Speakers

ADRIÁN RUIZ
Postdoc, University of Stavanger

Adrián Ruiz received his BS/MS degrees in Industrial Electronics and Automatic Control Engineering, in 2014 and 2018, respectively, and his Ph.D. degree in Automatic Control, Robotics and Computer Vision, in 2023, all from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Terrassa, Spain. Currently, he is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (IDE) at the University of Stavanger (UiS), Norway. His research interests include developing control methodologies and open-source tools for nonlinear systems subject to time-varying conditions, particularly in gain-scheduling control, fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control strategies, as well as autonomous robots.

ALEXANDRA BECH GJØRV
President and CEO, SINTEF

Alexandra Bech Gjørv is CEO of SINTEF, one of Europe’s largest research institutes. Gjørv has a long executive career in Norsk Hydro and Equinor behind her, including renewable energy and low carbon solutions, automotive parts, as well as staffs and corporate governance. Gjørv has experience as chair and board member of a number of Norwegian and foreign companies. She is a lawyer and was a partner in the law firm Hjort before joining SINTEF. She chaired the independent July 22. commission.

ANITA KROHN
CEO DSD AS Group

Anita Krohn is the Group CEO of the Norwegian industrial investment company DSD AS (Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskap) and Vice Chair and board member of the European Innovation Council (EIC) since 2019. Anita became the first female CEO of Hewlett-Packard Norway in 2012 and is the former CEO of Innovation Norway (2014-2019), one of the Norwegian Government’s financial instruments for innovation and development of Norwegian enterprises and industry, Krohn has also led the Norwegian government’s committee for Innovation and Growth in the Green sector towards 2035. Krohn is a bestselling author of two #1 books on leadership in Norway and in 2018 she was ranked as one of the top 50 global business thinkers by Thinkers50 Radar, and amongst the top 50 most inspiring women in European Tech in 2015 and 2016. In 2012, she received the Oda award for best female leader in the IT industry in Norway.

ANNE WOIE
Head of Economic Development and International Affairs, City of Stavanger

Anne Woie is Head of Economic Development and International Affairs for the City of Stavanger, where she drives international collaboration and business development under the Stavanger Business Region umbrella. Appointed in 2019, she previously served as head of business policy at Næringsforeningen i Stavanger-regionen and earlier worked as a financial advisor at SpareBank 1 SR‑Bank and as managing director of Handelsforeningen i Randaberg. She holds a master’s degree in Change Management from the University of Stavanger.

BERND LIEPERT
President, EU Robotics

Dr. Liepert earned his diploma in mathematics in 1990 from the University of Augsburg and his honorary doctor degree from University of Magdeburg in 2011. From February 1990 until June 2019 Dr. Liepert has worked in changing positions for KUKA. From 1990 to 1996 he worked as mathematician and developer at KUKA Schweissanlagen + Roboter GmbH before he took charge as head of development of the newly founded company KUKA Roboter GmbH until 1997. From 1998-1999 he was a member of KUKA Roboter GmbH Board of Management, responsible for development and design. From 2000-2009 Dr. Liepert was the CEO of KUKA Roboter GmbH. From 2010 to January 2015 he was the CTO of KUKA AG, responsible for technology and development of the whole KUKA Group and from February 2015 until June 2019 Chief Innovation Officer of KUKA AG, being responsible for expanding innovations at KUKA where he was able to apply his vast robotics experience at the interface between technology and the market. From 2008-2012 Dr. Liepert was President of EUROP, the European Robotics Technology Platform, and subsequently President of euRobotics AISBL – the European Robotics Association. euRobotics was founded in September 2012 and has become the private side of SPARC, the European Public-Private Partnership in Robotics in 2013. As president of these associations Dr. Liepert has been leading the European robotics community and representing it at high political levels.

BJARTE LANGELAND
Founder and CEO of Stinger Technology AS

Bjarte Langeland is the Founder and CEO of Stinger Technology AS, a Norwegian technology company established in 2003. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and has extensive experience from both operators and major service providers within the offshore industry. Under his leadership, Stinger Technology has grown into a recognized provider of ROV‑based inspection, intervention, and tooling solutions for demanding offshore operations. The company delivers technology and services to leading operators on the Norwegian and UK Continental Shelf and maintains long‑term framework agreements with several major national and international energy companies. In recent years, Bjarte has focused on expanding Stinger’s technology into new application areas, including defense, ocean observation, and autonomous and remotely operated systems. He is actively engaged in collaboration with operators, suppliers, and research institutions, and regularly contributes to discussions on robotics, subsea technology, and the sustainable use of the ocean space.

