Three new deep tech experts join the EIC

The European Innovation Council, administered by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, announced three appointments to its roster of in-house Programme Managers. The hires are positioned to guide EIC-funded portfolios in three strategic areas: artificial intelligence, health and biotechnology, and advanced materials for energy. The move is presented as strengthening the EIC's capacity to define technological visions, manage project portfolios and convene stakeholders across Europe.

Who was appointed

What a Programme Manager does at the EIC

Brief profiles and relevance

Hedi Karray, Programme Manager for Artificial Intelligence

Hedi Karray arrives with a research and teaching career focused on semantic AI and ontology based engineering. His CV lists a PhD in applied informatics, an HDR, a full professorship, international visiting posts and leadership roles in professional societies. His prior work bridges academic research and industrial clients including aerospace and energy companies. At the EIC he will lead AI portfolio development and is linked publicly to Pathfinder Challenge topics such as trustworthy cognitive AI and the Advanced Innovation Challenge on embodied intelligence and physical AI for robotics.

Context and implications. Semantic AI and ontology work aim to improve interoperability and explainability. As Programme Manager he can push funding toward projects that adopt these approaches. That influence is valuable for coherence but also concentrates agenda setting inside a small group of officials. Transparency about how priorities are chosen and how competing approaches are treated will be important.

Orsolya Symmons, Programme Manager for Health and Biotechnology

Orsolya brings a mixed profile of academic research in molecular biology and experience in research management and entrepreneurship. Her path includes a PhD at EMBL and the University of Heidelberg, postdoctoral roles in France and the United States, scientific coordination and laboratory management at a Max Planck Institute, and the cofounding of a Hungarian biotech company. These strands give her practical insight into both translational science and the hurdles of entrepreneurship in Europe.

Context and implications. Health and biotech portfolios intersect regulated markets, clinical validation needs and market access barriers. A programme manager with both lab and start up experience can help shape calls that are realistic about timelines and translational bottlenecks. The EIC will need to balance high risk breakthrough research with pathways for reimbursement and scaling in different member states.

Paolo Bondavalli, Programme Manager for advanced materials for energy

Paolo Bondavalli is a veteran of industrial research in nanomaterials and energy storage. His background includes a PhD in solid state physics, habilitation, two decades at Thales, leadership roles in major national programmes and contributions to the Graphene Flagship. He has worked on translating low dimensional materials into large scale deposition methods for supercapacitors and holds patents in the field.

Context and implications. Materials for energy and advanced storage technologies are central to the EU's decarbonisation agenda. A manager grounded in both fundamental materials science and industrial deployment can align EIC calls with realistic scaling challenges. Observers should watch for whether funding promotes incremental improvements or riskier high payoff routes and how the EIC coordinates with other EU funding channels for industrial scale up.

How the Programme Managers fit into the EIC governance and funding ecosystem

Programme Managers operate within the EIC, which is implemented by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency. Their portfolios interact with several EIC instruments including the EIC Pathfinder for high risk research, the EIC Transition for market readiness, the EIC Accelerator for scaling companies and investment support through the EIC Fund. The Agency coordinates with national contact points and networks such as the Enterprise Europe Network to funnel applicants and seal of excellence proposals to domestic support schemes.

Selection, data and operational notes

Programme Managers participate in selection processes that rely on external evaluators, juries and coaches drawn from expert databases such as the Horizon Europe experts roster. The EIC uses a combination of in-house coordination and contracted services for due diligence, coaching and deal flow activities. Personal data handling and IT platform operations are run under EISMEA and the Commission data protection frameworks. The Agency publishes data protection notices and describes retention schedules for expert and applicant data.

What to watch next and critical considerations

Appointing technically strong Programme Managers gives the EIC in-house capacity to design targeted calls and curate portfolios. That can focus research funding around coherent roadmaps and help projects reach market. The trade off is that concentrated agenda setting requires robust transparency and accountability. Observers should look for clear explanation of how portfolios are prioritised, how conflicts of interest are managed, how Programme Managers coordinate with national and regional actors, and how success is measured beyond headline funding volumes.

Operationally, the EIC faces the familiar challenge of bridging early stage research with commercial deployment across diverse member states. Programme Managers will be judged on whether they can move projects from prototypes to scale while preserving scientific risk taking. Given the political focus on competitiveness and industrial autonomy, the managers will also need to negotiate expectations coming from industry, national governments and investors.

Bottom line

The three appointments strengthen the EIC's domain expertise in areas that matter for the EU's green and digital transitions. Their immediate impact will depend on how they translate technical knowledge into open and accountable portfolio strategies, how they coordinate with investment partners and national stakeholders, and how transparent the EIC is in reporting outcomes. The new managers will help shape which technologies receive concentrated European support in the coming years. That influence carries real potential but also calls for scrutiny.