Jesús Valero, Managing Director of TECNALIA, elected as President of EARTO

Jesús Valero, Managing Director of TECNALIA, elected as President of EARTO, the leading European Association of Research and Technology Organisations

• Valero will take over the presidency of Europe's largest research network, with over 350 organisations and 228,000 researchers in 32countries, with the aim of "helping to unite the organisations that research and create technologies with industry to solve real problems in our environment, to improve people's quality of life"

2nd April 2025. Today, Jesús Valero, Managing Director of TECNALIA, has been elected as the new President of EARTO, the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs), after receiving the unanimous support of the members of the EARTO General Assembly. With more than 350 organisations and 228,000 researchers in 32countries, annual turnover of €23 billion and 100,000 customers each year, it is the leading European technology network, with a consolidated track record of more than 25 years, which has positioned the RTOs as key players in collaboration in terms of research, development and innovation, boosting the competitiveness of the European Union. The appointment came about at an event during the EARTO Annual Conference, which is currently being held in Valencia, during which the new Vice-President, Malin Frenning, CEO of RISE, Sweden's leading technology centre, was also appointed.

Valero has been the Managing Director of TECNALIA since 2021, having been the Vice-President of EARTO since last year, and in this new stage, he will represent the interests of Technology Centres in Europe by monitoring the evolution of EU policies, representing the views of its members before EU decision-makers and lobbying in favour of EU programmes adapted to the needs of the Technology Centres.

According to Valero, "EARTO is a driving force in Europe to bring the work of research technology centres to companies and society. We are privileged to have such a wide and structured network to create technological solutions to the real problems of our environment and to have EARTO, this great vehicle to unite the organisations that research and create with industry, to improve people's quality of life. This is also our mission at TECNALIA and it is an honour for us to be able to contribute at a European level”.

PhD in Biological Sciences and Master’s Degree in Marketing and Business Management, Jesús Valero is a leader in innovation and technological development with more than 25 years’ experience in applied research and management in technology centres. After six years as the centre's Director of Health, he took over as Deputy Managing Director of Technology in 2019 and then as Managing Director in 2021. As Managing Director of TECNALIA, he has fostered excellence in R&D, the development of solutions for the industrial sector, attracted competitive funding and the created high-impact spin-offs, as well as strategic initiatives to increase industrial competitiveness. His track record in strategic management, public-private investment, leadership of European strategic consortia and technology development and transfer in key sectors positions him as a reference in science-industry collaboration. With an active role in organisations like EARTO, the Spanish Federation of Technology Centres (Fedit), the Basque Innovation Agency - Innobasque and the Basque Research and Technology Alliance BRTA, his vision focuses on strengthening the collaboration and competitiveness of European technology centres and fostering innovation as a driver of development and global competitiveness.

Founded in 1999, EARTO, the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations, is made up of more than 350 members from 32 countries and represents 228,000 highly skilled researchers and engineers, managing a wide range of innovation infrastructures. The objective of EARTO is to foster strategic research to develop new knowledge and technologies for their future implementation; encourage knowledge transfer to assure the widest possible dissemination; promote collaboration between different research entities to develop technologies and specific applications.

TECNALIA is a member of the EARTO Executive Board, as well as its Executive Committee, which is made up of leading organisations, such as FRAUNHOFER (Germany), RISE (Denmark), CEA (France), SINTEF (Norway), TNO (Netherlands) or AIT (Austria).