BRANDO BENIFEI
Member of the European Parliament

Brando Benifei is an Italian Member of the European Parliament serving his third term. During the previous mandate, he was co-rapporteur for the Artificial Intelligence Act, a role for which he received the Best MEP of the Mandate Award from The Parliament Magazine in March 2024. In 2024, he was re-elected with around 65,000 preference votes. He currently serves as Coordinator of the Committee on International Trade (INTA) for the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, and as Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with the United States (D-US). He is also Co-Chair of the AI Working Group, where he focuses in particular on issues related to artificial intelligence regulation and broader digital policy.In addition, he is a member of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) and a substitute member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), where he continues to closely follow digital and technological policy developments.

CAMILLA STOLTENBERG
CEO, NORCE Research

Camilla Stoltenberg is the CEO of NORCE Research, an independent research institute that conducts research to facilitate informed and sustainable choices for the future. Camilla is a medical doctor and holds a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of Oslo. From 2001, she was a part of the top management at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), first as Executive Director of the division of epidemiology, then as a Deputy Director General, and from 2012-2023 as Director General. As Director General of NIPH, she was responsible for national strategic projects related to infrastructure for science and analysis. In the period 2020-2023, she was NIPHs spokesperson in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also studied sociology at University of Oslo and social anthropology/medical anthropology at the University of California Berkeley and San Francisco (UCSF). She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in 1998-2001 and visiting scholar at Harvard School of Public Health and Columbia University in New York from 2000-2001. Camilla Stoltenberg has been a professor at the University of Bergen, Department of Global Public Health and Primary care, since 2012, and she remains active within research. She has led several research projects with funds from the EU, The Norwegian Research Council and National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US. She is socially engaged and broadly involved in research and research strategy and has held numerous national and international positions and assignments.

CÉCILE HUET
AI Office | European Commission

Cécile Huet is Head of the Unit “Excellence in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics”, part of the AI Office at the European Commission. This unit supports beneficial robotics and AI development within Europe, with a portfolio of projects up to 800M€. Under Horizon Europe, the unit launched the Public-Private Partnership on AI, Data and Robotics. This unit is also at the heart of the AI Innovation Package in January 2024, a 4Bn€ investment, including close to 700M€ GenAI4EU initiative, aiming at developing GenAI solutions “made in Europe” for strategic industrial sectors, public sector and science. Cécile joined the unit since its creation in 2004. Previously, she worked for the industry in signal processing after a post-doc at the University of California Santa Barbara and a PhD at University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, France. In 2015, she has been selected as one of the “25 women in robotics you need to know about”

DANIEL HAGEN
Associate Professor at University of Agder

Daniel Hagen holds a trade certificate as an automation mechanic, received the M.Sc. degree in mechatronics (double diploma) from the University of Agder (UiA), Norway, and FH Vorarlberg, Austria, in 2014, and the Ph.D. degree in engineering science from the UiA in 2020. Prior to academia, he gained over ten years of industrial experience with offshore control systems worldwide. He is an Associate Professor at UiA, Director of the Norwegian Motion Laboratory, Head of the Intelligent Mechatronics research group (iTron), and Co-Founder and Chair of the Norwegian Society of Mechatronics. His research interests include autonomous robotics, real-time digital twins, distributed control systems, and AI-assisted engineering.

ELENI KELASIDI
Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Industrials Engineering (MTP) at NTNU and Head of the Field Robotics Lab at MTP

Eleni Kelasidi is Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Industrials Engineering (MTP) at NTNU and Head of the Field Robotics Lab at MTP. She received the Diploma (M.Sc.) degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Patras, Greece, in 2009, and the Ph.D. degree in engineering cybernetics from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway, in 2015. In 2016, she was honored three-year VISTA Fellowship investigating resident robot manipulators for subsea inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) operations as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the CoE Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems, NTNU. In 2020, she was granted the Young Researcher Talent Funding from the Research Council of Norway to perform research on unmanned underwater vehicles operating in dynamically changing environments. From 2023 to 2024, she held a research visit at Sea Grant, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA, and the Autonomous Systems Laboratory (ASL), ETH, Zurich, Switzerland. Until 2025, she was a Senior Research Scientist and the Head of the SINTEF ACE-RoboticLab—Autonomous and Robotic Aquaculture Systems Laboratory, SINTEF Ocean, Trondheim, leading activities on autonomous systems and robotic solutions applied to the aquaculture industry and targeting interdisciplinary research to link the field of technology and biology. Her main research focuses on developing resilient robotic systems capable of performing autonomous Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair (IMR) operations in diverse and highly dynamic environments. Dr. Kelasidi has received several awards including the SINTEF’s Outstanding Research Award in 2024 for developing robotics and autonomy in aquaculture as a new research area.

