AcrossLimits, she helps in the creation and management of projects, whilst doing desk-based research on a multitude of areas. Anna Maria is a fashion guru, with an unmistakable style, and a love for Italian designers, above all others. She is also a commercial skipper and spends a lot of time sailing around islands in the Mediterranean and beyond, whilst dreaming up new ideas for a better world.

With over 10 years of professional expertise, Serhat excels as a consultant in SME support and business development, specialising in market research, project management and strategic planning. His track record includes securing contracts exceeding 10 million EUR from prestigious donors such as the FCDO, GIZ, EU, World Bank, and UNDP. He has spearheaded strategic initiatives across diverse sectors, expanding market presence and boosting revenue streams for SMEs/private sector companies globally.

Serhat’s advisory services encompass business development, planning, marketing, and entrepreneurship, resulting in enhanced visibility and connectivity for client companies. Through targeted promotional activities and networking events, he has cultivated extensive international networks, facilitating collaborations and trade promotion across various countries.

Notably, Serhat has pioneered successful market entry strategies and provided invaluable insights to senior management, contributing to informed decision-making and sustained organisational growth.

Ivan Ebejer is an economist, consultant and foresight strategist with over 25 years of public and private sector experience in economics, finance and EU affairs. As a European Commission official, he served in different roles and carried out numerous analytical assignments and studies as part of the design, formulation and evaluation of EU policy strategies and funding programmes. Ivan combines his economics background with a professional interest in strategic foresight/futures thinking, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation to identify future opportunities or find solutions to dynamic and complex problems. He applies human-centred and design thinking techniques to create meaningful, innovative solutions that deliver value to organisations. Ivan mentors undergraduate vocational education students as part of their entrepreneurship studies as well as aspiring young entrepreneurs in Junior Achievement teams. He taught the course on the Economics of European Integration as a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta.

Jean Paul Fabri is an applied economist and has amassed local and international experience. He formed part of the private office of the former Prime Minister of Malta and Governor of the Central Bank of Malta. He also has international policy advisory experience, having been an advisor to 9 governments on economic resilience and good governance. He is also a visiting assistant lecturer at the University of Malta.

Valeria Gasik is a digital service design maverick with 10+ years in the field, M.Sc in Human-Computer Interaction, and a knack for customer-centric, ethical ideas. 

Valeria orchestrated interaction design courses in Tallinn University, co-crafted a praised digital mobile/IoT soundscaping service, and grew a multi-million valued FinTech with 4.8/5 rating and 10-fold industry-defying customer loyalty.

As a project partner, Valeria sparks ventures with digital services, across sectors. She fosters bedrock for customer-centered thinking, helps to distill product objectives, and humanizes tech.

Yalın has over 6 years of experience in grant preparation procedures for various funding schemes such as Eureka Cluster, EU Framework Programmes including Era-Net, Horizon Europe and alternative grants provided by embassies and national development agencies. I have been providing consultancy service to various research domains including health, ICT, automotive, arts and culture, and education. I have a lot of experience working with multinational companies, start-ups and academics across many research fields.

Leszek has been a business advisor since 2005. Prior to consulting, Leszek held executive roles in leading international corporations. At that time, he managed organisation wide risk exposures, developed and launched management systems, defined and introduced policies, procedures and monitoring processes. Leszek’s consulting career was initiated in a global professional services organisation (PwC) where he built a team of industry experts and conducted a considerable number of strategy development projects. More recently, he has acted as an independent senior business advisor and interim manager. He has assisted top executives of organisations of various sizes and industries in the implementation of cross functional projects and programs. The majority of those engagements have concerned some area of strategy development or risk and compliance management. Other domains of expertise include business intelligence and data science. Beside consulting, he is an active lecturer at a business school.

Elvis Oltean has worked in academia and in SMEs. He has research experience in Economics, Physics and Applied Statistics. He has a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Loughborough University, with a topic on the applications of Statistical Physics to Economics, and he also has an M.Sc. in Computational Economics from the University of Essex. He was awarded the postgraduate research bursary of these universities. He also taught Statistics and statistical software at undergraduate level and has the qualified teacher status in the U.K. He has additional research interests such as competitiveness/ comparative advantage at macroeconomic level and Physical Cosmology. He has also worked in small business development.

