2nd Meeting

António Costa Dieb  has been President of the Agency for Development and Cohesion and of the Management Committee of the Technical Assistance Operational Programme 2020 since July 2015. He holds a degree in Sociology from Évora University and a Specialist Postgraduate Qualification in Human Resources Management from the same university. He has also taken INA’s Advanced Public Management Course (CAGEP). He began his career in 1988, as a member of the social research team at Évora University’s Department of Sociology. Over the years, he has held a number of positions, including Technical Coordinator for Training at AIP/COPRAI (1989), Commercial Assistant at Mundial Confiança SA (1990-1992), Head of the Human Resources Department at the CAPLE Agricultural Cooperative (1993-1994), Director of Training at the CEVALOR Technology Centre (1994-1999), Executive Director of the ESTER Technology School (1997-2012), Director-General of CEVALOR (1999-2012), partner and coordinator of Sector and Inter-Sector Planning and Development Initiatives (2000-2012), Director of HABÉVORA (2006-2009) and Executive Director of the VALOR PEDRA Cluster Association (2009- 2012). He was also the Portuguese Representative on the Technical Training Committee at EUROROC – European Federation of Natural Stone Industries (1995-1999) and has worked as a partner and coordinator on a range of domestic and transnational technology research and transfer projects (1995-2012). He was also Director of the CEP Professional School (1998-2000), a Member of the Specialist Technical Committee for the National System for Professional Certification (1999-2003) and a member of OSNET - Ornamental and Dimensional Stones Network, where he was Sector Leader for the Risk Assessment, Safety and Environment Working Group (2002-2004). He was President of the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission, and of the Management Committee for the Regional Operational Programme - In Alentejo and Alentejo 2020 - (2012 – 2015) and President of EUROACE – Euro Region Alentejo, Centro, Extremadura (2014 – 2015).

Eduardo Medeiros  is a Geography Professor and a Senior Research Associated Fellow in DINÂMIA'CET-IUL, Lisbon University, Portugal. He has a Ph.D. in Geography - Regional and Urban Planning, and has more than 20 published papers in international journals, eight books and nine book chapters. His research interests are focused on Territorial Cooperation, Territorial Cohesion, Territorial Development and Territorial Impact Assessment. He is a DG REGIO (European Commission) expert and a Horizon 2020 evaluator. He is also a Regional Studies Association fellow, and belongs to its Cohesion Policy Research Network. He has coordinated several international policy evaluation projects and is a member of an ESPON project. He was invited as a project adviser and to write reports by DG REGIO. He was already invited to be a keynote speaker by several International Universities and EU institutions (European Commission and Committee of the Regions). He is part of the scientific and editorial committee of some journals and a peer reviewer of more than 20 international journals.

Guus Muijzers  is working at the European Commission, since 1992. Since 2003: European Commission, DG Regional and Urban Policy. Current: desk officer United Kingdom.
2009-2016: desk officer for Cross-border Cooperation (programs involving BE, CZ, DE, HU, NL, AT, PL, SI, SK); 2003-2009: desk officer Netherlands; 1998-2000: European Commission, DG Employment and Social Affairs (main policy unit - covering a.o. employment and taxation); 1992-1997, 2000-2003: Euratom Supply Agency.
Previous employment: 1988-1992: University of Nijmegen, Department of Applied Economics (incl. 2 years Ph.D. preparation - aborted by move to EC).
Education: 1988 Master Political Science - International Relations, with additional teacher’s degree Economics; 1980 Teacher’s degree Physics and Chemistry; 1976 Secondary school (gymnasium).

Ricardo Pinheiro Alves  is director of the Research Office of the Portuguese Ministry of the Economy and Assistant Professor at UE-IADE, Lisbon. Previously, held several positions in the Ministry of the Economy since 2008 while representing Portugal at different committees in the OECD and the Council of the European Union. Lecturer and Assistant Professor at Universidade da Beira Interior between 2001 and 2008 and at the University of Bath, in 2005-2006. Since 1992 held several places in the banking industry. Member of the board of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Portugal-Spain in 1996 and 1997. Member of the board of Finifundos, a real-estate fund, in 1995
Economic journalist from 1988 to 1990. Academic background: PhD in Economics at the University of Bath, UK (2008); Master in European Studies - Economics, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisboa (2000), and Graduation in Management, ISCTE, Lisboa, (1991).

Ricardo Ferreira , Portuguese, graduated in Economics in Lisbon in 1994. Obtained the Master in International Business in Bergen (Norway) and got his PhD in Applied Economics in Spain.
Ricardo is a policy officer at the European Commission, in its DG for Region and Urban Policy (REGIO), in the unit for Cross-Border Cooperation. Currently he coordinates the Border Focal Point which aims to foster Cross-Border Cooperation in EU internal borders, in several thematic areas.
Previously in the Commission Ricardo has been program manager for ERDF investments in Spain (in DG REGIO); in DG EMPL has dealt with services and tools for skills and qualifications; and in DG EAC dealt with policies for Opening Up Education (inclusion of more ICT and OER in education and training).
Before joining the European Commission Ricardo has been a professor of economics at the Portalegre Polytechnic Institute (PT) for about 15 years. During that period his main research area was on Cross-Border interactions, mostly focusing on interregional trade on the Portuguese-Spanish Border.
 Ricardo's research publications can be found at:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ricardo_Carvalho_Bruno_Ferreira.