FLAVIO FUSCO
Head of Civil RD&I Cooperative Projects & Grants at Leonardo

Flavio Fusco is the Head of Civil RD&I Cooperative Projects & Grants at Leonardo, a multinational company in the sector of Aerospace, Defence & Security. He is graduated in physics, member of several National and European associations and has a technical background as system engineer and project manager in the fields of space robotics, aviation systems and air traffic management.

FRANCESCO FERRO
CEO, Co-Founder, Owner PAL Robotics

Francesco obtained a MSc degree in Telecommunications Engineering in 2002 at the Politecnico di Torino. He began a PhD in Computer Vision, but left in 2004 to found PAL Robotics. He started working with the development of stereo vision algorithms and later joined the autonomous robot navigation team in order to implement various SLAM algorithms. In 2008, he became the manager of PAL Robotics´ software department. He obtained an MBA at the UB university in Barcelona in 2011 and became CEO of PAL Robotics, in charge of the company’s humanoid robot development.

GABOR SZIEBIG
Research Manager, SINTEF Industry

Gabor Sziebig is currently a Research Manager with SINTEF Industry. He received the M.Sc. degree in computer science from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary, in 2007, and the Ph.D. degree in production engineering from the Norwegian University of Science (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, in 2013. His research fields are automation, robotics, computer vision, and control theory. During his Ph.D. studies, he was focusing on novel programming methods for Flexible Manufacturing Systems and have developed a concept called small-scale intelligent manufacturing systems (SIMS). He is the Chair of the IEEE IES-Technical Committee on Control, Robotics and Mechatronics, and the Secretary of the IFAC TC on Robotics.

HEATHER BUISMAN

Project Manager, NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA)

Heather is Project Manager for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), a dual-use accelerator aimed at boosting the security and resilience of the NATO alliance. She works alongside NATO DIANA’s 150+ innovators and NATO nations to support them in translating innovations into cutting edge defence capabilities. Previously, Heather has led numerous public sector innovation and transformation projects across Europe and beyond.

HEDI KARRAY
Programme Manager for Artificial Intelligence, European Innovation Council

Hedi Karray is an experienced professional in semantic AI and ontology-based engineering, with over fifteen years in applied informatics. He holds a Ph.D. in applied informatics from the University of Franche-Comté, France (2012), a Master’s in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management from the Business Administration Institute of Besançon (2013), and the Habilitation to Lead Research (HDR) from the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse (2019). Before joining the EIC, Hedi was a Full Professor of Applied Informatics at the University of Technology of Tarbes (UTTOP) in France. He led the international master’s programme on Industry 4.0 and the Planning, Interoperability, and Coordination of dynamic Systems (PICS) research group, contributing to research in ontology-based engineering, semantic interoperability, and AI-driven decision support systems. He has published over 80 papers in international journals and conferences. In 2016, Hedi was a visiting professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB), focusing on ontological research. This led to his role as a senior scientist at the National Center for Ontological Research (NCOR.us) and co-founding the Industrial Ontologies Foundry hosted by NIST. Hedi has been actively involved in the professional community, serving as the president of the French chapter of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society and co-founding the International Semantic and FAIR Knowledge Graph Alliance. He served as an expert for the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme, advising on AI and semantic technologies. Through his collaborative research projects and consulting work with companies like TotalEnergies, Airbus, Thales, etc. Hedi has helped to apply academic research in industrial settings and has provided invaluable insights into the deployment of Semantic AI in complex industrial environments, contributing to the digital transformation of key sectors. He is committed to responsible AI and advancing the global AI ecosystem, with a focus on technologies that benefit both industry and society. Hedi’s work continues to influence the future of AI in Europe and globally.

HEGE INDRESAND
Senior scientist, NORCE Research

Dr. Hege Indresand is a Senior Research Scientist at NORCE Research, specializing in industrial air quality and diffuse dust emissions. She earned her PhD in 2008 from the University of California, Davis, following earlier studies at Stockholm University and the University of Redlands, focusing on real‑time chemical analysis of atmospheric particulate matter. Since 2013 she has led and contributed to projects that help process industries—such as smelters, chemical plants, and mines—measure, understand, and reduce emissions. Recent work includes developing real‑time monitoring of diffuse dust in collaboration with Eramet Norway Sauda. She is also active in national forums and research initiatives, including the SFI Metal Production collaboration (NTNU/SINTEF).