Deniz Usman is an experienced consultant and an entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in project management in EU and USAID funded projects. Mr Usman serves as the General Manager of the first and only professional public bicycle sharing company in the TCc. Deniz and his team are avid supporters of a cleaner environment and healthier living initiatives for the improvement of TCc. Deniz has been working as a Local Venue Support and a Digital Stage Manager for the TCc missions since 2014, providing support for missions including environmental and social impact. Previously, he has worked as the Events Coordinator for the EU funded Cyprus Island Development NGO platform, working with both TCc representatives and the RoC counterparts as necessary. He was instrumental in the development of strategies to provide demand-driven programs and services as part of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Shopkeepers and Artisans, working to develop and strengthen communication channels between the chamber and its registered members.  He has served as the program officer for a USAID funded project and was responsible for identifying local experts, identifying partner organizations and supervising local service providers. Deniz holds a BA in Business and Information Technology from the University of East London.

Munir Mehmet has over 47 years of experience working mainly in energy, finance and project management sectors. Mr Mehmet has served as one of the first EC Task Managers for the Turkish Cypriot community for TAIEX, then continued to take on the role of TAIEX Coordinator within EUPSO (EU Program Support Office). He currently provides Local Venue Support and is a Digital Stage Manager for the TAIEX missions. Mr Mehmet is an expert in the EC efforts and missions in the TCc, liaising with both beneficiary representatives and the EC Task Managers to enable the coordination of the activities. He provides support for the experts in the Green Line Trade missions, accompanying the experts. He has been diligently working within these capacities for years to support the missions for Technical Assistance for Turkish Cypriot community provided to bring them closer to EU norms and regulations. Munir Mehmet has a Post Grad Certificate in Contemporary European Studies from the University of Birmingham and a MSc and a Bsc in Management. Mr Mehmet also has experience designing and delivering management and accounting courses

Ms Saziye Mehmet graduated with a BSc from International Relations and European Studies. During her studies, she was a volunteer for the IREA Society which represented the University in various European countries and engaged with different partners for networking. She obtained an MBA in Human Resources Management (HRM) and Oil & Gas Management. Ms Mehmet has worked for the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce on Project Management and Business Development. Ms Mehmet currently is a Board Member for the Human Resources Management Association she undertakes writing and implementing projects. Further, she was involved in St. Hilarion Rotary Club projects which are designed to impact social responsibility. Ms Mehmet is currently the Community Engagement and Entrepreneurship Officer at CYENS involved with Turkish Cypriot engagement.

Accomplished executive with experience in digital transformation, innovative solutions, product & service developments, programme management, with demonstrated expertise in energy, banking, factoring, insurance, leasing, payment systems, telecommunications, media, broadcasting, higher education, health, logistics and air transportation verticals. Proven track record in holdings, start-ups, revenue generation (new products, deeper customer insights, price optimization, operations optimization, up-sell), cost reduction (streamlining, automating operations, redeploy resources, contracts, SLA, outsourcing) customer satisfaction and loyalty (smoother process flows, less cumbersome interactions, faster processing times), time to market (Increase cycle time, reduce time to market for new digital features and functions), marketing & sales, innovation, business development, R&D ( codex, hardware, finapps, tasdix) , crisis management, as well as developing teams in multicultural markets with sensitivity and respect for diversity. A strong analytical background, with an ability to synthesize very large amount of information in complex environments to identify root causes and develop recommendations, product/ programme/ upper management background, finance, sales & marketing expertise, business and labor laws & regulations literate along with strong presentation, written-verbal communication and inter-personal skills.

Jessica is highly experienced with a strong track record of strategic vision, leading complex teams as well as heading new business development and securing strategic relationships. She has a proven ability to think strategically, analytically and critically with the agility to translate ideas and insights into action with strong convening, facilitation and project management skills. She is highly responsive, results-oriented and proactive with a flexible approach across a complex range of stakeholders in South Africa, Internationally and Pan Africa.

Throughout his successful management career, Thomas has combined a management strand in the field of innovation and strategy, and a technology strand in new emerging technologies (nanotech, biotech, materialtech) as member of several EU advisory boards, technology platforms and as an adviser to several interest groups in the field of innovation worldwide.

Hajnalka has over 12 years of experience in management in the corporate sector and as an entrepreneur, being the co-founder for some enterprises.

She has developed and managed international programs in areas such as employability, future of work, seed funding, creative businesses, XR, being able to bring together players – startups, corporates, creatives, artists, researchers, non-profits. She is interested in new trends such as XR and immersive technologies and its potential for business, startups and creators – working on projects in this area.

She has experience in different industries and sectors such as: banking groups, startups, media business and creative industries.

Toomas Lepik has a degree in Economics and is currently finishing his Master in Technology Management. He has over 15 years of business experience in multiple fields. With a background in private banking and finance, he has worked in business management, production and product export. His work experience also includes marketing for multiple large scale enterprises. Toomas is interested in helping companies with business strategies, connecting appropriate partners and executing business starts. He is currently involved in multiple projects ranging from fertilizer factories to free-trade zones.

