OCT 27 · 10:00 – 10:45 CET
Science to Business
High Level Discussion: How Do You Like the Public Funding of Your Startup? A Conversation of the Roles and Responsibilities for State-funded Companies in Europe
Governments and public institutions invest billions in research and innovation every year. But how effective are these programmes in creating globally competitive companies?
- Panel
Aleksandra IhnatowiczNational Centre for Research DevelopmentAleksandra IhnatowiczExpert, National Centre for Research DevelopmentAleksandra Ihnatowicz is an expert at the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR)'s
National Contact Point, specializing in supporting innovators in securing EU funds for R&D. She is a
member of the EIC Forum, an expert in the European Innovation Council (EIC) area. As the
coordinator of the Innovative Europe team at NCBR, she brings over 19 years of experience in
European Research Programmes, including extensive practical experience in project implementation
and management.
Aleksandra holds a degree in Computer Science and has pursued further studies and research in
Canada and England. Since 2010, she has been a key expert at the National Contact Point in Poland,
dedicated to helping innovative deep-tech start-ups secure funding for their growth. Her passion lies
in fostering the innovation support ecosystem, driven by the enthusiasm and commitment of the
companies she supports.Read full bio →
Ogbogu KaluESMTOgbogu KaluDirector, Next Gen Computing Stream, Creative Destruction Lab Berlin, ESMTOgbogu Kalu is the Head of Natural Capital at DEEP, the Institute for Deep Tech Innovation at ESMT Berlin. He also serves as Director of Partnerships and Director of the Next Gen Computing stream at Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Berlin. His work focuses on helping transform breakthrough technologies into impactful ventures by building the programmes, partnerships, and commercialisation pathways required to bring them to scale.
Over the past decade, Ogbogu has worked at the intersection of engineering, leadership, and policy. His experience ranges from developing nanotechnology-enabled solutions and leading engineering and energy initiatives at Michelin to advancing national and international innovation initiatives. This includes supporting SPRIN-D, Germany’s Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation, in its €40 million Circular Biomanufacturing Challenge and advising the Government of Nova Scotia, Canada, on actionable pathways towards a sustainable, climate-resilient economy.Read full bio →
Frane ŠesnićZagreb Innovation Centre (ZICER)Frane ŠesnićCEO, Zagreb Innovation Centre (ZICER)Frane graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Split and completed his postgraduate specialist studies in Financial Institutions and Markets at the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb. He was appointed to the rank of Lecturer by the Rector’s Conference and regularly features as a speaker at numerous tech and entrepreneurship conferences. He is the initiator of several international events, including the Zagreb Connect startup conference and the Startup Europe Regatta—a conference specializing in sustainable greentech and fintech solutions.
He established Startup Factory, Croatia’s first acceleration program, initiated Global Growth and Tech Transfer, and launched financial instruments for startup grants and investments. He actively works on connecting stakeholders across society to build a thriving startup ecosystem. Through ZICER, he leads the largest startup hub in the region.Read full bio →
Jaromír ZahrádkaEuropean Innovation Council (EIC)Jaromír ZahrádkaEIC Board Member, Founder of i&i Prague and i&i Biotech Fund, co-founder of Prague.bio, European Innovation Council (EIC)Jaromír Zahrádka is an ecosystem builder, entrepreneur and investor in deep-tech and life sciences with more than 14 years of experience in venture building, fundraising and scaling science-based startups. He founded i&i Prague, a life-science incubator turning public research into companies, and i&i Biotech Fund (€53m), backed by the European Investment Fund and Česká Spořitelna (Erste Group), the first dedicated biotech venture capital fund of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. Through these and related activities, he has supported over 20 startups across Europe and the US, contributing to more than €120 million raised and three successful exits. He is also a co-founder of Prague.bio, a regional life-science innovation platform, and a frequent speaker and university lecturer on innovation strategy, venture creation and technology transfer, with a strong focus on strengthening European innovation ecosystems, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. In his work, he focuses on building bridges between academia, investors and policymakers and on improving access to capital and know-how for founders from emerging innovation regions.Read full bio →