Advisory Board

Dominique Foray is professor at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and holds the Chair of Economics and Management of Innovation (CEMI). Furthermore, he is a member of the National Research Council (Switzerland); the Advisory Board of the Swiss Economic Institute (KOF); the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council and a foreign member of the Center of Capitalism and Society (Columbia University, New York). He is also a new member of the Expert Commission for Research and Innovation of Germany. From 2008 to 2011, he served as chairman of the expert group “Knowledge for Growth”; a group of prominent economists created to advise Commissioner J. Potocnik (European Commission, DG research). During this time he developed the concept of smart specialisation (together with P.A.David and B.Hall), that is nowadays a key policy mechanism of the EU (cohesion policy). Following deep involvement in European smart specialisation policy between 2009 and 2013, he is still widely contributing to the development of smart specialisation policy concept.

Mikel Landabaso Álvarez is the Director for Growth and Innovation at the European Commission’ Joint Research Centre (JRC). Mikel Landabaso works in the European Commission since 1990 and served as Director of Strategy and Corporate Communication in DG COMMUNICATION, Head of Cabinet of Commissioner for Regional Policy, Head of Unit of the Competence Centre on Smart and Sustainable growth in the Directorate General for Regional Policy. He was also Head of the Research Department and Assistant to the Director General of the Basque Regional Development Agency (SPRI S.A.) 1986-1990. He has been lecturing part-time at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium, University of North Carolina (USA), Deusto University and the public University of the Basque Country in Spain. He has received the 2004 “Christiane Bom Award” due to his contribution to innovation in European Regional policy by the European Regional Development Agencies Association – EURADA.