To ensure the best quality, application and impact of the SIKE project a group of Associate Partners has been selected to form and operate as an Advisory and Evaluation Committee throughout the project.
These partners are e.g. local social innovation stakeholders as policy makers or social innovation agencies, development agencies, entrepreneurs, investors and community leaders.
The Committee members will give quality monitoring for the principal outputs of the project. They will meet (in person or virtually) six times at regional consortium meetings and attend four consortium level meetings where their regional reports are presented three times over the course of the project.
Basque Country
Ainara Basurko: Managing director at BEAZ
Ainara Basurko holds a degree in Economic Law from the University of Deusto as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Management (MBA) from the University of Deusto. She began her professional career in strategic consulting at LKS S. Coop. Then, she became Director of the Azaro Foundation and Director of the Agency for Regional Development Lea Artibai. Both entities are responsible of boosting the economic development of this region. In 2015, she assumed the General Management of Beaz, a public entity dependent on the Department of Economic and Territorial Development of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, whose mission is to promote entrepreneurship and the competitiveness of the business fabric of the territory
Gotzon Bernaola: Director of Public Innovation at Innobasque
Gotzon Bernaola Ariño (Graduated in Mathematical Sciences) is the Director of Public Innovation at Innobasque – the Basque Agency for Innovation, which tries to address and give a comprehensive and structured response to the challenges that faces the Basque society, in order to consolidate a leading position in the field of innovation between European regions. He believes that public innovation and new governance models should be oriented towards the creation of spaces and environments for meeting those agents which are worried about change, incorporating into the innovation processes the different visions of the territory as catalysts of an environment that encourages innovation.
Jorge García del Arco: Co-Founder and CEO of ImproveChange.org
Jorge García del Arco is co-founder and CEO of ImproveChange.org, focused on helping all types of organisations (private, public and third sector) to improve their Creation of Shared Value. He promotes startups that seek to improve their positive social and environmental impact, for instance, Aquadat: a water intelligence platform for its efficient management in real time. It was the only European finalist in the MIT Water Innovation Prize 2017.
Josetxu González: Director of Innovation & Development at Social Network of Cooperatives of Caritas
Josetxu is a person firmly committed to social transformation and to the economy to serve people. Founding Partner in 1990 of The Social Network of Cooperatives and Non-profit Insertion Companies promoted by Cáritas, where he currently holds the position of Director of Innovation and Development.
Cristina San Salvador del Valle: Responsible of Social Impact in BBK Foundation
Cristina San Salvador del Valle is currently responsible for Social Impact at BBK. Her role has a double aim: contributing to ensure that the projects of BBK’s Social Work measure, manage and maximise the social impact generated and contributing to the construction of the impact ecosystem in Biscay (generating knowledge, launching pilots in the new continuum of financing: impact investment, Venture philanthropy …)
Josean Rodriguez: Manager of Entrepreneur’s Forum at Adegi
Josean Rodriguez is manager of Entrepreneur’s Forum at Adegi. This forum gather around 95 new local entrepreneurial projects, in a wide variety of business models and focus to different markets.
Javier Sanz: Director of Elkar-lan S. Coop.
Degree in Law from the University of Deusto and Graduate in Cooperativism (1984). From 2003 to the present he is Director of Elkar-Lan S. Coop. the Society for the Promotion of Cooperative Enterprises as well as President of the Basque Cooperative Arbitration Service (SVAC in its initials in Spanish) of the Higher Council of Cooperatives of the Basque Country.
Croatia
Lidija Pavic Rogosic
Lidija is the Director at ODRAZ-Sustainable Community Development. She is an Architect, with completed post-graduate course Practice of Social Change, at the Social Policy Department, London Metropolitan University. She is founder and director of ODRAZ-Sustainable Community Development, a Croatian CSO established in 2000 (see more at http://odraz.hr/en/home). She has some thirty years of experience in the area of sustainable development and local community projects, most of them funded through EU programmes. She has many years of experience as a trainer and writer of manuals. She was also teaching sustainable development at two faculties.
Jesenka Ricl
Jesenka is the Managing Director at Croatian Association of Cultural Tourism. Jesenka graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb as Master of Arts and from the Faculty of Economics in Osijek as a University Specialist of Economy. For many years she has worked as an independent professional as a conservator-restorer of archaeological ceramics, and in 2012 she established the Croatian Association of Cultural Tourism, situated in Osijek. Since then, her field of activity is cultural tourism and creative industry, communication development and educational tourism activities, with a special emphasis on sustainable development through an integrated and holistic approach to work. In 2014 she was a laureate and winner of the EUNIC Fellowship Program for Cultural Managers. Currently, Jesenka works as a Head of the Education and Promotion Department at the Museum of Slavonia and she is the owner of RICL Counselling and Services.
