LOCOMOTIVE FINAL CONFERENCE

Hamburg 5-6 June 2007

Robert-Jan Smits

Robert-Jan Smits is the Director of Directorate B (The European Research Area: Research Programmes and Capacity) at DG Research of the European Commission. Amongst his responsibilities are the formulation and management of EU research activities in the field of: Coordination of National Programmes, Coordination with intergovernmental research organisations (EIROforum, EUREKA, COST) Research Infrastructures, Regions of Knowledge, Research Potential and the relations with the European Investment Bank (EIB). Robert-Jan Smits is the EC representative on: European Strategic Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), ESF Governing Council and the EUREKA High Level Group (HLG).

Previous assignments of Robert-Jan Smits in DG Research, European Commission included Director "Structuring the European Research Area", Advisor on science policy issues, Head of Unit of “Legal Affairs”, “SME Unit”, “Strengthening research cooperation and Europe’s science base”.

Robert-Jan Smits was born in 1958. He has degrees from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, Institut Universitaire d’Hautes Etudes Internationales in Switzerland and Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy in the United States of America.

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