KNUT STÅLE STORESUND
Chief Technology Officer, Kystdesign

Knut Ståle Storesund is the Chief Technology Officer for Control Systems at Kystdesign, one of the world’s leading developers of heavy‑duty work‑class ROVs. With more than 30 years of experience in the subsea industry, he has dedicated his career to the design and development of advanced ROV systems—beginning at Stolt Comex Seaways and continuing at Kystdesign, where he today oversees software and hardware architecture for mission‑critical subsea operations. Driven by practical engineering, Knut Ståle has contributed to the evolution of high‑performance robotic systems used by operators worldwide. In his current role, he leads technology strategy within Kystdesign’s control‑system domain and collaborates with industry partners exploring next‑generation autonomy and AI‑enabled capabilities for future subsea operations.

KRISTIN MARGRETHE FLORNES
Executive Vice President Energy and Technology at NORCE

Kristin Margrethe Flornes academic background is in mathematics and technology management. She holds a Master’s degree in Mathematics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) (1993) and a PhD in Mathematics from the same institution (1998). Additionally, she earned a Master’s degree in Technology Management from NTNU and the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) in 2021. Kristin has extensive experience in technology development, research, and research management. She began her career as a project engineer at Western Geco and continued as an analyst for the Nordic power market at Point Carbon. She joined IRIS as a researcher in 2005, where she held various leadership roles, including Research Director and Head of the Energy Department, eventually becoming Director of the entire institute during its merger into NORCE in 2018. From 2018 to 2021, she helped build and lead NORCE’s Technology Department. After completing her degree in technology management in 2021, she moved into the industry to apply her new knowledge in entrepreneurship and innovation. From 2021 to 2024, she worked with early-stage innovation at Eviny and was involved in founding several companies within electrification and sustainability. This experience has provided valuable insight that she now brings to her current role at NORCE.

LINN WINSNES THRANE
Vice President Technology, KONGSBERG

Linn holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics specializing in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance from Montana State University. Her technical background includes project management, signal processing, and system architecture. She currently serves as Vice President of Technology at KONGSBERG, leading the central Technology Office responsible for assessing and positioning the company in emerging and strategic technologies, facilitating technology innovation, and coordinating external research collaborations.

MARTE INGUL
Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Administration

Marte Ingul is State Secretary on the Norwegian Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Administration. She joined the Ministry from a job as Executive Vice President for Public and Government Affairs at Amedia. She previously served as Chief of Staff and City Government Secretary for Oslo’s Governing Mayor, Raymond Johansen. She has held key roles for the Labour Party’s parliamentary group, the party office, and for the European party (PES) in Brussels. Ingul also has an editorial background from C SPAN, Nettavisen, and the local newspapers Inderøyningen and Åsane Tidende.

MICHELLE WILLIAMS
Head of Business Transformation, AkerBP

Michelle Williams leads Business Transformation at Aker BP, where she works with innovation, technology and digitalization to evolve the company’s operating model. Her role includes scouting, adopting and integrating emerging technologies, as well as advancing offshore and industrial robotics, autonomy, AI and automation to enable safer operations, higher efficiency and scalable transformation in complex, safety-critical energy environments. She brings more than 12 years of experience from Royal Norwegian Navy and over a decade of experience as CEO and senior executive, built on a strong leadership foundation across operational, executive and enterprise roles within energy, industrial, logistics and technology-driven companies. Michelle is recognized for leading complex transformations with strategic clarity, strong execution and a holistic, cross-disciplinary perspective.

NABIL BELBACHIR
Research Director, NORCE Research

Nabil Belbachir has almost three decades of experience with computer vision, AI and robotics, as engineer, scientist, visionary leader and strategist, contributing with sustainable innovative concepts, products and solutions. Nabil Belbachir is a research director at NORCE, director at eu-robotics Aisbl and strategy advisor for ADRA Aisbl and the European Commission, for coordinating European Strategic Research, Innovation and Deployment Agenda and contributing to HEU work programme 2025-2027 in AI, Data and Robotics. He has a PhD (2005) in computer science from TU Vienna (Austria). He edited the single-source Springer book “Smart Cameras (2009)”, translated into Chinese by China Machine Press (2014) and has over 140 scientific publications, 3 patents. Actually, he is coordinating COGNIMAN, and iBot4CRMs, two Horizon Europe Innovation projects on AI-powered robotics, respectively for Flexible Manufacturing and for recovery of Critical Raw Materials from electronic waste. He is also leading the Agder CARM centre developing novel robotics solutions on urban mining.