Vlatka Berlan Vlahek
Vlatka is an Urban and Business Advisor at Insula Bit; Member of Green Energy Cooperative; External Expert at Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts (Croatia). Vlatka holds a Phd in Architecture and Urban planning. Her 25 year long experience included positions such as Head of City Development Department and Senior Associate for EU programs and funds in the city of Ivanić Grad, Croatia. Today Vlatka works as a freelance consultant in the area of urban development and redevelopment; circular economy and urban agenda, citizen participation and residential development and urban regeneration.
Marija Raos Fitzhugh – Croatian Independent Professionals Association (CIPA)
Marija Raos Fitzhugh (B.S. in Liberal Arts with concentrations in Psychology and Sociology) has many years of experience in informal education and consulting, primarily in the non-profit sector. Since 2013, she has been actively involved in the work of the Croatian Independent Professionals Society (CIPA) and the implementation of Co-working and Social Innovation projects. Since 2016, he has been a member of the European Freelancers #39; Week Co-ordination Team. Her special interests are the media psychology, research and development and the future of work.
Germany
Michael holds a master`s degree in economics and social sciences (University of Dortmund). He leads the entrepreneurship education project 5 Euro StartUp, a contest combined with ideation workshops, consulting and coaching. Founding his own publishing company in 2009, he is the editor of books in entrepreneurship and mountain biking. Michael has worked as a start-up consultant at University of Munich (LMU) from 2010 to 2018, leading the project “Innovative spirit”, combining trainings and workshops in entrepreneurship and social innovation. He is lecturer for ideation, lean start up and business planning and runs the social startup days. He installed the “2M4E“ initiative Montréal /Munich and currently develops a German Canadian Initiative in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. 
After finishing her academic studies in European ethnology, Melanie Dahl worked for a theater project, a notable foundation, a charity organisation, as communications manager for an educational initiative and as community manager as well as later master-coach and head of qualifications for the Social Impact Lab Duisburg – a social innovation incubator. She is a certified systemic coach and is now self-employed in the field of coaching and consulting focusing on impact, communications as well as organisational and team development. Furthermore, Melanie is member and head of social innovation of the BEEMING Group, a company and support programme for social ventures. 
Jens Koller studied Social Work (BA) and Social Inclusion: Health and Education (MA) at the EvH-Bochum. During and after his studies, he worked as a social worker in various educational institutions and in the arts/theater education sector. His focuses of work include: 1) Accompaniment and support of transfer projects and transfer activities, 2) Evaluation of transfer activities and transfer projects, 3) Consultation regarding the continuity of projects, 4) Development and testing of participatory formats, 5) Merging of different actors 
Sinem Ulutas studied Educational Science (BA and MA) at Phillips University in Marburg. After completing her studies, she worked as a research assistant in the project “AKTIF – Disabled Persons in Participation and Inclusion Research” at the University of Cologne. In addition, she works for the newspaper “Die Gaste” in the editorial office on an honorary basis. Furthermore, she is doing her doctorate in the Department of Educational Science at the University of Cologne on the topic of migration and education. 
Dmitri Domanski is project manager at Business Metropole Ruhr, the economic development agency of the Ruhr Region. During his activity as senior researcher and lecturer at TU Dortmund University, he worked on the global research project “SI-DRIVE: Social Innovation – Driving Force of Social Change” (lead partner) and the Horizon2020 project “Social Innovation Community” (SIC), among others. Co-founder of the European School of Social Innovation (ESSI). Keynote speaker at several social innovation conferences. Lecturer and coordinator at summer schools and courses on social innovation in Europe and Latin America. Co-editor of “Theoretical Approaches to Social Innovation” and “Innovación Social en Latinoamérica”. Josef Hochgerner Fellow 2017, awarded by ZSI Vienna for the best research proposal on social innovation.
UK
Neil Fleming
Neil is Business Development Director and part of Senior Management Team at Challenges Worldwide, having moved full time from the Investment Banking sector 5 years ago. He started out at Morgan Stanley before working for other global investment banks including Barclays Capital and BNP Paribas. In 2011, he took a Sabbatical to work in Malawi for 12 months on a clean cook stove project in rural applications and this began his career journey into Private Sector Development within emerging economies. At Challenges Worldwide he oversaw a portfolio of work with 500 SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa with a large focus on renewable energy & clean technology. He is responsible for overseeing Challenges Worldwide’s business training services and wider strategies along with building greater links for Scottish Social Enterprises to access African markets.
