Hilde Hardeman, Director-General of the Publications Office of the European Union, joined the European Commission in 1994. In her previous roles, she served as Director / Head of Service of the Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, and Deputy Head of Cabinet to the Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness; headed the Commission President’s briefing team; and was in charge of the Units for Relations with Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus. Hilde holds a PhD in Slavic philology and history from the University of Leuven, after studies at Leuven, Stanford University, and Paris. She was also a visiting professor at the College of Europe. 

Dr Helena Korjonen provides research support at the Luxembourg Learning Centre, focusing on scholarly communication and open science. She explores how to enhance support for researchers, increase transparency in research dissemination and ensure scholarly work benefits society through open science initiatives. Previously, she worked in sustainable food research at the University of Luxembourg and held roles in public health and clinical research information. Her PhD from University College London investigated improving the transparency of information generated in clinical studies. She also holds an MA in library, archives and records management, alongside qualifications in environmental studies, women’s health and international studies.

Professor Emma Schymanski leads the Environmental Cheminformatics group and is deputy director at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg. She is also special advisor to the rector for open science and research data management. A full professor since 2023 and an FNR ATTRACT fellow since 2018, she previously held roles as a postdoctoral researcher at Eawag, Switzerland and earned her PhD at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany. Before academia, she worked as a consulting environmental engineer in Perth, Australia, and holds a double degree in chemistry and environmental engineering from the University of Western Australia. Her research focuses on cheminformatics and mass spectrometry to investigate environmental causes of disease, promoting FAIR principles and open science globally.

Slava Jankin is the chair of data science and government at the University of Birmingham, holding a joint appointment between the School of Government and the School of Computer Science. As deputy director of the Institute for Data and AI and founding director of the Centre for AI in Government, he conducts research at the intersection of AI and public policy. His work spans political science, AI and environmental policy, with a particular focus on computational approaches to governance and climate change. Previously, he established the Data Science Lab at the Hertie School in Berlin and held professorships at University College London and the University of Essex. He serves as an expert advisor to the United Nations, the European Commission and the UK government on AI and data science innovation.

Milda Aksamitauskas is a data strategist with over 20 years of experience working with government leaders to develop integrated data systems. Her career has focused on building frameworks to track outcomes for individuals and communities while ensuring that data is accessible to analysts and decision-makers. A Fulbright scholar, Milda most recently served as the director of the State Chief Data Officer Network at Georgetown University, where she advanced data-driven governance and public-sector innovation. 

Bastiaan van Loenen is the director of the Knowledge Centre Open Data at Delft University of Technology and the scientific coordinator of the Marie Curie Innovative Training Network ‘Towards a sustainable Open Data ECOsystem (ODECO)’ and the Erasmus+ project DIRECTORS (DIgital data-dRiven EduCaTion fOR kidS). His research focuses on strategies for developing sustainable open data ecosystems that are user-driven, inclusive, circular, and skills-based. He also serves as the educational director of the MSc Geomatics for the Built Environment, where he teaches courses on the governance of open (spatial) data infrastructures and ecosystems. 

Anastasija Nikiforova is an assistant professor of information systems at the University of Tartu and a member of the European open science cloud task force on ‘FAIR metrics and digital objects’, the scientific & technical advisory board of Switch Connectome, and the Digital Government Society. She is dedicated to advancing the field through innovative and impactful research, contributing to the evolution of information systems with societal implications. Her research interests include data management, focusing on data integration and data quality management, and digital transformation leadership, driving the digital transformation of public and open data ecosystems. Her work emphasises not only technological advancements but also the dynamics of complex sociotechnical systems, aiming to enhance the resilience and sustainability of digital ecosystems. Further details are available at https://anastasijanikiforova.com/.

Lars Holm Nielsen is Head of open science infrastructure at CERN IT where he leads open science services and projects for large-scale scholarly repositories and reproducible research analyses. He built and grew Zenodo.org over the past 12 years from a proof of concept to being the largest general-purpose research repository supporting researchers around the world in any discipline to share and preserve their research products. He also leads the 25-partner InvenioRDM open-source repository platform, helping institutions and domains to provide open science services. 

He has pioneered innovative solutions across research domains for research software citations as well as unlocking FAIR biodiversity data. His work focuses on providing core enabling infrastructure for open science to help accelerate scientific discovery and ultimately improve how science is conducted.

