Klaus R. Kunzmann studied architecture and urban planning at the Technische Hochschule München (1961 to 1967) and received his Ph.D. in urban planning from the Technische Universität Wien, Austria, in 1971, where he had a position as lecturer in urban and regional planning at the Faculty of Architecture until 1971. Thereafter he worked with international Consulting Engineers in Germany  and Thailand. From 1974 to 2006 he was Professor and Director of the Institut für Raumplanung (IRPUD) at the School of Plannin, Technische Universität Dortmund. From 1994 until his retirement in 2006, he held a personal Jean Monnet Chair for European Spatial Planning.

As director of research at the Institut für Raumplanung of the University of Dortmund (1974 to 1993), and as chair holder for European Spatial Planning (1993 to 2006) he has initiated and coordinated more than 50 basic and applied research projects supported by national and regional governments, and research foundations. As German representative he co-operated with his research staff participated in a number of transnational European research projects supported by the European Commission.

Klaus R. Kunzmann has been a visiting professor, among others, at the School of Architecture at South East University in Nanjing/China (2010 to 2017), the RMIT University Melbourne (2012), Tsinghua University in Beijing (2009), at the ETH Zürich (2008), at Sapienza, Universitá di Roma, Italy (2007), Leuven (2006), the Technische Universität Berlin (2002/2003), the School of Architecture and Planning at the Graduate School of Fine Arts of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (2000), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge/USA (1999), the University of California, Los Angeles (1994) and at the Université Paris 8 (1993).

As an expert in spatial planning he advised the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the OECD. On behalf of the European Commission and the Senate of the Land Berlin he was a member of the expert panels for the partially EU-funded “Future of London Study” and the “Study for the Future of Berlin”. During 2006 and 2007 he was invited to serve as a member of the international scientific advisory council to the strategic plan for the province of Milan. From 1998 to 2004 he was a member of the scientific advisory council of D.A.T.A.R. (Délégation à l’aménagement du territoire et à l’action régionale), Paris, France.

During 1974 until the 1990s  Klaus R. Kunzmann has frequently served as expert for the German Development Assistance (now GIZ) among others in Nepal, Yemen, Egypt, Brazil and Malawi. In the 1980s he established SPRING, a master degree

programme for planners from developing countries at the Technical University of Dortmund.

As a keynote speaker, he has addressed numerous German, European and Chinese conferences, particularly in Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. He is continuously involved as a policy advisor in local, regional and national policy and national matters., in recent years particularly in China  In 2010 he was one of the co-organizers of the 3rd Knowledge Cities World Summit in Melbourne, Australia.

Since more than 10 years he is frequently traveling to China. He has taught at Tsinghua University, South East Unversity in Nanjing, Fudan University, Northeast University in Changchun, Liverpool X’iatong University in Suzhou and the China University of Mining and Technology in Xuzhou. As a honorary professor of Chung Hua University in Hsinchu/Taiwan he has carried out workshops at this university and at several other universities in the country. Since 2014 he is appointed visiting professor at the Department of Urban Planning of the School of Architecture of Southeast University in Nanjing. He has also been involved in urban development projects and has published in various Chinese professional journals (UPI, Urban Flux, Beijing Planning Review). During 2014 top 2017 ha has advised the industrial city of Changchun to develop its knowledge capital for urban development. In 2017 the Provincial Government of Jilin/China honored him as an outstanding Foreign Expert for his advisory work in Changchun.

Klaus R. Kunzmann is a member of the scientific advisory council of a number of national and international planning journals, among others, disP:The Planning Review, Urban Design, International Planning Studies and  Journal of Urban and Regional Planning Studies (Beijing).

Klaus R. Kunzmann has published 17 books, mainly in the field of city and regional development and cultural industries, in recent years mainly in Chinese. He has written numerous chapters in edited books published in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, the US and Italy, and frequently publishes in refereed international journals, in German, English and Italian. In 2010, he co-edited a book on the implications of the economic growth of China on European space (Routledge).

