• Román Arjona, new advisor for Economic Affairs of the Directorate General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission
  • The Council of Ministers appoints María Luisa Poncela as new Secretary General of Science, Technology and Innovation

Román Arjona, until now Secretary General of Science, Technology and Innovation, has been appointed advisor for the Economic Affairs of the Directorate General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission. From this newly created position, Arjona will be in charge of guiding the R&D policies of the Member States to achieve the growth and employment objectives established in the ‘Europe 2020’ strategy. The position left vacant in the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness will be occupied by María Luisa Poncela, as agreed by the Council of Ministers today.

Arjona will be in charge of the study of the impact of R&D in the programs of economic and structural reforms proposed by the 27 member states within what is known as ‘European Semester’. The European Commission will rely on these analyzes to develop the specific recommendations on research and innovation for the next 12-18 months.

The new director of the European Commission will also have to ensure that R&D is integrated into the main policies of the European Union (such as energy, health or transport) and that their contribution and the economic added value of research and research be recognized. development confer to these activities.

Born on December 11, 1970, Román Arjona has a degree in Economics from the University of Valencia, a master's degree in European Economic Studies from the European College of Bruges and a PhD in Economics from the European University Institute in Florence. He has worked at the European Investment Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the OECD and the Minister of Science and Technology, until in 2004 he joined the Directorate General for Research of the European Commission.

Appointment

The Council of Ministers has agreed at its meeting today to appoint María Luisa Poncela, new general secretary of Science, Technology and Innovation, replacing Arjona. Poncela, who since January 2012 was general director of Innovation and Competitiveness, has a degree in Economics from the University of Zaragoza and belongs to the Superior Body of Commercial Technicians and Economists of the State since 1989.

The new secretary general has extensive experience in the public and private sectors. She has been deputy general director of Promotion of Industrial Innovation and Technological Programs, head of the Technical Cabinet of the Secretary General of Industry and deputy general director of Regional Incentives. In the private sector, Poncela was a founding partner of the company Add Talentia, S.L. in 2008 and, subsequently, director of Institutional Relations of Abbott Laboratorios, S.A.



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