BIO

International advisor. She was employed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland until 2021, with several research and management positions over the years. Her work as Head of EU Affairs (2007-2021) was to guide VTT towards European collaboration. She was much involved in the core activities of EARTO (European Association of Research and Technology Organisations) and gained experience from the Commission expert groups, such as Key Enabling Technologies KETs (2010-2011, 2013-2015), Strategic Forum for IPCEIs (2018-2019), Pilots on Industrial Transition and Interregional Cooperation (2018-2020) and Interregional Innovation Investments I3 (2021). She has participated in numerous R&I project evaluations in Brussels, Stockholm and Helsinki, and she has a good overview of the national R&I system in Finland. In 2014-2018, she was member of the Strategic Research Council, a funding mechanism at Academy of Finland, to support science-based decision-making across society. In 2016-2021, she served in MATINE, the Scientific Advisory Group for Defence in Finland, and in 2014-2021 in the Coordination Committee for development of the Smart Specialisation Strategy in Helsinki-Uusimaa Region. Since 2016, Leena has committed herself to the Government Foresight Group chaired by the Prime Minister’s Office.