Ing. Joseph Micallef is an engineer by profession, a business leader and technology enabler with three decades of experience across different industries and sectors, locally and abroad. Starting off in the corporate world, he had gradually moved into the business consulting and advisory sphere, where for the past 20 years he has focused on delivering value within enterprises through his advisory, mentoring and project execution services. His passion is about enabling client organisations embark on strategic and operational excellence initiatives through Quality leadership mentoring, Lean best practices, and Innovation management, while encouraging the use of technology to supplement operations and take organisations to the next level – making them more consistent, sustainable and continuous.

Dr. Pekka Kess has an international, academic career in the area of Industrial Management, and specializes in Human Resource Management, Supply Chain Management, Quality Management, and eLearning. Before becoming an academic, Dr.Kess gained invaluable experience by working as a manager in chemical, steel, electronic, and software industries. During his 25 years as a professor, he has supervised more than 30 doctoral students, and 300 graduate students.

Dora is an economist with strong background in management, strategic planning, and donor financing. She has been leading the conceptualization and implementation of a European pre-accelerator program for science-based start-ups, and is working with institutions on start-up journey development and training programme design. Recently – to adapt to the “new reality” of the post-Covid19 period – she is focusing on online transformation and effective online training program creation. What makes Dora tick is helping scientists grow a sustainable and profitable business. She has worked successfully with more than 130 co-founders and young entrepreneurs from the Medtech, Digital Health and Biotech fields, in finding their right business-model, advising on financial strategy, validating their product through customer conversations and preparing them for investor pitches. During mentoring, she uses a holistic approach to leverage her experience and expertise to allow co-founders question existing patterns, change perspectives and discuss strategic ideas, which equips them to make their own decisions. Other than start-ups, her passion is backpacking, photography and getting out of town with her pointer puppy, called Rodolfo.

With proven international experience at executive level in business development, Anne-France has experience in income generating ventures, corporate social responsibility, finance and project management acquired in the third sector, and media and retail organizations — ranging from large corporations to start-ups. She has well developed interpersonal, communication, networking and language skills, giving her the ability to interact with all levels of management in multi-cultural environments. In addition, she has academic accreditation in Economics, Finance, Business Ethics, CSR, Energy Efficiency and corporate governance.

Holding a Masters Degree in Economics with specialisation in finance, Francesco has over 12 years of experience in corporate arenas, with a particular focus on designing innovative projects around Open Innovation: their initiation, coordination, supervision and evaluation. He also owns extensive expertise in start-up environments, whereas he co-founded for-profit and non-profit initiatives in Europe and East Africa. In the last 3 years, Francesco has focused on fostering innovation through value-added collaboration between corporate, startups and public institutions. He’s knowledgeable about life science, agro and energy industries, but has also researched innovative solutions for mobility and smart cities.

Daniel is the co-founder of InnoGage.eu, a dynamic European digital agency born in 2015 with a rich history, expert skills and a large network of high profile individuals and partners. This agency has been playing its role in designing the digital world, and pioneering Open Government, Smart Cities & Mobility, and Communication and Engagement across Europe. InnoGage merges open innovation with digital communication and engagement consultancy, in order to design services that empower people, organisations, media and governments to co-create a better tomorrow. Born into what is being coined today as the “EU Bubble”, Daniel grew up within, and quickly got acquainted to, European projects and their co-related institutions. In 2004, Daniel founded the POLITECH Institute, which was the 1st European Centre of Excellence in Political Technologies based in the heart of Europe. Daniel’s experiences strengthened his communication and media expertise, together with the policy-shaping skills that he then acquired within Politech. Innovation and online media have become part of his DNA, and nowadays Daniel is seen by his peers as a European digital pioneer, and an expert in the use of the Internet within the public sphere.

Avi is an International Business Leader and Project Manager, backed by years of experience. His expert know-how is supported by a proven track record of achievements, and his successful delivery of diversified projects, mainly in business turnaround or substantial growth situations. Avi is skilled in providing project management, interim management and business development services to startups and SMEs. Apart from this, he provides mentoring and coaching services to startup entrepreneurs and SME business leaders.

Antonela Marincat studied for her degree at the Faculty of European Studies at Babes-Bolyai University (Cluj, Romania), and continued to study for her Masters in Human Resources and Communication at the National School of Political Studies and Administration (Bucharest, Romania).For the past 13 years, she has been working as a business consultant, and a funding expert for EU projects related to different themes and types of beneficiaries. Antonela specializes in robotics, and artificial intelligence that is tied to the military, CBRNE, and Industry 4.0. She simply loves robots, and finds that they give her a lot of opportunity in which to be innovative! Another skill that Antonela has sharpened over the years is mentoring, and she enjoys helping people and teams evolve their ideas through project and business development.

