Consortium
Discover the partners driving innovation and shaping the future of rural development through the ENGINE project.
OUR TEAM
Partners
Poland
The Krakow University of Economics (KUE) is a renowned modern university with traditions dating back to 1925. The University is one of the largest centers for economic research and sciences in Poland. Operating uninterrupted for a hundred years, the university, faithfully carries out the mission established by its founders: Rerum cognoscere causas et valorem (To learn the causes and values of things), educating the successive generations of outstanding specialists.
KUE’s three colleges – Economics, Finance and Law; Economics and Public Administration; and Management and Quality Sciences – provide students with a comprehensive education in various economic disciplines. Currently the university offers a wide range of programs at all levels, from undergraduate to doctoral and postgraduate studies, in both Polish and English.
The university’s strong research tradition is evident in its involvement in numerous national and international projects. Nine research centers, fostering cross-disciplinary research, further enhance KUE’s academic reach. KUE prioritizes also international cooperation and has established partnerships with over 250 institutions worldwide, spanning Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and the Americas. This global network facilitates student and teacher exchange, joint research projects, and international scientific events.
Katarzyna Żmija
Associate Professor at Krakow University of Economics with a Post-doctoral degree in Economics and Finance. Her research interests focus on the dynamics of small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in rural contexts. She actively explores innovation in rural areas and rural transition processes. She is also interested in issues of sustainable development and digital transformation and their impacts on current socio-economic processes. She is committed to advancing knowledge in these fields through her academic work and involvement in national and international research projects, including EU-funded initiatives.
Joanna Kudełko
Associate Professor in the Department of Economic Policy and Development Programming at Krakow University of Economics. She specializes in research in socio-economic development policy, regional E&I, entrepreneurship ecosystem, regional and local policy. She is an author of many scientific publications and a contractor in national and international research projects. Recent research work in which she was involved concerned with the socioeconomic development of rural areas, urban functional areas and development conditions and challenges for regional and local communities.
Danuta Kabat-Rudnicka
Associate Professor at Krakow University of Economics, specializing in economics, law, and international relations. She teaches courses on socio-economic development programming, economic law, and competition policy, and conducts seminars on entrepreneurship and innovation. Her research includes contributions to projects on regional policy, development strategies, competition and innovation, as well as socio-economic and cohesion policy. She was also a member of a research team that developed an innovative dual education model for economic studies.
Dariusz Żmija
Associate Professor at Krakow University of Economics with a Post-doctoral degree in Economics and Finance. He is a member of the Department of Economic Policy and Development Programming, where he combines his passion for academic research with practical business applications. His research interests focus on the socio-economic policy of the state, with particular emphasis on rural areas, agriculture, innovation and digital transformation. As an expert in interdisciplinary research, he is the author or co-author of numerous scientific publications and actively participates in national and international research projects.
Bartłomiej Bednarz
Assistant in the Department of Economic Policy and Development Programming at Krakow University of Economics. He graduated with a joint study program at the Wrocław University of Economics And Business and the University of Wrocław about law and economy consulting. Creator and leader of 'Science-Up’. It is a mentoring and training scientific program that has been co-funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education since 2023. It helps students and PhD students grow their careers in an academic environment.
The Science-to-Business Marketing Research Centre at the FH Münster University of Applied Sciences developed with its concept of Science-to-Business Marketing the first strategic approach worldwide for a successful commercialisation of research competencies, capacities and results.
Since its foundation, the Science-to-Business Marketing Research Centre is focusing on research topics related to university engagement, entrepreneurial university, academic entrepreneurship, science marketing, knowledge transfer and University-Business Cooperation (UBC) in general.
Also, we are experts in such topics as Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Female Entrepreneurship. In response to the need of universities to develop their „Third Mission”, which is being more engaged with society, our researchers aim to study how academia could effectively collaborate and interact with society to tackle complex societal challenges and translate research results and innovations in ways that are responsive to societal needs, values and expectations. In the era of digitalisation, we emphasize the significant role of science to develop innovation processes and innovation management for different stakeholders.
Annika Wesbuer
Annika Wesbuer holds a Bachelor’s Degree in „Physics Engineering” at the FH Münster University of Applied Sciences and a Master’s in „Materials Science and Engineering”. During her interdisciplinary Master’s degree, she developed her interest in economics and management. Therefore, she started the degree programme „Industrial Engineering and Management” in 2020. During her studies, Annika Wesbuer gained experience in research as she worked in different research institutes. Annika is open-minded toward new people and cultures and is enthusiastic about new ideas. She is passionate about pulling innovation enthusiasts into design thinking workshops. Moreover, she researches with equal passion in the context of „innovation and strategy”.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Kliewe
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Kliewe is a Professor of Innovation Management and Business Development at FH Münster and Head of the Science-to-Business Marketing Research Centre (S2BMRC). The S2BMRC, together with its current cohort of nine doctoral researchers, explores the role and impact of universities in the economy and society. Prof. Kliewe has extensive experience in establishing educational organizations. In 2012, he founded the University Industry Innovation Network (now employing 15 staff members) as an initiative emerging from the university. In 2019, he established ACEEU GmbH (currently 12 staff members), which focuses on university accreditations and practice-oriented EU projects aimed at fostering education and research.
Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo was created in 1980 by Decree-Law 303/80 of 16 August, the Polytechnic University of Viana do Castelo [IPVC] is located in Alto Minho, where people work and play according to a tradition of valuing natural resources. The aim of IPVC is to provide the quality human, cultural, scientific, technical and vocational training needed for and suited to its pursuit of its mission and cooperate with the regional community through its Higher Education Schools, particularly in its productive and business sectors, with a perspective of ongoing dialogue and mutual enhancement.
Within the Higher Education network of Alto Minho, the Polytechnic University of Viana do Castelo is the organisation with the largest range of educational programmes. Apart from Higher Professional Technical Courses [CTeSP], it also provides higher education which leads to Bachelor’s Degrees, Postgraduate Degrees and Master’s Degrees (several in cooperation with foreign and national universities) through its six Higher Education Schools: School of Education (Viana do Castelo), School of Agriculture (Ponte de Lima), School of Technology and Management (Viana do Castelo), School of Health (Viana do Castelo), School of Business Sciences (Valença), School of Sport and Leisure (Melgaço).
Alexandra Borges
Degree in Management, Master in Commercial Operations Management, and PhD in Business Management from the Faculty of Economics of Porto University. She has 12 years of professional experience in Quality and Operations Management in the automotive sector (BMW Group). She has been teaching at IPVC, since 2001, the curricular units of Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship, Business Project, among others. She developed skills in Innovation and Entrepreneurship through training in „Entrepreneurship facilitators” and participating in various projects and initiatives related to entrepreneurship, namely: coordinating Poliempreende, an entrepreneurship competition for students; being a trainer and jury in several entrepreneurship competitions at IPVC and in the Community; and developing several entrepreneurship projects.
Iolanda Vieira
Degree in Financial Management from ISCAP -Polytechnic of Porto, Master in Management Sciences and PhD in Management (with specialization in Marketing and Strategy) from the Faculty of Economics – University of Porto. After four years working in projects evaluation at IAPMEI (a specialised public agency which provides a range of specific incentives and support programmes for entrepreneurs), she starts her academic career in 1998 at IPVC, teaching marketing, strategy, marketing research and business project units. Since 2011, she is also involved in the Poliempreende iniciative, an entrepreneurship competition for students.
Susana Oliveira
Degree in Economics from the University of Évora, Master in Economics (with specialization in Industrial Economics) from the University of Minho, and PhD in Economics from ISCTE. She started her professional career at the Lisbon City Council, in the Urban Rehabilitation Department and in the Integrated Project of Castelo de S. Jorge. She has been teaching at IPVC, since 1999, the curricular units of Industrial and Business Economics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Economic Policy, Economics Analysis for Business, Quantitative Decision Support Methods and Business Economics and Finance. One of its main lines of research is the environmental valuation of the impacts associated with the process of coastal erosion.
The University of Foggia, in Apulia region (Italy), is a young and constantly evolving university, projected towards constant growth. The ability to adapt one’s training offer to the needs of the context in which it operates, passes through an attractive teaching proposal that combines tradition and innovation. The University has legal personality and full capacity of public and private law and operates under the principles of autonomy and accountability. It pursues its institutional goals with the responsible cooperation of students and all teaching and technical-administrative staff, to whom it guarantees participation in the forms and ways governed by current legislation. Indeed, the mission of the University of Foggia is summarized in the desire to keep its best forces in the area in order to produce value and development. The University of Foggia is organized into 8 Departments:
- Department of Economics
- Department of Economics, Management and Territory
- Department of Social Sciences
- Department of Law
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Food, Natural Resources and Engineering
- Department of Humanities, Letters, Cultural Heritage, Education Sciences
The University of Foggia intends to give a positive response with a commitment to young people, in favour of inclusion and sustainability through an adequate and innovative training proposal, based on research activity, capable of offering professional opportunities that, in addition to being in line with the needs of the local area, is able to anticipate and seize the new opportunities arising from the continuous evolution of the labour market.
The UniFg team at the Department of Economics (mainly operating in the ENGINE project) involves many people (Professors, researchers and PhDs) with different backgrounds and valuable experiences to support and contribute in the Agricultural Economics, Circular/Bio Economy, Rural development, Geography, Management and Education.