In 1993 Klaus R. Kunzmann was awarded a honorary membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) in London, and, in 1996, he received a honorary Ph.D. from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, and the German Federal Cross of Merit (“Bundesverdienstkreuz”) for his public services to the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 1995 he is an elected member of the German “Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung”. In 2006 he was elected Citizen of the Ruhr in Germany, and awarded a Honorary Member of the Association of European Planning Schools (AESOP), which has been established in Dortmund upon his initiative in 1987. As founding president he served AESOP during its first three years term.

His ongoing research interests are innovative urban policy and European spatial planning, regional restructuring and slow regional development, the role of creativity, knowledge and the arts for spatial and endogenous economic development, and, more recently, the consequences of China’s rapid economic growth and the Road and Belt Initiative for cities and regions in Europe. Drawing on his long experience in the Ruhr, he continues to explore pathways of regional restructuring in times of globalization and digitalization.

Dr. Choi, Jong-in is a Professor and Vice President of Strategy and Planning, Hanbat National University, Daejeon, Korea. He is the CEO of Hanbat Tech Holding Company which has 33 subsidiary startup companies. Dr, Choi was the former Dean, Graduate School of Entrepreneurial Management. City of Daejeon is famous Korean representative science and research park since 1970s, The 2/3 of government research institutes(GRIs) located in city of Daejeon.

He received his Ph.D. from Korea University in 1995 and was Post-Doctoral Fellow from Lehigh University, PA. USA, in 1997-1999. He has spent four years as a visiting scholar in Center for Innovation Management Studies(CIMS), North Carolina State University(2003-2004, 2009-2010, 2015-2016). He has studied the comparative research between Research Technology Park(RTP) and Daedeok Innopolis, Daejeon,.

He was a Director of DIVA(Daedeok Innopolis Venture Association), which is consist of 1,500 new technology based firms(NTBFs) for 7 years and now serves on the board member of multiple venture companies. Also he has been member of evaluation committee of Korean Government Research Institutes (GRIs) and was the Chairman of the Association of National Graduate School of Entrepreneurship 2013-2014. He participated in the planning the National Plan for the university education for entrepreneurship in 2013 and 2017 as a team leader. Now he has served as a president of Academy of Human Resource Development for 2017-2019.

Dr. Choi was the member of Korean Presidential Advisory Council on Science & Technology (PACST), 2013-2014. Recently main research topic is the Technology Commercialization, Entrepreneurship Education and Science Technology Park(STP), Incubation Management. As a consultant of the developing countries like a Mongol, Iran, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Oman, Egypt and Azerbaijan, Dr. Choi participated and served the development of national policy

Dr. Choi has participated in the member of Venture Capital and Angel companies in Daedeok, and have served as a board members of NTBFs(IPO companies) in Korea, and columnist of Korean Newspaper. He is CEO of Hanbat Tech Holding which have 35 companies since 2017. His research areas are Technology Commercialization, E-ship education, Innovation Cluster, STP and Creativity, Incubation Management and Policy. He published 70 papers and 15 books related with Innovation, Technology Management and Policy.

• Former Senior Advisor of the Elite Programme of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)
• Entrepreneurship and innovation guru
• Global leader
• Best-selling author
• Angel investor
• Columnist
• Star of the Turkish version of the television show Dragons’ Den
• Chairman of the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF)
• Vice President of the European Trade Association for Business AngelsSeed Funds, and Early Stage Market Players (EBAN)
• President of the Business Angels Association of Turkey (TBAA)
• The World Entrepreneurship Forum Ambassador to Turkey and the Balkan countries
• President of Deulcom International
  One of the top global speakers on entrepreneurship, innovation and angel investment invited by former US President Obama to speak at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kenya. Recipient of the European Trade Association of Business Angels (EBAN) award for the Best Individual in Europe Globally Engaging with the Global Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in 2014 (Ireland), 2015 (Netherlands), 2016 (Portugal) and 2017 (Spain). The only entrepreneur to be granted a personal audience with former President Obama at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in Washington, DC. Developer of the world-renowned entrepreneurship theory, the Altuntas Start-up Compass Theory, researched by Sheffield University and used in numerous MBA programmes. Advisory board member of the South East Europe Research Council in Greece. Appointed as JCI Ambassador, following Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary General of the United Nations. Profiled regularly by leading international media such as CNN International and Bloomberg. A co-author of Planet Entrepreneur: The World Entrepreneurship Forum’s Guide to Business Success Around the World, published by Wiley (2013). Author of Off the Bus, Into a Supercar! How I Became a Top TV Star and Celebrated Investor, published by Balboa Press (2014) and translated into Chinese, Croatian, Albanian, and Macedonian.

