Energy Visions – Innovation: the Way to a Low-Carbon Economy?

Marie Donnelly is Director for Renewables, Research and Innovation and Energy Efficiency in the European Commission’s energy department. Previously, Donnelly was Director for Resources and Communication in the Commission’s employment and social affairs department and Director for Industrial Policy for Pharmaceuticals in the enterprise department. She has also worked as Head of Unit for the European Social Fund Policy and Head of Unit for Equality for Women and Men. Before joining the Commission, Donnelly worked as Industry Group Director with the Federation of Irish Chemical Industries in Dublin.

Ian Duncan is a Scottish member of the European Parliament for the UK Conservative Party, part of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group. He was first elected an MEP in May 2014. Before becoming an MEP, Duncan was European advisor to the Scottish Parliament and Clerk to the European and External Relations Committee. Before that he was Head of the Scottish Parliament’s European Office in Brussels. Before joining the Scottish Parliament, he held a number of high profile public affairs positions in Scotland, including Secretary of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and Head of Policy and Communications with the Scottish Refugee Council. Duncan began his career as a researcher with BP focusing on Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Republics. Duncan holds a degree in geology from St Andrews University and a PhD from Bristol University.

Fredrick Federley is a Swedish member of the European Parliament for the Centre Party, part of the Alliance for Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group. Federley is second Vice-Chair of the Centre Party and Vice-President of the ALDE party. He is coordinator for the ALDE group in the European Parliament’s committee for Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and rapporteur on reform of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) legislation. Federley is a substitute member of the committees for agriculture and rural development and environment, public health and food safety committees.

Tom Jennings leads the delivery of policy studies, evaluations and programme design for the Carbon Trust. He is a world-wide expert on low carbon innovation: from the optimum policy mix, to prioritising technology areas, to developing impactful innovation institutions and programmes. Jennings developed and leads the Technology Innovation Needs Assessments (TINAs) on behalf of the UK Government. The TINAs prioritise public sector investment in the different low carbon technologies, based on in-depth analysis and extensive engagement with academia and industry. He is bringing the TINA methodology to other countries and has advised the following governments on innovation policy: Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Japan, China and Norway as well as international bodies such as the International Energy Agency.

Julia Reinaud is the Director of Research Programme and Partnerships for the Industrial Innovation for Competitiveness initiative (i24c) and Director of Industrial Policies of the European Climate Foundation. Before joining the ECF in 2014, Reinaud served as the Institute for Industrial Productivity’s (IIP) Global Policy and Programs Director and European CEO. Before working at IIP, she was an energy and climate policy analyst for six years at the International Energy Agency. Reinaud has authored or co-authored key publications such as the i24c report on Scaling Up Innovation in the Energy Union, the IEA-IIP Energy Management Programmes Policy pathway, as well as written a series of reports dealing with innovation, competitiveness issues for heavy industries and the compatibility of climate policy responses with the World Trade Organization. She has a PhD in Economics and Industrial Organization and a Masters in Corporate Strategy and Industrial Organisation from University Paris Dauphine.