LAOPODIS VASSILLIOS

Greek national, holds degrees in Physics, Business Administration (MBA) and Informatics (Doctorat) and has been involved for more than 35 years in both private and public sector policy actions, businesses and societal initiatives.

With the European Commission for the last 18 years (1988-2006), he consecutively held important management and technical positions mainly in DG Information Society and Media and DG Enterprise & Industry. His main duties involved:

1. RTD and Innovation policy : responsible for launching CORDIS, Innovation Relay Centres, Interfaces between Research Community, Science and Society and designing policy initiatives and managing RTD projects;
2. Information Society policy and initiatives, ICT and e-business sectoral policy and standardisation actions, IS RTD projects, and most recently,
3. Promotions of EU funded ICT projects’ success stories impacting all EU policies (Information Society Policy Link).

He has served as ad hoc advisor to the Greek government at several occasions: to vice-minister for industry on ICT issues (1994–during Greek presidency), to vice-minister of National Economy (1996-97) for the development of the National MIS for EU funded programmes (OPS), and, to General Secretary for Research and Technology (2001-2003) during his secondment from the Commission to launch national Foresight programmes and Science& Technology and Society interfaces  programmes and organise a major EU presidency conference of international cooperation in foresight.

He served as engineer and manager in the private sector (IBM, FIAT, Banking etc.). Elected in 1985 full professor of Informatics at Technological Educational Institution of Athens, he has taught at different Universities (AUEB, Un. Aegean), Colleges  and vocational training institutions in Greece and abroad.  In the 80’s he also launched his own companies in ICT consultancy and publishing sector.

He has published over 120 papers in peer reviewed conference proceedings, scientific journals, and special editions mainly on Information Society, ICT issues and societal implications; he is the author of 20 books/monographs on technical ICT issues (Information Systems IS development), social implications of new technologies, eLearning and training, skills and certification issues and has given numerous lectures on RTD and IS policy issues on these subjects.

Over all these years he has been active in several learned societies and non profit associations such as Greek Computer Society (past president: 1980 - 84), IFIP (International Federation of Information Processing) - TC 9/WG 9.2 & 9.9, CEPIS (Council of European Professional Informatics Societies) - vice president in 2002, Club of Rome – EU  Brussels Chapter (Member of the Board 2005 - ), InGentibus.org,  CogniTerra – Sustainable Development and Knowledge Society Partner, Chairman of Advisory Board, Life Long Learning Research Institute (LLLRI) – vice president, and served as member of the board of different public and private organisations and non-for-profit associations.

After his retirement from the European Commission on 1st March 2006 he has launched and chairs in Corfu, Greece and two important initiatives:

• a new non profit organisation InnoPolis.org – Centre for Innovation and Culture (www.innopolis.org), which hosts his personal consultancy and research & development activities;
• a new non-profit association Europe of Cultures Forum : Adriatic & Ionian Chapter (www.eocf-ai.org), which will coordinate the activities of the Brussels based non for profit association “Europe of Cultures Forum” in the eight countries of the region (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Greece)