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Senior Experts, Hybrid Mindset

Team

Our Team

Senior Experts

Our team combines a unique blend of science, business, and innovation expertise. We understand the complexities of the innovation landscape approaching each project with a hybrid mindset that allows us to seamlessly integrate scientific, social & business considerations.

Executive and Management Team

Mario Aznar

Strategic Innovation & Project Planning

Amelia Suarez

Technologist & Scientist: Health, Energy and Biosciences

Senior Team

Laura Muñoz

Chemistry & Biological sciences

Ana Miguel Blanco

Biochemistry & Biological sciences – Health, Biosciences

Pedro Salazar

Industrial engineering

Iván Rivero

Business Model and Financial Planning

Ellen de Waal

Communication Strategist & Stakeholders Relations Manager

Janna Slabbekoorn

Senior Project Manager

Clara Barquín

IPR and Public Procurement

External advisors

Karine Seymour

Health technologies, health industry and health data expert

Ricard Martinez

DPO, Legal & Ethical Affairs External Advisor

Juan Antonio Castro

ICT, Digital Transformation, Business strategy

We VALUE

We believe in transparent communication and building trust with our clients and colleagues.
Honesty & Integrity
Honesty & Integrity
We approach every project with dedication and a commitment to delivering high-quality results.
Professionalism
Professionalism
We're adept at conveying complex ideas clearly and concisely, fostering collaboration and understanding.
Communication Skills
Communication Skills
Leaders in strategic R&D support. Partner with us to accelerate, scale, and manage your innovation.

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Mario Aznar

Senior EU Projects Consultant | Senior EU Projects Manager

Strategic Innovation & Project Planning

With over 15 years of professional experience in strategic innovation, R&D project financing, and international project management, Mario specializes in overseeing large-scale international R&D projects and innovation management. He possesses exceptional management, communication, and analytical skills, a hands-on approach and a wide contacts network. Prior to founding Matical, he built a successful career as an international project coordinator and manager for major multinational corporations, including Randstad and Elsevier. Additionally, he served as an external innovation consultant for some of the world’s leading consultancy firms. Mario’s expertise extends to managing large international R&D and innovation projects across diverse scientific, technological, and industrial sectors. These include Health, Advanced Computing (Blockchain, AI, Big Data, etc.), Renewable and Green Energy, Industry 4.0, and Smart Cities.

His experience encompasses managing substantial budgets, coordinating multiple partners, and negotiating complex Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) agreements.

He is actively engaged in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, supporting entrepreneurs as a coach and investor, securing financing and building valuable connections for their start-ups.

Amelia Suarez

Senior EU Projects Consultant | Senior EU Projects Manager

Technologist & Scientist: Health, Energy and Biosciences

Amelia is a distinguished physicist, holding a PhD from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid-CSIC (2004). She launched her professional journey as a technology analyst at the London Technology Network, a spin-off of the London Business School, gaining valuable insights into the rapidly evolving tech landscape. Her subsequent roles at the Fundación Madri+d and as R&D Director at Socinser, an SME specializing in bone transplants, further enhanced her expertise in innovation and research management. In 2013, Amelia leaped into entrepreneurship, co-founding Wetech, a technology start-up in the wearable technologies sector.

From 2010 to the present, Amelia has been working as a senior R&D consultant, specialising in the ideation and preparation of projects for European funding programmes in different scientific-technological fields, especially in Health and Energy-related areas. She has worked as a Reviewer for projects in the area of photonics in the FP7 programme and is currently a Proposal Evaluator for the Eurostars, EIC Accelerator and EIC Pathfinder funding schemes of the European Commission.

Amelia is an active advocate for technological entrepreneurship and innovation dissemination. She is the author of “España Lean Startup ELS2015”, has delivered a TEDx talk, and regularly contributes to the broader conversation around innovation and startups. To date, she has authored or co-authored 20 publications in international journals.

Laura Muñoz

Senior EU Projects Consultant | Senior EU Projects Manager

Chemistry & Biological sciences – Energy, Agrifood, Materials, Circular economy

PhD in Chemical Sciences and Master in Advanced Materials, both from the UAM. During her research period at the CSIC, where she carried out the work that led her to obtain her PhD degree, she participated in different national and European projects, as well as taking part as a speaker at several scientific congresses. Laura Muñoz is co-author of 10 scientific publications.

