The IRI Team

To contact our experts, please write to jrc-ipts-iri@ec.europa.eu

Action Leader

Fernando HERVÁS

Background:
Fernando Hervas joined the Knowledge for Growth Unit in IPTS as a senior researcher in February 2009 and was appointed Action Leader of the IRI Action in June 2010. An economist with a Masters Degree on European Integration, he started working for the European Commission in 1995.

He has experience in different policy areas (regional policy, environment, transport, energy, research and innovation) and has been a member of the policy coordination unit responsible for the follow-up of the Lisbon strategy for Growth and Jobs and of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy in the Secretariat General of the European Commission (2003-2007).

From 2007 to 2009 he has worked in the Spanish National Agency for the Evaluation of Public Policies (www.aeval.es) as a Director in the Evaluation Department.

Project Leader – The EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard

Héctor HERNÁNDEZ

Background:
Engineer and Ph.D. degree in analysis of industrial processes and chemical engineering from the University of Compiègne (France).

Senior research-analyst at the IPTS, currently dealing with prospective techno-economic studies concerning industrial, research and innovation policies.

Senior Researcher and Project Leader – IPTS Working Papers on Corporate R&D and Innovation

Pietro MONCADA PATERNÒ CASTELLO

Background:
Agricultural Engineer (spec. Economics) holds a Masters Degree in Management of Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA).

His current research interest is in private R&D and innovation, corporate economics and finance; technology transfer and techno-economic intelligence.

Project Leader – The EU Survey on R&D Investment Business Trends

Alexander TÜBKE

Background:
PhD in Industrial Engineering

His current research interest is in management of R&D and innovation, corporate finance, technology transfer and techno-economic intelligence.

Team Member

Daria CIRIACI

Background:
She has a background as post-doc fellow in Industrial Organization (field: Media and Digital Media) and as economic analyst (Regional and Industrial Economics).

She has a doctoral degree (PhD) in Economics, University "La Sapienza", Rome (field: Regional and Industrial Economics).

Her research interests are related to the role of knowledge-based specialization and spillovers, R&D and interregional brain drain for regional competitiveness and growth, cumulative causation growth models, technological innovation as a driver for value chain reorganization, and to antitrust issues in multi-sided innovative markets.

Team Member

Maria DEL SORBO

Background:
She joined the Knowledge for Growth Unit at IPTS in November 2010 as post-doc researcher working on Industrial Research and Innovation, (IRI).

Her contribution to its activities is providing empirical evidence and insight into R&D and Innovation investment decisions made by firms and their effect on the economy; in particular, highlighting the role of competencies and capabilities.

Her research interests focus on: supply and demand of skills; Innovation Systems (National and Regional); triple helix; human capital; competences and capabilities, and their linkages with Research and Development, (R&D).

Team Member

Abraham GARCÍA

Background:
Holds a Ph. in Economics from Maastricht University (UNU-MERIT).

His specialization is on the Economics of Techological Change and the Role of Demand.

His other research interest areas are Economic Growth and Microeconometrics of Techincal Change.

Team Member

Peter VOIGT

Background:
Economist (master degree) and Ph.D. in agricultural economics, working experience in the fields of knowledge and innovation management as well as in analysing countries in transition (East Europe).

His current research is focused on industrial research and innovation with particular emphasis on policy / sector analysis, dynamics of innovation (exploratory research), patents in scoreboard companies, annual digest (screening activities), and private research in new member states.

Team Member

Sandro MONTRESOR

Background:
Sandro Montresor joined the Knowledge for Growth Unit at IPTS in October 2011, as a senior researcher working on Industrial Research and Innovation. He holds a PhD in Economic Structures and Behaviours (University of Bologna, Italy) and a Master of Arts in Economics (University of Manchester, UK).

He is associate professor of Economics at the University of Bologna (currently on leave), where he has been working from 2000. Previous research experience, among the others, at the National Research Council of Italy (Institute on the Dynamics of Economic Systems, Milan) and at the University of Verona (Italy).

His main research interests are in economics of innovation - e.g. innovation systems and inter-sectoral R&D flows; innovation in local production systems; open innovation, inter-firm knowledge flows and dynamic capabilities - and in industrial organization - outsourcing and vertical integration, industrial demography (firm entry and exit) and industrial dynamics.

Team Member

Jörg ZIMMERMANN

Background:
Jörg holds a Ph.D. degree in strategy, international management and entrepreneurship. In his PhD thesis he identified means by which firms overcome the inherent sources forming their liability of being foreign, finding an advantage for new ventures negotiating information asymmetries within host markets.

Currently, he is focusing on issues like decision making under risk and uncertainty, knowledge gathering and deployment, as well as (open) innovation efforts and entrepreneurial behaviour in an international context.

Hence, he also collected relevant practical experience while working as a management consultant for ventures in China, South Africa and Germany.

Contractual and Legal Administration

Olivia VERHULST

Background:
A recognized professional delivering constructive support with a smile, Olivia started her career with Deloitte and had several Audit, Risk Assessment, Control and/ or Compliance positions with Citibank/ Citigroup, in Europe and in NY before heading Internal Audit & Control for Citibank Belgium. Most recently, she operated in Seville as a free-lance Management Consultant leveraging her expertise in Enterprise Risk Management and Process Improvement areas.

Administrative and Organisational Support

Rosy RUEDA