Selection Committee

Stefano Carosio is Managing Director of Unismart Padova Enterprise and has 23+ years of experience in the field of research and innovation with a special focus on applying advanced technologies to manufacturing, including textile and clothing.

Christian Dalsgaard is CEO of Smart Textile Alliance, an independent body seeking to align the smart textile industry through standardisation. Christian is the founder and former CTO of the company Ohmatex and his knowledge of the field spans over a decade from the early stages of R&D into the latest development for space applications.

After graduating in 2010 from the Technological Universities of Compiègne (UTC, France) & Braunschweig (TUBS, Germany) in Industrial Engineering (chemistry, physics, energy, environment), Etienne worked on the management of large R&D organizations and projects before joining Cityzen Sciences in 2014, a start-up specialized in smart textile technologies. From the ideation and business analysis to the certification and market introduction, Etienne has led IoT and smart textile projects for both B2B & B2C applications.

João Gomes is Chief Operations Officer at CENTI, with the responsibility of overseeing development of new technologies and products with printed and integrated electronics and smart functionalities for the automotive and aeronautic, home and wellness, and construction, having a background in physics, materials science and industrial processes.

Dr. Rainer Günzler is heading the Business Development team at Hahn-Schickard, a private non-profit Research and Technology Organisation focusing on Smart Systems, based on hard- and software technologies and covering the chain from idea to production. Rainer is actively involved in many EC programs, initiatives and projects since more than 20 years.

Simon Hjelte, Business developer at BoråsINK. Specailesed in business modelling of innovative offerings fusioning fashions offering with emerging technology supporting startups on their journey from idea to market. He has extensive experience from all divisions of the fashion, retail and lifestyle industry ranging from small scale production to purchasing and market strategies for establishment and growth, including funding.”

Romano Hoofman is Program Director at imec - a world-leading independent research centre in nanoelectronics and nanotechnology. Currently, he is general manager of EUROPRACTICE and related services at imec Innovation Services. He has more than 15 years industrial experience in various application domains and has been involved in EU programs and projects for almost 20 years.

Raquel Ledo, Head of Materials Innovation Area in CTAG (Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia). She has extensive experience in the automotive business (both in automotive suppliers and in OEMs). During last 10 years, she was directly involved in more than 20 European projects. She is expert evaluator in several H2020 programmes (SME Instrument, FET Open, MSCA ITN).

Francesca is a fashion designer, architect, wearable technology visionary, and sustainability champion. She designed for haute-couture house Valentino, and then completed a Master’s degree in Sustainable Design, and a second Master’s degree in Interaction Design from the prestigious Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in Italy. Francesca pioneered the merging of fashion with technology and created groundbreaking award-winning fashions that have been featured in exhibitions and publications all over the world. She received the Netexplo Innovation Award 2019 from UNESCO for the SoundShirt and holds a number of patents in the field of wearable technology, such as sensor-enhanced fabric constructions and multimedia wearable telecommunication devices.

Henk Vanhoutte, secretary general of the European Safety Federation, the organisation representing the PPE suppliers on European level. He has been involved in the PPE sector for over 25 years. He supports several initiatives on innovative PPE, as well on the legislative, conformity assessment as standardisation aspects.

Dr. Daniela ZAVEC, Smart Textiles Business Developer She is generating new ideas for a challenging Textile Future, especially in personal protection and technical textiles for different target groups. Within 20 years of experiences in Textile and Clothing Engineering she is bridging the gap between the R&D society and industrial sectors. Her focus areas include also the importance of standardisation in the field of smart textiles and coaching start-ups.