James has developed and implemented large, complex IT systems in multiple industries specialising in the Agriculture and Healthcare sectors. This has included implementing systems in highly regulated compliance environments such as the NHS in the UK and HIPPA compliance in the US. This has often required James to work within complex multi-vendor environments while maintaining a focus on value and end user benefits while satisfying predefined KPIs set at the program level.

One project in particular included the implementation of a system to allow Maltese farmers to apply for state and EU subsidies. This project was delivered on time and to budget using a third party vendor to implement the requirements for EU subsidies for agricultural activity as well as support for rural development projects.

All this was completed in an election year and the accompanying pressure this brought. In the Healthcare sector, James has delivered and managed a whole suite of software/hardware products, as well as developing a solution to track medical records around the hospital campus.

Duncan is a telecommunication and IT professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry with focus on mobile core network design and architecture. He has been involved in various consumer and IoT MVNO setups.He graduated in 1999 as an Electrical Engineer from the University of Malta and in 2006 an M.Sc (Engineering) with a dissertation on Biomedical Engineering research topic from the same University.

Besides his interest in Telecoms, he likes to research IoT applications, machine learning, and microcontrollers.

In his free time, Duncan trains for powerlifting and enjoys long runs on a regular basis. He is also a personal fitness trainer.

Norbert is a Radio Networks Engineer who works for a leading telecommunications company in 

Malta. He also operates as an Engineering Consultant on a self-employed basis. In 2013, he received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Malta. A year later, he successfully completed a Master by Research Degree in Biomedical Engineering.

Norbert has over 9 years of experience in various fields, including Biomedical and Healthcare,

Building Services, and Telecommunications. He has a strong passion for data mining to unveil new knowledge, optimise existing processes or predict future events.Norbert is committed to staying up to date with the latest developments in his industry, and he is always eager to learn and grow. He is passionate about education, research and development, technology, sustainable solutions, and the environment. Norbert holds a Local Engineering Warrant and is a fully qualified and accredited EPB Assessor. He has a number of publications and scholarships to his name, showcasing his expertise and achievements.

In his free time, Norbert loves watching European Football and Formula 1, going for runs, playing football with friends, and traveling to different countries to learn about different cultures and traditions.

Firuza Nahmadova is a MSc graduate of King’s College London and a BBA graduate of ESSEC Business School. She has been working in both private and public sectors as a data analyst, engineer, and researcher. Her data skills have been applied through finance and international development industries: collecting and integrating multiple data sources into one, transforming it into standardized and valuable data, analyzing it for insights, enabling better decision-making. Her experience at Baku Research Institute as political researcher has made her an expert in the Post-Soviet region policy issues.

Fernando Roa has worked for about 20 years in high tech and clean energy industries and has ample experience with business management, semiconductors, materials science and technology, supply chain management, subcontracting in overseas locations, plant management, site selections. Fernando Roa also has a Doctorate in Materials Science and Chemical Engineering.

Ivana Marsic is an entrepreneur who founded an award-winning startup that re-invented the in-store shopping experience and pioneered the omnichannel concept of retail. She also recently founded an IoT wearable smart textile startup.

She has 20 years of extensive international experience in the private (Siemens) and public sector (European Commission) related to digital transformation; project/program management; innovation; leadership and strategic management; and new product/service launch. She is an expert evaluator for European Commission Programs (Eurostars, Eureka, and Horizon2020) and assesses technological and commercial aspects of IT/high tech projects in the context of selecting top innovative projects for funding. In addition, she collaborates with the US-based venture capital fund VU Venture Partners and Astia business angel community supporting women‐led, high‐growth ventures.

Ivana graduated in electrical engineering at the University of Split and she holds an MBA from the Simmons School of Management in Boston. She completed her MBA in the USA through the Ron Brown Fellowship program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. She also completed venture capital training at EVCA (European Venture Capital Association) and executive education at Harvard University in the scope of the Luksic Scholars program and ASCI (Hyderabad, India). She is a founding team member of the Croatian Business Angel Network – CRANE and was a pioneer of the startup scene in Croatia, fostering its development and building international exposure.

Over the past 25 years Andrea has been involved in several R&D projects from ICT, H2020, COST Action, Interreg, Erasmus+ and Grundtvig programs (Multimatch, Qualinet, Fotomemoria, Eurogene, Euridice, Glocal, Tripod, aceMedia, Artline, MobiDig,  EuropeanaPhotography, Nemosine). 

He offers support in the field of digital imaging and technical innovations, mainly to cultural heritage institutions and state libraries, archives and municipalities, including the business plan and market analysis made. 