Holds a Master Degree in Administration at Unisinos University and Ph.D. of International Area Studies with a specialty in Latin American Economics at Hankuk University – South Korea.
Has a large experience in the financial sector working for more than 36 years in Banco do Brasil. From 2007 to 2012, he was responsible for implementing Banco do Brasil operations in Seoul, South Korea. He was appointed Director of Innovation and Credit at Badesul – Development Bank of Rio Grande does Sul State until 2015.
Since 2015, he has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Tecnosinos. In 2016, he has also accepted the role of Vice President of Association of Commerce, Industry, Service and Technology of São Leopoldo

McGill University, (Canada) Post-doc in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering
Evaluation: Excellent │Ti6Al4V alloys thermo-mechanical treatment
Currently working as the Director of Mechanical properties of materials laboratory in University of Tehran, (Iran).
He is president of University of Tehran Science and Technology Park (UTSTP) from 2017
According to Thomson Reuters ISI he was in top 1% Scientists in the World in 2017.

Rafael Prikladnicki is the director of TECNOPUC (PUCRS’ science and technology park) in Brazil since 2013. He is also a professor in the Computer Science School at the same University. He holds a PhD degree in computer science. For three years, he served as the director of the Technology Management Agency (AGT) at PUCRS, managing the interaction between PUCRS and its partners (industry and government) for the development of R&D projects. He also leads one of the main research groups in distributed software development in Brazil (MuNDDoS research group). In 2011, he received the PhD innovation award, promoted by FAPERGS (the state of Rio Grande do Sul funding agency) for his innovative research on global software engineering, conducted in collaboration with companies at Tecnopuc.

Borned in 1984, Faruk Inaltekin has Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering 2007 from Middle East Technical University (METU).

Upon graduation, he started as University – Industry Collaboration Expert in METUTECH (ODTU Teknokent). After completing obligatory military service during the period of 2008 December – 2009 June, he served as Special Advisor (technology) to the President of Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB). After this duty of one year, he started as Subcontract Administrator at TAI – Turkish Aerospace Industries in June 2010.

Faruk joined Bilkent CYBERPARK as the Director of Entrepreneurship and Tech Transfer Department in January 2013 and since October 2016, he continues as the General Manager.

Faruk is also the current Chairman of Association of Turkish Technology Parks (TGBD).

Faruk has experience in technoparks, technology transfer, project management, funds and startups.

Borned in 1985, Okan Yamak holds BSc in Management and Business Administration from Bilkent University.

After his graduation, he completed his obligatory military service in 2011. Then, he joined OPET (one of the biggest petroleum companies in Turkey) as territory manager. After 2 years of experience, he established his own initiative. Afterwards, he entered the Turkish Technopark ecosystem in early 2017 as an Expert at Bilkent CYBERPARK Entrepreneurship and Tech Transfer Department.

He is currently responsible for executing Bilkent Cyberpark ICT Cluster programs/projects and developing international projects such as accelerators and trade delegations.

Marketing and business development are core competences to Lena Miranda. So is sales. Her strengths lie within the meeting and in mutual creation of new ideas – and in execution. Lena Miranda is the CEO of Science Park Mjärdevi since 2014, and before that she ran her own company Skill Scandinavia since 2004. Lena has also worked within the electronic industry between 2000-2004.