Mariantonietta Fiore
Mariantonietta Fiore is a full professor in Agricultural economics at the Department of Economics, University of Foggia (Italy) and is the Rector’s Delegate of International Affairs. She is a member of the Doctoral School of the Warsaw University of Life Science and was a member of several PhD Italian courses. Prof. Fiore is a Fellow of the EuroMed Academy of Business. She held the position of Expert of the Ministry of Agriculture-Food and of Junior Expert of the Italian Ministry of Environment/Land/Sea. Actually, she is the scientific coordinator of n. 1 National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) project on Transnational Educational Initiatives, n. 3 Erasmus projects, n. 1 National Relevance project; she was the vice-scientific coordinator of the SKIN project (H2020) and was a scientific member for several EU and national projects. She took part in many international conferences as a keynote speaker, chair, presenter and discussant (over n. 50) and acted as Erasmus visiting professor in several international Universities. Prof. Fiore has gained over 15 scientific awards and fellowships. She is an author of over 170 scientific publications (n. 78 in Scopus – Hindex 23) and acts as a judge, guest editor, member of numerous Editorial Boards and Scientific Committees. Prof. Fiore was one of the Directors of the IFAMA, and is currently a member of the IFAMA Europe chapter.
Piermichele La Sala
Piermichele La Sala is Full Professor in Agricultural Economics and Policy at the Department of Economics of the University of Foggia. He graduated in Business Administration at the University of Calabria. He is PhD in Economics and rural development planning at the University of Basilicata. He is a consultant on agricultural policy and on rural development for important national and European public and private institutions and organizations. He is scientific coordinator of the National Consultation of Food Districts. He is author of numerous publications in national and international scientific journals and responsible for national and international research projects in the field of agricultural economics and local development. He is an expert in rural and local development, agricultural and agri-food policy, innovations and knowledge transfer in agriculture, and cooperation in the agri-food chain. He is a member of main International Scientific Societies and Academies in the Agricultural Economics and Local Development fields.
Marilena Labianca
Marilena Labianca, PhD in Economic and Political Geography in 2009 at the University of Bari, after research and teaching experience at the University of Salento, qualified as Associate Professor since 2017, currently works at the Department of Economics, University of Foggia as Senior Researcher. She is an expert in Spatial Planning, Rural development, Governance and territorial impacts, Geographical Information System (GIS), Regional analysis and geo-digital models, Renewable Energy. Coordinator and scientific responsible for the Italian research unit of international projects about territorial impacts from European rural policies, awarded as Call for Excellence „Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento” funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain (Lead Research Unit, University of Granada) including the last Project: „Resilience of rural areas to tackle depopulation in the COVID time. Comparative analysis at the European level. (RuralRebirth)”. Author of over 50 publications of international and national importance.
Fedele Colantuono
Fedele Colantuono is a Research Officer at the Department of Economics and responsible for the project management of several EU funded projects. Fedele graduated in Food Science and Technology and he completed a PhD in management of innovation in Agrifood systems at the University of Foggia, enriching his background in Agrifood supply chain with different working experiences. Fedele is an expert in project management and International networks, in particular in the management of research activities and reporting of national and European projects related to different sectors and financed by various programs (e.g. PON, PRIN, FP7, Horizon Europe, H2020, Horizon Europe, ERASMUS+). He has gained different experiences at International level, not only at academic (Texas A&M University, USA), but also in the food industries (R&D Junior Manager at the Chiquita Food Innovation in The Netherlands), enlarging his skills on International relationships and agrifood chain. These professional and training experiences have contributed to acquiring soft and technical skills in the management of projects and participation in international networks and cooperations. Furthermore, the experiences in the international arena have allowed a better deepening of the English and Spanish language also through the acquisition of technical terminology.
Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (iED) is a research organisation established in 2005, committed to the promotion of innovation & the enhancement of the entrepreneurial spirit. By recognizing entrepreneurship as a crucial factor for the development and cohesion of societies, the institute promotes employment and provides innovative solutions that facilitates the growth of healthy entrepreneurship.
Stella Ioannou
Stella has extensive experience as Head of Project Management and Writing Unit at Institute of Entrepreneurship Development, specializing in developing strategies for project coordination and networking activities. She possesses expertise in proposal development for a diverse range of programs, including Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, DIGITAL, COSME, and National programmes. Stella has strong skills in generating innovative project ideas and coordinating implementation teams to achieve successful outcomes.
Athina Daldogiannou
Athina holds a BA in Greek Philology, specializing in Byzantine and Medieval studies. She has also attended an annual seminar in intercultural education, diversity, and integration. She is a project manager in iED, offering her experience and knowledge on preparing and implementing projects in the fields of education, entrepreneurship, inclusion, equality, human rights, protection and promotion of democratic values, and empowerment of disadvantaged target groups.