Business Finland offers Finnish companies a unified customer journey for innovation activities, internationalization, investments and tourism promotion.

Business Finland was created on 1st January 2018 by the merger of two organizations: Finpro, which offered services for internationalization, investments and tourism promotion, and Tekes, which offered funding for innovation activities.

Business Finland aims to develop Finland to be the most attractive and competitive innovation environment in which companies are able to grow, change, and succeed. Its strategy is two-fold: to enable companies to grow internationally and also to create world-class business ecosystems and a competitive business environment for Finland. Business Finland employs 600 experts in 40 offices overseas and in 20 regional offices around Finland.

Driving Innovation in Manufacturing: Flanders Make supports the Flemish manufacturing industry so as to increase its international competitive strength. Flanders Make keeps companies in Flanders and at the same time attracts foreign businesses.

Agency supports both SMEs and large manufacturing companies with industry-driven, pre-competitive and excellent research in two application domains: Products – vehicles and machines and their assembly.

Flanders Make attaches great importance to international cooperation in the field of innovation and participates in a number of European research projects.

Gintaras Vilda was appointed Vice-Minister of Economy on 15 January 2018; he is in charge of the formation and implementation of innovation policy and industry and trade. Before taking his duties as Vice-Minister, Gintaras Vilda was Director of the Lithuanian Engineering Industry Association (LINPRA) and Chairman of the Board of public body Intechcentras. In more than 20 years of professional experience Gintaras Vilda has acquired excellent strategic management and leadership skills. He served Director of public body Republican Energy Professionals Training Centre, the Lithuanian Multiple Sclerosis Union and UAB  Šiaurės Žiedas; he was Chief Production Officer at UAB Arginta Engineering and Business Development Director at UAB Elektromontuotojas; also, he was Head of the Strategy Department and Head of the Kaunas Electricity Networks Division at AB Vakarų Skirstomieji Tinklai (presently AB ESO).

Gintaras Vilda is electrical engineer by profession. He completed electrical engineering studies and acquired a Bachelor and a Master’s degree from Kaunas University of Technology. Gintaras Vilda actively participates in society. He is a coordination group member of the National Industry Competitiveness Commission ‘Industry 4.0’, a member of the European Engineering Industries Association ORGALIME, the Council of European Employers of Engineering Industries CEEMET and the European Factories of the Future Research Association EFFRA.

An Internet Veteran, Mr. François Flückiger was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2013 (“Influential engineers, activists, and entrepreneurs who changed history through their vision and
determination”).

Director of the CERN School of Computing from 2003 to 2013, he has been in charge of CERN Internet Infrastructure for two decades, which culminated in the early 90’s when CERN became the largest Internet Hub in Europe.

He was at the inception of Internet international undertakings including the Internet Society, CCIRN, RIPE or Ebone. He took over Tim Berners-Lee to manage CERN’s World-Wide Web team when the Web inventor left CERN for the MIT and organized in 1994 the first ever open source release of the CERN web software.

He has been for 15 years CERN’s Technology Transfer Officer for Information Technologies.

François Flückiger is the author of the reference textbook “Understanding Networked Multimedia” in 1994, which predicted the future development of the Information Society.

He is a CERN honorary member and a member of the Internet Society Advisory Council.

François Flückiger graduated from the Ecole Supérieure d’Electricité in 1973 and holds an MBA from the Enterprise Administration Institute in Paris in 1977.

Is the President of a major association and lobby group in Lithuania which represents the interests of large industrialists and employers – Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists. He is also the President and Chairman of the Board of Lithuanian Real Estate Development Association; owner and Chairman of the Board  of JSC Eika.

Gintaras Valušis – Lithuanian physicist, member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (2017). Doctor (Physical sciences, 1992). In 1985 graduated from Vilnius University and started work at the Semiconductor Physics Institute (since 2010, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology ); 2011-13 Head of Laboratory of Therahertz Photonics, Deputy Director for Development of the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, 2010-2013, Director since 2013. In 1996-2007 taught at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, since 2007 taught at Vilnius University; Professors degree (2007). Creator of the Integrated Science, Studies and Business Center Sunrise (2007-10), scientific supervisor (2012-15). Internship at the Institute of Applied Photophysics in Dresden (1995-96), J. W. Goethe University Institute of Physics in Germany (2000, 2003). The main areas of research are therahertz physics and spectroscopy, semiconductor devices and nano derivative physics, ultrasonic semiconductor nanoparticle spectroscopy. He studied the phenomenon of “freezing” electrons in the electrical field, developed a heterodynamic terahertz-band imaging system using diode sensors, discovered plasmon resonances in carbon nanotubes and other. Mr. Valušis holds Lithuanian Science Award (1998, with others) and Officer’s Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (2016).

„Global BOD Group“ manages the following companies, based in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia – „Baltic Disc“, „BOD Group“, „BRD“, „Soli Tek cells“, „Soli Tek R&D”. BOD Group now actively expanding its operations in various countries around the globe, primarily in the Republic of South Africa, Malaysia, and India.

Prof. dr. Eugenijus Valatka is currently the Rector of Kaunas University of Technology. Prior to his appointment as Rector, he was the dean of the Faculty of Chemical Technology, was responsible for its management and development. In 2000 got a doctoral degree in chemical engineering. He has participated in many national and international research projects, is a member of several international academic organizations.