Besides managing Science Park Mjärdevi, she has four Board of director assignments. Swedish Incubators & Science Parks, ALMI Företagspartner Östergötland, RISE SICS East, Norrköping Visualisering AB.

Jelena Petrovic has several years of experience in working with start-ups and growing tech companies through her engagement at the Business Technology Incubators of Technical Faculties (BITF) and Science Technology Park Belgrade. She supported the development of the first Tech Park in Serbia and currently works on building & implementing business support programs for tenants based on LEAN methodology. She is actively promoting entrepreneurship and innovation among young people in Serbia by organizing and participating in different start-up events. Jelena has M.A degree in European Interdisciplinary Studies from College of Europe (Bruges/Belgium).

Sonja M. Protic (Vienna / Austria)
Education
Since 2016: Doctoral studies of Social and Economic Sciences
10/2008–12/2012: Master studies in Environmental Sciences
10/2004–06/2008: Bachelor studies in Business Administration
Professional experience
Several years of work experience in research, leading and participating in national and European research projects. Work experience in international project development for a multilateral organization.
Currently employed at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, engaged in a European research project that deals with logistics terminals.
Since 2016 enrolled as a doctoral student, writing her doctoral thesis in the field of innovation systems at logistics terminals.

–  Organization: University of Tehran, Science and Technology Park

  –  Position: Financial & Commercialization Expert

  – Field of Study: M.Sc in Industrial Engineering and system management

 – Skills & Interests: Supply Chain Management, Customer Relationship Management,

Commercialization, Strategy & Technology management, System analysis & productivity

Managing Director & CEO, Surrey Research Park. Joined the faculty of University of Surrey in 1977 after completing PHD at University of London. Establishing a successful commercially funded research group and building an industry network he was asked by the Vice Chancellor of the University to plan, develop and run the Surrey Research Park He was a founder Member along with 7 others of UK Science Park Association in 1984, and works as an expert with UNECE and UNESCO advising on the role of Science Parks as instruments for economic development in over 15 countries. In 2006 Dr Parry received an OBE from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, for services to Business and Education.

McLean Sibanda is an engineer and patent attorney. He has been Chief Executive Officer of The Innovation Hub since February 2011. He has extensive experience in intellectual property, entrepreneurship, innovation, science parks management, and working with startups. He has been a judge in a number of start-up competitions, including the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA). He has held senior and executive roles in a number of private and public sector organisations in South Africa. He has served as an Expert to the African Union (AU), World Intellectual Property Organisation and the Department of Science and Technology. He has served on the Boards of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. He is a past member and Treasurer of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) Executive Board and was also President of the IASP Africa Division. He currently chairs the Boards of the National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO) and QualiBasic Seed (incorporated in Kenya); and serves on the Boards of Meniko Records Management Services and African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).

Abolfazl Mohajer holds a Master Degree in International Law (LLM) from AllamehTababtabee university, Tehran, LLB in Law, and BA in English Literature.
Lecturer of international law and English Language at Azad University.
With a Specialty and several years of work experience and research in International area studies, intellectual property, innovation.
Currently working as the Director of International Affairs of Golestan Science and Technology Park.

Dr. André Domin is CEO of Heidelberg Technology Park, Germany since 2010. The Technology Park is supporting innovation and high-tech companies via offering 80,000 sqm rental space plus BD services. It is running two accelerators, on IT B2B and one on Life Sciences.

Dr. André Domin is on the International Board of Directors of IASP and serves as its European Division President. he is also Chairman of the Tech Transfer Association Heidelberg Startup Partners. He studied biology in Mainz and received his PhD from the Leipzig University, and has previously been CEO of several biotech organisations across Germany as well as running the Economic Development Agency Biosaxony.

Education:

• PhD student in Entrepreneurship
• MSc in Entrepreneurship
• MSc in Biotechnology

Professional experience:

For twelve years (2005-2017), she worked in Science and Technology Park of University of Tehran, and served as the director of contracts office, deputy of Incubator, manager of commercialization office. In 2013, she was as a responsible technology cluster and launched a number of them in that Park.