Zakia Moulaoui
Zakia is the Founder of Invisible Cities & International Business Development at Social Enterprise Academy International. Zakia is from France and has been living in Scotland for 10 years where she has worked with local and international charities, mostly organisations working with homeless people. For several years, she was Director of International Partner Development at the Homeless World Cup Foundation, a global network of street soccer projects. She was also part of the team at Social Bite before joining the international team at the Social Enterprise Academy. In 2016, she founded Invisible Cities, a Scottish social enterprise that trains local people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own cities. They offer local and social tours, connecting tourists and locals with places that make the city what it is.
Sarah-Anne Munoz
Dr. Sarah-Anne is a Health Geographer with expertise in qualitative and participatory research. She has worked in the area of rural health research for over a decade and has particular expertise in the relationships between rurality, place and wellbeing. She has spent her academic career in research orientated roles within the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), working closely with community residents and public sector professionals as co-producers of research knowledge. In 2018, she was awarded the title of Reader in Rural Health and Wellbeing by UHI as recognition of her international reputation in rural health research. Her researched focuses on: i) community engagement and co-production in rural health and ii) the role of the outdoors and natural landscape in the promotion of health and wellbeing. Her writing draws on theory from health geography, particularly relating to the spatialities of wellbeing, assemblage theory and therapeutic landscape.
Amanda Taylor
With a background in financial services, Amanda set up her own company, Taylor Nisbet, to provide business support for social and environmental organisations, enabling long term social impact. Since 2016 Taylor Nisbet have secured over £240,000 for social enterprises across Scotland. They’ve helped more than 25 organisations become more self-sustaining and deliver positive impact for the people in their communities.
Portugal
Liliana Ribeiro
Liliana is Executive Director of IRIS – Regional Incubator of Social Innovation, a project promoted by the Institute of the European Investment Bank and PortusPark, with the co-financing of Portugal Social Innovation, which aims to support the development of entrepreneurship and social innovation initiatives contribute to the growth of the territory. She has a degree in Psychology and advanced training in Social Entrepreneurship. She has more than a decade of experience in community intervention in non-governmental organisations.
Rui Pedroto
Rui was born in 1960, graduated at the University of Coimbra Law School in 1984. Concluded a program in Business Management in 1999 (AESE – Associação de Estudos Superiores de Empresa – Escola de Direção e Negócios), a program in Cooperation for Development in 2006 (INA – Instituto Nacional de Administração) and also programs on government performance and strategy applied to business. Begun his professional career as a lawyer and teacher. For the past 30 years worked as a human resources manager, communication and corporate social responsibility manager in a major Portuguese company, and as regional manager of the state run Institute for Social Security. He is the CEO of Manuel António da Mota Foundation and member of the board of several NGOs, working both on social and educational fields.
Katja Tschimmel
Katja, German by birth and Portuguese by choice, is consultant and executive trainer, researcher and lecturer, coach and conference speaker. Katja is the managing owner of MINDSHAKE, a Consultancy in Creative Thinking and Design. As a trainer and facilitator, Katja has a lot of experience in the conception and realisation of workshops about Creativity and Innovation, Creative Processes in Organisations, (Service) Design Thinking, Creative Thinking Tools and Group Dynamics. Currently Katja is Guest Professor at Porto Business School (Portugal) and at Laurea University (Helsinki, Finland). At ESAD she coordinated the first Post Graduation Course in Design Thinking in Portugal. By invitation she teaches in several other educational institutions in Portugal and abroad. Katja supervises many Masters and Ph.D dissertations and participates in numerous academic juries.
Liliana Simões
Liliana Simões is Founder and Coordinator of Microninho – Social Incubator, since 2011.
She holds a degree in Sociology from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra and a Master’s Degree in Social Intervention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra. Prior to the founding of Microninho, between 2003 and 2009 she was Technician and Coordinator of projects of social inclusion – Integrar Association, between 2009 and 2011 was at Inovinter – Office for Employment and Entrepreneurship Support, in 2011 she was a trainer at Konkrets and in 2015 for a short period was Mentor of Social Projects at the University of Aveiro. Currently, in addition to the coordination of Microninho, she is also a Social Entrepreneur, Sociologist and President of ADSCCL – Associação de Desenvolvimento Social e Cultural dos Cinco Lugares, since 2009, where Microninho is part of, and since 2016 Professor at the Professional School of Lousã.
sikeeuorg.wordpress.com 