Georges Lobo holds a PhD in particle physics from the University of Paris-Sud. He conducted research in particle and nuclear physics for 10 years before transitioning to information and communications technology. He has worked at the European Commission for 24 years, initially as a researcher and later as an informatics resource manager. Since 2012, he has managed programmes in digital technologies, including the internet of things, network technologies, connected automated driving and smart cities. In 2017, he joined the Interoperability Unit, focusing on digital innovation in the public sector and govtech. In 2022, he moved to the Next Generation Internet Unit, specialising in digital commons and open-source innovation. He is now in the Interoperability and Digital Government Unit, concentrating on semantic interoperability.

Pavlina Fragkou is a project manager at the European Commission’s Interoperability and Digital Government Unit and has contributed to the definition, development and implementation of policies and actions under the ISA² and Digital Europe programmes. She has over 11 years of experience in IT departments within Greek public administrations, overseeing the design, implementation and daily operation of national-level information systems. Additionally, she has worked on various EU-funded and national research projects. Her expertise includes semantic processing and analysis, machine learning, natural language processing and computational linguistics. She holds a PhD in machine learning.

Dr Barbara Šlibar holds a PhD from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of organisation and informatics, where she is currently a teaching assistant. Her doctoral dissertation, Quality Assessment of Open Datasets Metadata, was awarded magna cum laude. Over the past six years, she has actively contributed to multiple research projects, with her work published in journals such as Government Information Quarterly, SAGE Open and other academic outlets. In 2021, she was a speaker at the EU Open Data Days, co-presenting with Professor Enrique Mu on The Current State of National Metadata – How to Unlock Open Data Benefits. In 2022, she received the Annual Award for Young Scientists in recognition of her pioneering research on open metadata. 

Bianca Sammer holds a diploma in international culture and business studies and has over 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship education and community management across various higher education institutions within data- and innovation-driven environments. She has successfully streamlined data management processes and advanced software solutions as a product owner. Since 2024, as the data community manager for byte, the Bavarian Agency for Digital Affairs, Bianca builds networking formats to connect open data communities, promote data reuse and collaborate with open data stakeholders to enhance offerings. Dedicated to data networking, she emphasises the transformative power of connecting people and open data to benefit business, civil society and science. Bianca aims to advance open data for a more connected, trustworthy and simple digital environment in Bavaria. 

Roberto Viola has served as Director-General of the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology at the European Commission since 2015 and was Deputy Director-General from 2012 to 2015. From 2005 to 2012, Roberto Viola was the secretary-general of the Italian media and communication regulator AGCOM and was a director at AGCOM from 1999 to 2004. He was a member of the Board of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications and chairman of the European Regulatory Group in 2007. From 1985 to 1999 he held various positions at the European Space Agency. Roberto Viola holds a doctorate in electronic engineering and a master’s in business administration.

Dr Stefaan G. Verhulst is an expert in leveraging data and technology for social impact. He is the co-founder of several research organisations, including the Governance Laboratory at New York University and the DataTank in Brussels, where he holds leadership positions. As a research professor at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering, he focuses on using advances in data and AI to improve decision-making. He is editor-in-chief of data & policy and has served on expert groups, including the EU’s High-Level Expert Group on business-to-government data sharing. Recognised as one of the 10 most influential academics in digital government, he advises public and private organisations on data stewardship and has spoken at events like TED and the United Nations World Data Forum.

Christos Ellinides is currently the Director-General for the Directorate-General for Translation (DGT) at the European Commission. He is also the Chairman of the Board of the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (EU agency), and Chairman of the Board of the European Masters in Translation network. He joined the Commission in 2006 as Director for corporate digital solutions in the Directorate-General for Informatics and was appointed later to the post of Deputy Director-General in the DGT. His career has evolved through posts in varying industries and he has acquired extensive experiences mostly in a management capacity, including the functions of both a chief executive officer and a chief information officer. 

Christos Ellinides is a chartered engineer (CEng), chartered IT professional (CITP) and a fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS). He holds an MSc in systems analysis and design from City, University of London and a BSc in business and computing from the Nova University of Miami.

Kjersti Steien is a senior advisor at the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency and product owner for Norway’s national data portal, data.norge.no. She oversees technical solutions to describe organisations’ data and present it to potential reusers, with metadata also shared with data.europa.eu. Collaborating with teams and external partners such as Samferdselsdata and Kudaf, Kjersti works to lower barriers to sharing and reusing public data while promoting openness and collaboration with a focus on user needs. Before joining the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency in 2022, she worked on library system development at Deichman (the public library of Oslo). Kjersti holds a Master’s degree in library and information science from Oslo Metropolitan University. 

Sam Hawkins has a background in computer science and began working with energy data at the Policy Studies Institute, where he adapted energy models to incorporate wind generation into future UK energy pathways. He completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh, focusing on the alignment of wind generation with patterns of energy demand. Subsequently, he worked in the field of short-term power forecasting, combining meteorological data with machine learning techniques. Sam is currently the data programme director at Ember, leading the team responsible for curating and maintaining Ember’s open datasets. He is a strong advocate for the value of open data and open-source tools in building a clean, flexible power system.

