Prof. Toral ()Ph.D. Electronic Engineering) research focuses on the use of artificial intelligence algorithms based on deep learning and reinforcement learning for the adaptive deployment of unmanned vehicle fleets using environmental information. The main application cases have been transportation, disasters and environmental monitoring. Additionally, he is also expert in large language models and natural language processing, including the ethical issues related to generative AI. He is part of Stanford University names World’s Top 2% Scientists, 2023, being 1244 out of 111.935 authors in the area of Electric & Electronic Engineering. His scientific production includes a total of 110 journal publication with impact factor which are distributed per quartiles as 44/29/28/9 (Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4), being 18 of them in the first decile.  

His main achievements include the application of deep reinforcement learning techniques for the monitoring of water resources, including the optimisation of the parameters of the neural network models used, the development of deployment and informative route planning techniques for autonomous surface vehicles using Bayesian optimization, and the detection of cyanobacteria in Lake Ypacarai (Asunción, Paraguay) using a fleet of three autonomous vehicles.

Prof. Toral is committed to open science and the reproducibility of research, so all his publications are openly available in the institutional repository of the University of Seville idus (idus.us.es) and the code is openly available on github.

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Marga Martín Sánchez, (M.Sc.in Physics). In my current role, I am focusing on the creation of de-facto standards aligned with EU values to enable trusted decentralized digital ecosystems based on federated cloud infrastructures and enabling data use and re-us within and across sectors and data spaces, e.g. mobility, smart cities, green deal, I4.0, health, energy, etc

With over 20 years of international R&D&I and business management experience in the mobility and ICT domain, particularly in cloud, AI and critical infrastructure protection, she has also been participating in EU funded projects since the FP6, including the role of project coordinator. She is also an independent expert since 2013 for the European Commission in various General-Directorates and since 2020 she also became an external independent expert for the governmental network EUREKA. She has also participated as a business mentor in large EU initiatives to support organizations and SMEs to scale-up innovative solutions and defining routes to market. Juror of the i4Trust Jury Board to select the best start-ups/SMEs and Digital Innovation Hubs with best business proposals for data sharing in strategic market sectors.

Furthermore, I am very active in standardization activities, supporting EU initiatives, where I provide guidance to companies and organizations involved in EU funded projects. My role is to advise on how best to contribute to international and European standards, including de-facto standards, providing coaching on standardization practices and procedures, as well as identifying relevant related standards based on the project’s needs to facilitate market adoption in various areas such as: Artificial intelligence, Ethical data usage, Cloud services, Trustworthy AI, Energy, Mobility, Health, Building automation.

I have a very solid experience on the EU and local and regional authorities as I have worked for 22 years at the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the oldest and largest European organisation of local governments. I was the CEMR Director of international cooperation and citizenship. I have worked with elected representives and civil servants from many different countries, coordinated their contribution to European networking, designed and managed transnational projects, lead advocacy actions and facilitated exchanges and meetings.

I have coordinated and faciliated for years the European programme and network of Town Twinning which is the first form of cooperation between European cities; I am sure this experience is an added value for the success of any European and international project.  I was also the Coordinator of the European contribution to the world organisation of local governments (UCLG) and the Director of Platforma (the platform of local governments involved in development cooperation). I will be happy to bring this wide international cooperation experience as an expert in the design and delivery of transnational exchanges and learning activities within URBACT. 

In CEMR I started the European network of women elected representatives at local level. I am at the origin of the European Charter for Equality of women and men at local level launched in 2006, which has been signed by nearly 2000 municipalities, cities and regions in Europe today and translated in 27 languages. I have already had the pleasure to participate in URBACT activities to speak about the Charter and the experience on gender equality I have gained in CEMR and for which I have received a special recognition.   

I have written several publications on gender equality and drafted strategies and tools to support gender equality at local level. 

I have also helped European cities and networks to design  projects concerning migrants' inclusion at local level and worked as an evaluator in the frame of  the EU programme AMIF (Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund).  

