Keith Sequeira leads the European Commission unit responsible for the EIC, including its strategy, funding instruments, and the EIC Fund. A physicist by training with a PhD in innovation studies, he has advised two European Commissioners and shaped key initiatives like Horizon Europe and the ERC. Before joining the Commission, he worked in the UK government and in private sector innovation investment.

Trine Bartholdy is the CBO of the BioInnovation Institute (BII) in Copenhagen, with more than 20 years of experience in life sciences, biotechnology, and innovation. She leads the Venture Creation Team driving the build up of start ups within Planetary and Human health as well as Quantum.

Nora Müller is a Senior Manager at Boston Consulting Group, with over a decade of experience in the German healthcare sector. A regulatory and reimbursement specialist, she has held leading roles at Boston Consulting Group and Flying Health, advising clients on innovation strategy, health insurance, and digital health solutions.

Patricia Neumann is CEO and Head of Smart Infrastructure at Siemens Austria. Patricia brings decades of experience at the intersection of digitalization, infrastructure, and strategic business transformation. Before joining Siemens, she held senior leadership roles at IBM across Europe, including Country General Manager of IBM Austria and Vice President for Data, AI & Automation Sales at IBM EMEA. She studied Business Administration.

Dr. Samira Nik is Programme Manager for Quantum Technologies and Electronics at the European Innovation Council. Here, she manages the portfolio and shapes Europe’s quantum tech ecosystem. Previously, Samira worked across nanoelectronics, superconducting devices, and cleanroom operations before becoming Project Manager – Innovation in the European Standardization Organizations.

Thorsten Schumm is Professor of Quantum Metrology at TU Vienna, where he develops precision instruments based on quantum effects. His group leads the construction of a next-generation nuclear clock with applications in navigation and data synchronization. He also advances Austria’s nationwide quantum fiber infrastructure. Schumm completed his PhD under Alain Aspect, Nobel Prize in Physics 2022.