Andrea is forward-thinking and analytical, able to identify and understand new trends in technology, public opinion and multi-criteria decision-making. He is an Evangelist that is able to educate an audience about the importance of investing in state-of-the-art technologies, integrating new tools and services using an interoperable approach, focusing on open standards, and building consensus about usability.

Ishay Tentser’s determination, coupled with excellent communication skills and a business mindset, led him to his current position as CEO of Initech; a Israeli-based company that builds technology for the FinTech industry. Ishay’s broad experience in the high-tech sector, veteran leadership, and passion for success makes him a perfect candidate to help develop and implement business solutions. A former IDF/ Mamram officer and graduate of both Hebrew University (B.Sc. in Computer Sciences), and the Technion (MBA), Ishay is also a founding member of several startups, a networking guru, and an unyielding performer. With over a decade of leadership experience, Ishay Tentser has played an active role in the success of countless clients, and actively participates in several mentorship programs hosted by leading Israeli and EU incubators. Ishay is an official coach for European Horizon 2020 program for SMEs in Israel, where he mentors those candidates who received a Horizon 2020 grant.

Alexandre da Silva Teixeira is an automotive engineer, with more than 20 years of industrial experience. Previously an Automotive Head Chief for a top European Engineering Centre (specializing in automotive and aeronautics), he has now been the Business Development Director of the very same company, for the past 10 years. Alexandre has been involved in more than 100 industrial and R&D projects related to Automotive and Aeronautics. He has collaborated with major OEM’s such as Airbus from the aeronautic sector, and FORD, Hyundai, VW, BMW, PSA, and Jaguar, amongst many others, from automotive sector. Alexandre’s dedicated area of interest lies within new concepts for smart mobility, and he has been supporting the European Commission in automotive, aerospace and aeronautics engineering programs since 2010.

Pedro is passionate about the start-up economy, together with mentoring, advising, and investing. He is deeply vested in bridging the gap between investors and start-ups, and helping companies scale and develop business internationally. Pedro has over 25 years of experience in the Enterprise IT market, and has held various senior international business development and sales management positions (Oracle, Brocade, EMC2, Compaq/HP, Alcatel and Accenture). He has an MSc in Computer Engineering, and 2 post-grads in Advanced Management, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Katerina is a senior researcher, with an interest in language learning, and teaching from different perspectives. The latter includes looking at these two sectors from an open perspective (open educational resources, and practices) and from a social perspective (collaborative learning, and social networking). Katerina gives lectures at a Masters Level at the University of Grenoble Alpes, in France, and at the Hellenic Open University, in Greece. In addition, Katerina is the head of Web2Learn, an SME acting as partner in transnational projects supported by the Council of Europe (ORD, e-lang), and by the European Commission (iPEN, INOS, CRETE, Catapult, BlockAdemic, MOONLITE, LangOER, etc.)

Darya is an emerging technology consultant, and a new business rainmaker, that drives rapid profits through innovative growth hacking methods. She is a digital transformation expert, with her expertise based on the Lean Six Sigma Methodology (own framework that was developed and tested). Darya strives to maximise revenue, liquidity, and earnings, while minimizing costs and increasing team value. Her major areas of expertise lay in strategic sales, partnerships, M&A, project management, technical scoping and project implementation based on Lean Six Sigma Principles. She is also an expert in start-ups, entrepreneurship, start-up mentoring, strategic consulting, and company operational transformation (for efficiency and profit).

Annalise Duca is a graduate of the University of Greenwich, where she obtained a BSc (Hons) degree in Computing. Her area of expertise is in eCommerce, Web Development and IT Engineering. Competences in other fields include Database Designs and Development, Distributed Information Systems, IT Projects and Quality Management, Business Systems Analysis and Design, Enterprise Networking, Internet Systems Administration, and Internet Security. Annalise is part of a dynamic team at Acrosslimits, and among other things, delivers ICT lessons to teachers from different European countries, trains trainers, prepares lesson plans, attends regular meetings, seminars, and training sessions (both locally and abroad), and supervises technical staff. Annalise has been involved in the eLearning scenario for the last couple of years, where she has accumulated a wide range of knowledge on various eLearning platforms, and tools currently available. Annalise designs and creates pedagogical eLearning material for the different courses offered by Acrosslimits.

Declan Flaherty has 24 years experience in Human, Veterinary-Animal Healthcare, Regenerative Medicine, and Synthetic Biology (Synbio). 

He is also experienced in Commercial advisory-Senior Management roles for Healthcare start-ups, Academic Institutes, Healthcare Accelerators, CROs, Fitness, Wellness, Pharma/Biotech, Biomaterials, Medical Device Companies.