Currently she is working with National Directorate for Entrepreneurship and Employment of Ministry of Health and Medical Education to continue their experience in Health and medicine fields especially in Bio-Entrepreneurship.

François Nortjé started practicing as an architect in 1989 working for one of the highly respected architectural firms in SA with multiple SAIA award winning architect Mr. Michael Munnik at the helm and working to RIBA project-based service delivery principles.

Under his mentorship François gained valuable experience working on  the designs of Cape Town landmarks such as the large resort styled Dolphin Beach apartment hotel and the Terraces Tower Block in the CBD.

François‘s architectural career stretches over 3 decades to date and includes large stadium projects for the City of Cape Town,  WPRFU and a World Cup Cricket tournament stadium in the West Indies, amongst various other public buildings. During South Africa’s Olympic bid, he worked with a team that prepared the Bid Document and went on to execute an indoor Velodrome building that had to be erected to show SA’s ability  and willingness to host the Olympics.  During the FIFA World Cup 2010 preparation stage, François assembled a multidisciplinary team of local consultants, designed and submitted a proposal for the Cape Town  2010 stadium in Green Point, Cape Town.

He also designed and documented eight public buildings in Trinidad and Tobago for Bouygues

Batiment International acting for the Government of Trinidad.

François moved on to Urban Architecture with a large mixed use development of a 14 000  person capacity indoor entertainment centre surrounded by offices, retail and residential with an innovation themed tenancy mix.  The  Stellenbosch Smart City innovation hub followed and is in the making, consisting of approximately 1,2 million square metres of innovation space, located at the Southern end of Africa as gateway to the continent.

François’ passion is to facilitate, influence and devise the appropriate vision for a project and ensure it is seen through in the built fabric.

Paolo Gregori since 2016 is the managing director of the new “ProM” mechatronics prototyping facility of Trentino Sviluppo.

Graduated in Physics at the University of Trento, he carried out estensive research applied to innovations in industrial and medical applications at Fondazione Bruno Kessler – FBK in Trento.

Since 2004 he has been mainly dealing with technology transfer, working at FBK as well as at the Industrial Business Association (Confindustria) of Trento where he was responsible for setting up the Innovation Area focussing on strengthening relations between businesses and research organisations in Trentino and facilitating and managing the development of joint research-businesses projects.

In 2011 he received an MBA on “Knowledge Transfer and Innovation” at the MIP – Politecnico di Milano.

Paolo joined the staff of Trentino Sviluppo – the development agency of the Autonomous Province of Trento – in 2015. He was appointed scientific coordinator of the Mechatronics Project within the Marketing and International Business Department. In this capacity he contributed to the activities of the Department such as attracting companies and networking with businesses and RTOs

Luis Sanz (Spain, 1952) has been Director General of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation since 1996, and member of its Executive Board. A trained sociologist, he is an expert consultant and senior advisor to different Science Parks worldwide and chief co-ordinator of more than 20 international conferences on Science and Technology Parks, regional development and innovation policies.
He is the author of numerous papers, books, articles and presentations on this topic and has participated as an invited speaker in over 80 international conferences and seminars all over the world. Formerly he was the co-director of Valencia Technology Park (Spain) which he founded in 1987 and he has been Vice-President of the Spanish Association of Science Parks and President of the European Division of the IASP.
Luis Sanz is also the head co-ordinator of the World Alliance for innovation (WAINOVA).

Ebba Lund holds an MA in Media Studies from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, and an Executive MBA from IE Business School, Madrid, Spain. She is currently Chief Operations Officer at the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP).
At IASP she is especially involved in membership services and event management and has been the contact point for IASP members organising IASP world conferences and regional events for more than 10 years. She also acts as Coordinator of the Steering Committee Secretariat of IASP World Conferences.
Other key areas of Ebba Lund’s role at IASP are international relations, matchmaking, communication, business opportunities for STPs and their companies and general support to a global membership of Science/Technology Parks and Areas of Innovation in more than 70 countries.