I will be happy to bring in URBACT also my expertise on equality, diversity and inclusion.

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My career reflects robust financial expertise with a track record of delivering sound and strategic business and policy recommendations, informing key decision-makers across various institutions. In the corporate divisions of the renowned international banks where I worked, for example, I was engaged in the realization of development credit lines, which successfully achieved their impact goals thanks, among other things, to my teams’ dedication to deliver on time targeted results. My recent consulting engagements include: EIT Climate-KIC and European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).

 

My research expertise comprises empirical finance and macro-econometric analysis, using both time series and panel datasets. I specialize in quantitative data research across diverse fields such as macroeconomics, fiscal parameters, macro-financial linkages, finance, banking, socioeconomics, international economics and international migration. My recent research engagements include: Carinthian Institute for Higher Studies and Scientific Research (KIHS) and International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

 

I am fluent in multiple languages and skilled in communicating complex ideas effectively. My extensive professional experience in synergy with my success in doctoral studies ensures high quality and credibility of given recommendations.

 

For more information visit my professional website: www.kpopovic.com.

 

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(Re)designing sustainable cities is a major issue, requiring cooperation, exchange of best practices, innovative design, training, empowerment, participation, strategy and tactics. Be it city planning or urban metabolism, climate or biodiversity, social or generational gaps, digitalization or production issues, European cities play a key role. A systemic and multiscale approach is necessary to imagine and implement appropriate public policies. 

My career path as a senior civil servant, for French Goverment and local authorities, led me to design and manage challenging projects, involving stakehoders from different backgrounds (public-private, SMEs-large companies, charities, research centers...) and nationalities. The search for common good, relying on a collective intelligence approach, is my guideline.

I believe that URBACT is a very relevant framework to address the unprecedented issues we are faced with and make Europe a worldwide reference in city management and sustainability.

Willing to bring my experience and knowledge to the community and to learn from peers, I would be happy to know about your projects and maybe work on them. Thanks for your attention.

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⚙️ With a solid academic background on mechanical and energy engineering, especially during my master education in Energy for Smart Cities, I bring together several years of experience in the energy transitions sphere, tackling it at different and broader levels.

🇪🇺 Thanks to work experiences in Italy, France, Spain and, now, Belgium, I was first Project manager and LCA/LCC evaluators in multiple EU projects, under Horizon 2020, related to sustainable energy and mobility and, secondly, as Energy consultant, I accompanied trade association, research centres and NGOs in achieving sustainability assessment and energy analyses.

🌱 Currently, I am in an environmental NGO - ECOS - leading the work on heating decarbonization in buildings, a key challenge in EU cities, focusing not only on the electrification rollout but also on bioenergy and hydrogen topics, liaising with many national and European partners, thanks to coalitions I steer, such as Coolproducts and The Cool Heating Coalition.

💪🏾 My strength is my motivation. Doing my best is natural to me in anything at which I am truly believing. I am challenge-seeker, which brought me to looking forward to such a new adventure, by assisting and supporting cities to embrace transitions needed in many aspects in a just, efficient and resilient manner.

➡️ Don't hesitate to look for further details, available on my CV or portfolio.

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Elisa is a project manager and consultant of international and European projects in the field of territorial development, knowledge economy and innovation eco-systems.

Elisa supports public administrations and regional stakeholders in the design and implementation of innovation-related policies.

She worked for the European Commission in the field of Smart Specialisation, Cohesion Policy and structural funds. She collaborated especially with regional administrations and national institutions of Italy, Spain, Croatia, Bulgaria, Poland, and the Western Balkans.  

She was part of the Secretariat of the Joint Programming Initiative for Cultural Heritage under the leadership in Ministry of Culture in Italy and took part in the project management of Interreg and Eu projects.  

She has a solid experience with regional and local public administrations in strengthening dialogue among territorial stakeholders, promoting territorial excellence and sustainable development.