NICKLAS TJERNLUND
Senior Specialist in Demolition & Dismantling – Demolition Robot Expert Vattenfall Power Solutions

Nicklas is a Senior Specialist in demolition and dismantling, working with nuclear decommissioning at Vattenfall. Have been working with decommissioning since 2016 , prior to that, working in the conventional demolition industry from 2008 – 2018. Member of the EGRRS between 2022 – 2025. Supported the writing of the second report of the EGRRS, mainly as: Ad-hoc lead for the benchmarking sub group; Part of the CBA sub group; Coordinating and developing the benchmarking methodology basis. Member of the Bureau of the EGRRS between 2024 – 2025. Worked with decommissioning on three different sites in Sweden: R2 research reactor in Studsvik between 2016 – 2020; R3 Ågesta NPP between 2020 – 2024; Ringhals 1 and 2 2024 – ongoing. Working with the German BU of Vattenfall with their decommissioning projects. Mainly with: Knowledge exchange; Value Engineering and assessments of projects and program; Technical Advisory in dismantling methods. Have written papers or presented on the use of robotics in dismantling in different forums, among others: IAEA Decommissioning conference in 2023; DigiDECOM 2024; IAEA Technical Meeting on innovations in decommissioning in 2025.

SILJE HORRISLAND WHIST
Special Adviser at Innovation Norway

Silje Horrisland Whist is a Special Adviser at Innovation Norway, supporting Norwegian industry in navigating Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe Programme, and strengthening cross‑sector collaboration to advance Europe’s green and digital transformation. She works closely with companies, clusters, research organisations and public stakeholders to identify strategic opportunities, position high‑impact technologies, and build partnerships that accelerate innovation. Through her advisory role, Silje contributes to enhancing Norway’s participation in European funding arenas and ensuring that Norwegian solutions take an active role in shaping Europe’s future innovation landscape.

STIAN ROGNILD
CEO of Aquaticode

Stian Rognlid is CEO of Aquaticode, a deep-tech company developing industrial AI phenotyping systems for aquaculture. The company combines advanced imaging, machine learning, and high-speed robotics to classify and sort fish based on biological traits such as gender, maturation, and health indicators. By enabling earlier and more precise biological decisions, the technology helps farmers improve growth, survival, and production efficiency. Aquaticode’s systems already operate at commercial scale, having processed tens of millions of fish, with contracts covering more than 400 million fish globally.

STINE VEMMESTAD VATNEBERG
Vice President Facilities & Operations Technology - Equinor

Stine V. Vatneberg leads O&G Facilities and Operations Solutions within the Technology, Digital, and Innovation business area at Equinor. With 15 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, she has held multiple professional and leadership positions. Stine previously led the Autonomy, Interoperability, and Robotics Project, a flagship program accelerating the adoption of digital technologies across Equinor’s assets. Passionate about innovation, she focuses on how collaboration and technology can drive the transformation of the energy sector.

WAQAR AHMED
Special Adviser, Research Council of Norway

Waqar Ahmed is Norway’s representative on the Horizon Europe programme committees for Cluster IV, EIC, and EIE, where they play a key role in defining European research and innovation strategies and bolstering Norway’s impact on critical societal challenges. With over two decades of experience across business, finance, and engineering, Waqar has been deeply involved in EU-funded R&D initiatives spanning biotechnology, MedTech, health ICT, energy, and telecommunications. His career includes seven years at PERA Technology in the UK and Scandinavia, where they supported start-ups and SMEs in securing funding for innovative projects, as well as the establishment and leadership of the EU programme at Norway Health Tech. Waqar has also coordinated several major EU-funded research and innovation projects. His ongoing commitment is to empower innovators and drive Europe’s capacity to deliver transformative, high-impact solutions for the future.

YANG SHEN
Investor advisor and the founder/managing principal of Plays Research

Yang Shen is a robotics industry operator turned investor advisor and the founder/managing principal of Plays Research, a technical due diligence and cross-border capital advisory platform supporting family offices, venture capital, and private equity investors in robotics, medical technologies, and AI-enabled physical systems. Prior to advising investors, Yang spent his career as a robotics industry operator in R&D, engineering, and management roles, including at a publicly listed humanoid robotics manufacturer and a university spinoff that achieved a successful first-in-human clinical trial for an ophthalmology surgical robot. Yang contributed industry perspectives to the Mid-Cycle Update of the US National Robotics Roadmap and has served as a reviewer or panelist for programs including US SBIR/STTR/RIE and UKRI EPSRC. Yang is a Senior Member of IEEE and received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Medical Robotics) from UCLA. He has authored 4 book chapters and holds 10+ patents in robotics and intelligent systems, and advises startups and investors including 01F GPS Fund (Hong Kong).

Presentation Title: From Lab to Capital: How Investors Evaluate Robotics Technologies