Claudia Patricolo is the Host of the event. She was the Editor-in-chief of CEENERGYNEWS, the only English-speaking news portal entirely dedicated to the energy industry in Central and Eastern Europe.
Trained as a journalist in Italy, she worked for different media outlets covering foreign policy, business, investments and macro-economy. After starting her career in Rome she moved to Paris, where she worked at Le Monde. Now she lives in Budapest from where she covered the CEE region as Deputy Editor of Emerging Europe, UK-based news, intelligence and community platform.
Her areas of expertise include energy, climate change and business in CEE.
Robert Kun has graduated in 2006 in chemistry and chemistry teacher at the University of Szeged, Hungary. In 2009, he obtained PhD degree in chemistry at the same university. Between 2009-2018 he worked at the University of Bremen/Fraunhofer IFAM (Bremen) and since 2010 he is pursuing active academic research on new-generation and post Li-ion battery technologies, battery materials and battery aging processes. In 2014-2018 he was the leader of the Innovative Sensor and Functional Materials Research Group (ISFM) at the University of Bremen, Faculty of Production Engineering and Fraunhofer Institute of for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials- IFAM, funded by the German Research Fund (DFG). After his resettlement in Hungary in 2019, he started working at the HUN-REN Research Centre for natural Sciences (HUN-REN TTK) as senior researcher and research group leader. Also, he is associate professor at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) Faculty of Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology. Dr. Kun is currently principal investigator in several battery related R+D projects, funded by the National Research Development and Innovation Office, Hungary (NRDIO). His current research focuses on the development of next-generation Li-ion battery materials and systems, such as functional coatings, dry-solid-polymer Li-ion conductive electrolytes and tailored made carbon/sulfur composites for Li-S (lithium-sulfur) and semi-solid-state Li-/Na-S batteries, based on sustainable resources (locally available, biomass, etc.) and secondary raw-materials. Also, he is also involved in research projects dealing with the nanomechanical and electro-chemo-mechanical characterization of all-solid-state (all-inorganic) Li-ion batteries. Dr. Kun is author of more than 40 scientific papers, 3 book chapters and 2 patents and he is supervisor of numerous BSc, MSc Thesis and PhD works, as well. Since its establishment in 2022 he is the leader for R+D+Training task force of the Hungarian Battery Association.
In our company, we usually take part in international R&D projects like prototype battery pack design and manufacturing using our own developed BMS systems, embedded programming, and the development of educational materials for youngsters.
Zoltan Weltsch is a mechanical engineer PhD. He is the head of the Zalaegerszegi Innovation Park of the Szechenyi István University and the head of research at ZalaZONE InnoTech Nonprofit kft. His area of expertise is materials science and vehicle industry research, as well as battery technology and related R+D+I activities.
Fruzsina Csonka currently is the Regional Business Developer at InnoEnergy, overseeing workforce development initiatives in Central Europe and the United States. She is a dynamic and seasoned business professional, showcasing a successful history in new business development, strategic planning, and ecosystem management within the sustainable energy sector.
Previously, Fruzsina played a key role in formulating commercial growth strategies for non-conventional technology providers, with a primary focus on the battery sector in Central Europe through the European Battery Alliance.
EIT InnoEnergy is a public-private partnership dedicated to enabling innovation, entrepreneurship in the field of sustainable energy field with the goal to accelerate the energy transition. InnoEnergy is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
The InnoEnergy Skills Institute provides unparalleled access to industry-proven learning content, training programs, experts, educational technology, and certification.
Meet Ákos Dervalics, the visionary Country Manager of InnoEnergy in Hungary. With a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the energy and transportation sectors, Ákos is a strategic-minded leader driving innovation and new business development. Armed with an MSc. in electrical engineering and an MBA, he boasts over 25 years of invaluable experience in business growth, sales, and technology transfer.
Ákos leads the Department of Manufacturers and Suppliers at the Hungarian Battery Association, making significant strides in the green energy landscape. Additionally, he is the co-founder of the Knowledge to Money Club, a non-profit initiative aimed at empowering SMEs and entrepreneurs through best practices sharing and education.
Renowned for his passion for entrepreneurship and organizational development, Ákos is instrumental in providing venture development services and access to financial resources, fostering a brighter and more sustainable future for the energy sector.
Sándor Kertész is the CEO of INFOWARE Zrt. since 1997. He graduated at the Technical University of Budapest as Electrical Engineer in 1982. INFOWARE became one of the leading private companies in Hungary on providing solutions for the Electric Energy Market Segment under his more than 25 years of leadership. Under his technical and business control, INFOWARE performed several innovative developments and installations of high and medium-voltage substations, power plants, renewable plants and battery storage and microgrid systems. He taught “Digital Technology” at the Electrical Faculty of the Technical University of Budapest from 1982 till 1992. He also taught the “Substation Automation Systems” course for the Electrical Faculty of Óbuda University since 2013. As an honour of his educational activities, the Óbuda University of Budapest awarded him the Associate Professor status in 2017.
He is also the Vice president of the Hungarian Solar Association and the inventor of several patents related to electricity automation applications.
Borbala Schenk is the Head of Department for International Affairs at the National Research Development and Innovation Office and the coordinator of the Hungarian Horizon Europe National Contact Point Network. As a research funding advisor specialising in European research funding framework programmes (H2020, Horizon Europe) she has been supporting researchers with a wide portfolio of tasks including grant advocacy, consortium building and proposal-writing. Lawyer by degree, dr. Schenk has 20+ years of experience in research and university environments, having held management, lecturing and editorial positions. Former member of the Board of the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators and served as Chair of the Policy and Representation Committee representing research managers in the European funding negotiations. Invited trainer and speaker at international conferences and workshops in research management, proposal writing and research impact.
Nemanja is the Founder and CEO of ElevenEs where he manages an international team of LIB engineers with the goal to scale up LFP battery manufacturing in Europe. He studied at Imperial College in London, where he completed his Master of Science in Advanced Chemical Engineering.
Prior to starting ElevenEs in 2019, Nemanja spent 10 years at Al Pack Group where he worked in the management of the company, led the acquisition of a subsidiary in Germany and subsequently successfully restructured the subsidiary, achieving a company turnaround from insolvency proceedings in 3 years. Additionally, Nemanja played a significant role during Al Pack's expansion phase from developing new products to integrating complex new value-chains.