He has also had roles in Board, Executive management, Licensing, Business development, Marketing, Sales, Clinical, Business Coaching, Lecturing, Commercial consultancy, as well as technology transfer.

Debamita’s expertise stems from research-backed knowledge in various domains of science and technology, both on a macro and micro level. She is a deeply analytical person, with strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Debamita has over ten years of research and project experience, and studied for a PhD followed by a post-doc stint at Harvard Medical School. Some of her specializations include technology innovation assessment, and development (consisting of ideation, conception, iteration and validation). She is skilled in the strategic commercialization of projects on a global scale, with major expertise in healthcare and medtech, including NYAS STEM projects, an MIT series of healthcare innovation events, the European Commission sponsored COVID19 healthcare platform, and the OHSU healthcare challenge. She has advised European SMEs in translating healthcare or medical concepts and products into commercial ventures, and taken on various business development roles in a leading Indo-US medical devices and diagnostics firm. Debamita was selected as part of MIT consulting to work with a Boston-based biotech company, and used the Harvard Business Incubator to work on products related to cancer and immunology.

Milena is an Associate Professor in Molecular Biology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She holds MSc in Cellular Biology and PhD in Molecular Biology. Milena has specialised in Genetics and Epigenetics in France. She gained knowledge in the Biology of ageing at ICGEB, Italy.

Milena has a vast scientific publication record in peer-reviewed journals. Her interests are ageing and longevity, Biotechnology and Nanomedicine. She has experience in numerous projects funded by local and EU research agencies, NATO – Science for Peace and Security and the World Federation of Scientists.

Milena is a member of the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria, the FEBS society and the International Union of Clinical Epigenetics. She is also an Advisory Board member of M3 Communications Group, Inc and a consultant at the Enago Academy for academic development. Milena is an Advisory Body Member at Livento. The company aims at providing smart solutions in healthcare and longevity.

Francesca Marri is passionate about art and culture. She has been working in the marketing sector and in management support for several years. She has the competence to provide support on EU project activities including exploitation, user feedback, and support in the management of the project.

Giuseppina is a lawyer by profession, but as soon as she started her legal career, she realized the need to combine her legal background with her passion for knowledge and multiculturalism. This led her to pursue work in international projects. She has been involved as an external and internal project evaluator in several EU projects focused on gender issues and education. An Italian by birth and Mediterranean at heart, finally relocating in the south of France, she started to manage Erasmus Mundus projects for Aix-Marseille University and Erasmus+ projects for École nationale supérieure d’arts et métiers of Aix en Provence. In this context, as the one responsible for international and European Relations, she was in charge of academic-entrepreneurial partnership with Texas AM University.

Bart Verswijvel is a Belgian educator and expert trainer who works as an independent consultant as well as a Senior Pedagogical Adviser for European Schoolnet in Brussels. At EUN he is the pedagogical lead of the Future Classroom Lab, the concept of a flexible learning space and he is active in a range of European funded projects. He also coordinates the EUN network of Future Classroom ambassadors. As a private education consultant he facilitates professional development for organizations and teachers. Bart works with Ministries of Education, schools and communities of teachers. His special interest is in whole-school approaches to stimulate active learning and innovative practices in a context of innovative learning spaces with the support of technology. Bart promotes and investigates innovative ways of continuous professional development for teachers. He designs and delivers online and onsite courses and workshops. Bart is an international keynote speaker and a host of Twitter chats, hackathons, webinars and Teachmeets. He is an expert at the Belgium/Flanders National Agency and is on the Steering Group for the Digital Education Hackathon, an EC Digital Education Action Plan initiative. He is also co-founder and host of the annual International Teachmeet at Bett London.

Arjana Blazic is a language arts teacher, education technology consultant and instructional designer. She is an external expert at European Schoolnet, where she contributes to EU CodeWeek by developing teaching and learning resources and teacher training opportunities that aim at scaling up innovative use of digital technologies in schools. She is a recipient of the 2014-2015 Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Award at Penn State University, where she successfully completed the academic program Teaching and Learning with Technology. Arjana is a co-author of the Croatian National Curriculum for English Language Teaching and the Croatian National Curriculum for the Use of ICT as a Cross-Curricular Topic. She serves on the Advisory Board for Driving K-12 Innovation and on the Steering Group for the Digital Education Hackathon, an EIT initiative under the European Commission’s Digital Education Action Plan. Arjana is author and founder of award-winning projects and she has expertise in organizing international onsite and online events for teacher professional development including Twitter chats and Teachmeets. She has written articles about teaching and learning with technology and an ICT book for children. Her projects have been awarded by Microsoft Partners in Learning, eTwinning, Europe@School and Edublogs. Her research interests focus on technology enhanced teaching and learning and the impact of digital technologies on teacher professional development.