Marika Eik holds a doctorate from the Aalto University School of Engineering, awarded in 2014. With extensive experience in materials testing and modelling, Marika has shifted her focus in recent years to enterprise architecture and data science. She is particularly inspired by applying data analysis techniques, including machine learning, to address complex engineering and technological challenges. Her work includes optimising heating, ventilation and air conditioning system controls in buildings, forecasting traffic flow under varying weather conditions and determining cementitious matrix porosity using scanning electron microscope / mercury cadmium telluride imaging. Marika combines a strong technical foundation with a passion for leveraging data-driven methods to enhance efficiency and innovation across diverse engineering domains. 

Raphaël Kergueno is a senior policy officer at Transparency International EU (TI EU). He leads the organisation’s data-driven advocacy, focusing on preventing undue influence and conflicts of interest in EU policymaking, particularly in the context of the European Green Deal. Raphaël has overseen the development of the Integrity Watch ecosystem of data visualisation platforms, covering 19 European countries, two EU institutions and over 70 datasets on lobbying, political finance, financial interests and public procurement. He is also a joint winner of the 2021 edition of the EU Datathon for the TrackMyEU platform, which leverages open data to bring EU decision-making closer to citizens.

Dr Kate Larkin (PhD, 2006) is head of secretariat for the European Marine Observation and Data Network, an EU in situ marine data service under the European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. the European Marine Observation and Data Network is a key component of the EU’s Marine Knowledge service and, together with the Copernicus Marine Service, forms the backbone infrastructure for the EU digital twin of the ocean. Kate has a multidisciplinary background, holding a degree (2002) in natural sciences from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, and a PhD (2006) in marine biogeochemistry from the University of Southampton / National Oceanography Centre, United Kingdom. She has over 15 years of experience in ocean observation and marine data, and knowledge at both the national (UK) and European levels.

Antonio Moneo is the founder of Tangible Data, a programme dedicated to advancing data literacy and sustainability. Recognised by datos.gob.es as a leading open data reuser, Tangible Data showcases innovative approaches to data utilisation. In 2022, Antonio collaborated with the Global Partnership on Sustainable Development Data. He also served as an open data steward at the Open Data Charter and organised the Open Cities Summit in Madrid in 2015. During his tenure at the Inter-American Development Bank (2014–2017), he edited the Abierto al Público blog, achieving 30 000 monthly page views, and organised open data hackathons to foster innovation in mid-sized cities. Antonio remains a strong advocate for open data as a tool for creating impactful and sustainable solutions. 

Jan Willem Tulp, founder of TULP Interactive, is an award-winning data visualisation designer from the Netherlands. With over 13 years of experience, he has worked with a wide range of clients, including the World Bank, Scientific American, Google News Lab, the European Space Agency, Dutch Railways and Nielsen. His projects span interactive exploratory tools, data-driven storytelling and experimental visualisations that push creative boundaries. 

Davide Taibi is a senior researcher at the Institute for Educational Technology of the National Research Council of Italy. His research focuses on applying innovative technologies to support education at various levels, encompassing areas such as mobile learning, the semantic web and linked data for e-learning, learning analytics, augmented and virtual reality in education and artificial intelligence in education. He has coordinated two EU-funded projects in the field of data literacy: DATALIT (Data Literacy at the Interface of Higher Education and Business) and DEDALUS (Developing Data Literacy Courses for University Students). He is currently leading two EU-funded projects centred on artificial intelligence in education. Davide is also a contract professor at the University of Palermo. 

Nadieh Bremer is a data visualisation designer with a background in astronomy and data science. Awarded the 'Best Individual' prize at the Information is Beautiful Awards, she co-authored Data Sketches and is renowned for her highly customised visualisations. Her work, which transforms complex data into engaging visuals, has been featured by organisations such as Google News Lab, UNICEF, and the New York Times.

Andreas Refsgaard is an artist and creative coder based in Copenhagen. Working at the intersection of art and interaction design, he uses algorithms, data and machine learning to explore the creative potential of emerging digital technologies.

In his artistic practice, Andreas applies a humorous approach to digital tools and their potential applications, often combining inputs and outputs in imaginative ways. Examples include playing music with eye movements, generating memes or fake Wikipedia pages from photos and transforming drawings of instruments into real compositions.

His playful and interactive works are characterised by a naïve, open-minded approach that questions and exposes both the benefits and drawbacks of the technologies he applies, offering a straightforward and unassuming perspective.