Alma is an Expert Adviser for International Relations at the University of Bihać, Bosnia and
Herzegovina. She is skilled in International Project Management, Project Accounting, Project Control, Branding, and Identity. Alma currently manages and administers mobility projects such as Erasmus Mundus, Erasmus+ ICM, Mevlana, CEEPUS, UNET network, Global UGRAD, U.S. Government English Language Fellow Program, including staff and student counselling. She is in charge of maintaining correspondence with domestic and international universities and institutions responsible for international, cultural, educational and scientific cooperation. She also takes care of the development and implementation of internationalization strategies at the University of Bihać. U.S. Government International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumna. Alma is the national expert for evaluation of CEEPUS networks, and is a mentor within the ARGO program for University graduates funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. She is also active within the non-government sector.

Džalila Muharemagić holds an M.A. degree in English Language and Literature obtained at the Philological faculty of University of Banja Luka. She works at the University of Bihać, as an expert advisor for research in the Office of Vice Rector for Research and International Relations. Since 2012 she has been involved in managing and providing professional support in a series of projects, i.e., Tempus, Erasmus+ and others. She is a recipient of the Rector’s Award for remarkable success in the 1st cycle of studies at the University of Bihać, upon which she became a lecturer and later a senior lecturer at the Department for English Language and Literature, at the Pedagogical faculty of University of Bihać. The area of her research is English for Specific Purposes, and she received a scholarship from the U.S. Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013 for this area of research, and from the Austrian Agency for International Mobility and Cooperation in Education, Science and Research Work in 2016. In addition, she received an Erasmus+ scholarship for international credit mobility for the training of international cooperation staff at the University NOVA de Lisboa, Portugal in 2017. At the moment, she is preparing for globally recognized certification in Project management at the Project Management Institute.

Lummi Anton is the Co-Founder and Creative Director at Bridge4Innovation where she
curates activities at the intersection between culture, technology and the start-up
ecosystem. She is an expert in pushing boundaries, and supports innovators, SMEs, and startups working in the fields of culture, creative industries, media, entertainment, cultural education, and so on.With over 20 years of experience within the Performing Arts Field and 10 years of experience in Marketing and Management, she has extensive experience working with Tech startups and cross-media development. She also acquired significant experience working with EU Funds. Her Cultural Explorer attitude has led her to establish various connections in West Africa, where she is an Ambassador and Expert in various programs and hackathons, and collaborates closely with NGOs, startup ecosystems, and diverse international organizations.

Emma is a consultant sociologist, specialized in the analysis of social trends, market research, innovation, and organizations. She has published several articles about sociology, EU programs and the impact of social trends in several fields, such as health, food, technology, culture, and sustainability. Emma has also participated in conferences and seminars, with papers and presentations related to innovation, trends, and EU policies. Emma has a degree in Sociology (Economy Faculty, University of Barcelona, 1996), a postgraduate degree in European Integration (Bosch&Gimpera Foundation, 1997) and a Research Aptitude degree in International Studies (Law Faculty at the University of Barcelona, 2000).

Iacopo Borsi has more than 18 years of experience in modelling industrial and environmental processes, and is currently the Senior Environmental Modeler at TEA SISTEMI. He is in charge of environmental data analysis, modelling, and is the project manager of R&D projects (national and international). Iacopo is developing ICT, GIS-integrated, environmental modelling tools (water resources estimation, wastewater treatment, air pollution, risk assessment, etc.) that are connected to real-time sensing technologies and relational databases. Specifically, his skills lay in: (A) scientific programming for environmental data processing, even those GIS-embedded (he is the author of QGIS plugins for data analysis and numerical modelling), (B) modelling hydrological/hydrogeological processes (hydrological modelling, climate data analysis, groundwater flow and solute transport) and; (C) modelling impact and risk probability of hazard accidents in industrial plants.

Dr. Borhane Mahjoub is a Researcher and Lecturer in the Department of Horticultural Engineering and Environment, and the Head of the Laboratory of Chemistry at the High Agronomic Institute of Chatt-Meriem (ISA-CM, University of Sousse, Tunisia). He is presently a member of the LMTA Laboratory at the Institut National de Recherche en Analyse Physicochimiques (INRAP), Tunis. His research topics cover Environmental Chemistry and Quality monitoring, Behavior and fate of contaminants in Soils, Water Quality and Treatment processes, and especially Solid waste valorization. Borhane has participated in many international conferences including giving presentations and chairing sessions. He is in the editorial board of Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy Journal, Elsevier, and of the International Journal of Environment and Waste Management (IJEWM), the International Journal of Environmental Engineering (IJEE), Inderscience, and the International Journal of Environmental Engineering Science (IJEES), Serials Publications. Borhane was a regional coordinator of an important German-Tunisian project “EMPOWER Tunisia”, that dealt with Emerging Pollutants in Water and Wastewater in Tunisia (2011-2014). He was also an active member in other Euro-Mediterranean projects including EXCEED SWINDON, DEWESUSWAMA, XNEM-TEMPUS, SOWAEUMED FP7, GAMAOUN, and more.

Dr. Ankica Kondić Špika, graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad, and has a
Master’s degree in Genetics and Plant Breeding. From 1995 to 2001 she worked at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, as a scholar of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Serbia. She performed a one-year specialization in the field of molecular biology and plant transformation between 2000–2001, at ICGEB, in New Delhi, India. In 2001, she worked as a biotechnologist at the Department for Small Grains. Ankica was the project manager of two national projects, and team coordinator in eight international projects from different programs (FP7, COST, EPPN, EMPHASIS). In 2005, she defended her doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad. Ankica is a member of FESPB, EUCARPIA, ECPGR wheat working group, Serbian Genetics Society, Serbian Plant Physiology Society, Serbian Association of Food Technologists, the Editorial Board of national journal “Ratarstvo i povrtarstvo”, and international journal “Genetika”. Presently, she is the Head of the Biotechnology Laboratory within the Department of Small Grains.

Jordi Pietx is a biologist (1991 BSc, UAB, Barcelona), with an MSc in Ecology and Environmental Sciences (1992 Lancaster Uni, UK). He is experienced in nature, landscape conservation, and stewardship, as well as in environmental, and participatory aspects of land planning, conservation, restoration and rural management within the private consulting sector (1993-2002). In 2003, he started the Land Stewardship Network in Catalonia, in order to engage more care towards nature. Jordi was the general manager of the Stewardship Network (2003-2014), the Social Entrepreneurship Fellow (2008) for the stewardship initiative, and president of the Spanish Forum on Land Stewardship (2011-2014). In 2016, he then became the regional institutional & technical manager (Catalonia, Balearic Islands and Valencian Country) for the packaging recycling system Ecoembes (2016-2019). In 2020, Jordi became an independent consultant on socioenvironmental innovation and networking at the EU level, working in the quadruple helix framework on projects and policy development involving public, private, academic and non-profit sectors. In his spare time Jordi enjoys cycling in the countryside, and going for walks and hikes at the Pyrenees.

Azhan Hasan is based out of Malaysia, and is currently researching and studying at the Environmental Policy Research Center at Freie University, in Berlin Germany. In addition to this, he teaches at the University Teknologi PETRONAS, which is one of the leading research universities in Malaysia. Azhan is a perceptive man, who has honed talent, dedication, flexibility, passion, resourcefulness, and the ability to work in a team, amongst other abilities, over the years. He is committed to seeking truth in each and every area of his life, whether it is in learning, in the discussion of philosophy, or with his fellow colleagues and students. Azhan believes in capitalizing on the opportunities he is given, and always offers his opinions and ideas in research projects. He is well-organized, and has published numerous papers on Sustainability, Environmental Policy, Environmental Governance, Learning Interventions, Application of Societal Change Theory in Energy, Food Security, and Environment. His vast research experience has allowed him to take on various roles as advisor, reviewer, knowledge board member, and strategist in many organizations, institutions and committees.

As a general counsel and attorney, Barbara has more than 15 years of international experience in-house, gained in four continents. She is passionate about understanding needs, proposing practical and business oriented solutions and working across cultures. Barbara has proven success in starting up international in-house legal departments from scratch in 5 different companies (Manufacturing and SaaS), managing the legal budget efficiently, being a proactive and trusted business partner and offering sound legal advice in clear and universal terms. She is specialised in complex technology transfer transactions, licensing, intellectual property and international commercial contracts.

George Bugeja is a highly skilled EU funding and project management consultant, specializing in internationalization, research, and innovation. Currently serving as a Senior Executive at the Malta Council for Science and Technology, George excels in coordinating internationalization programs and driving measures to enhance research and innovation. His expertise lies in expanding international strategic partnerships, promoting research collaboration, and enhancing Malta’s appeal as an R&I destination. George’s meticulous attention to detail is evident in his management of transnational calls and his ability to foster strong relationships with stakeholders. His in-depth knowledge of EU funding regulations, grant agreements, and supporting documentation ensures seamless project execution. George’s leadership qualities shine through his mentoring of colleagues and overseeing post-award monitoring activities. With a Prince2® Practitioner Certificate and extensive project management experience, George brings a strategic, results-driven approach to his consultancy work. His excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills make him a valuable asset in the field.