Laura is co-responsible for the management of the projects in which MATICAL participates, developing both technical and administrative-financial activities of the project. She also co-leads the support to clients to whom MATICAL provides technical and administrative-financial support services. In the field of innovation consultancy, Laura participates in the search and composition of international consortiums, as well as in the preparation of R&D proposals within the framework of national and European calls.

Laura Muñoz is also a trainer and has participated as a speaker in several seminars related to funding opportunities in H2020 and Horizon Europe, technology watch and R&D and innovation project management

Ana Miguel Blanco

Senior EU Projects Manager | EU Projects Consultant

Biochemistry & Biological sciences – Health, Biosciences

Originally a biochemist and biologist by training, Ana holds a PhD in molecular biology and a master’s degree in biomedical sciences. Over the last 10 years, she has worked as a project manager and science coordinator in various fields, from wildlife conservation to cancer research, having led the coordination of several international and EU-funded projects. Her research trajectory has led to the publication of 9 peer-reviewed articles, two book chapters, and several presentations at international conferences. Ana also holds extensive experience in management, having worked as a country director and head of education at two renowned international companies. Passionate about professional development and staff training, she also completed a master’s degree in business administration specializing in professional coaching and team management.

At MATICAL, Ana is supporting the administrative and financial management for the projects that Matical takes part of, while aiding the financial-administrative support provided to our clients. She is also deeply involved in the elaboration and delivery of MATICAL’s project management training courses and supporting proposal writing efforts.

Pedro Salazar

Senior EU Projects Consultant Industrial engineering

Industry, Engineering, Circular Economy, Energy

Pedro is Industrial Engineer from the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche and the Politecnico di Torino. Hi has excellent communication skills and a natural talent to coordinate diverse international teams and manage substantial project portfolios.

Pedro has cultivated a distinguished career as EU project consultant and strategist in projects in the field of renewable energy (especially in marine energy engineering and hydrogen-related projects), circular economy, and Industry 4.0. He is adept at strategic planning and drafting technical-economic reports for new technology projects, requiring both public (European R&D programs) and private investment (venture capital funds).

Iván Rivero

Senior EU Projects Consultant

Business Model and Financial Planning

Ivan holds a degree in Economics from the Autonoma University of Madrid and a degree in Philosophy from Valladolid University. He is an expert financial manager and business strategist. He is currently based in the USA.

Ivan’s professional career has predominantly centered around asset management, Research & Development consultancy, and New Product Development. He possesses extensive experience in crafting financial and business plans for innovation-driven companies. Ivan is adept at developing detailed, actionable business and exploitation plans that yield tangible results.

With a natural talent for making precise financial projections and presenting them in a clear and engaging manner, Ivan also boasts a comprehensive understanding of New Product Development, Marketing, and Business Strategy for innovative products and startups

Ellen de Waal

Senior Communication Manager

Communication Strategist & Stakeholders Relations Manager

Ellen has over three decades of experience across life sciences, genomics, and health innovation, offering strategic communications insight and leadership in both public and private sectors.

De Waal’s expertise lies in orchestrating multinational projects and fostering public-private partnerships, exemplified by her pivotal role in the HARMONY Alliance for Big Data in Hematology.

Her professional journey is marked by impactful roles, including:

  • Life Sciences Accelerator: Spearheading community management and serving as a mentor for academic startups.
  • Erasmus MC: Leading corporate communications for personalized medicine initiatives.
  • Netherlands Genomics Initiative: Steering visibility and communication of 16 public-private genomic centers.
  • Volunteer Work: Committed to mentoring academic startups and engaging in international child abduction prevention.

Ellen is an indispensable asset in evolving the intersection of science communication and societal impact.

Janna Slabbekoorn

Senior Project Manager

Strategic Innovation & Project Planning

Janna Slabbekoorn, holding a Bachelor of Nursing Sciences and a wealth of experience in European (public) health systems, has consistently demonstrated her expertise in managing large-scale, multifaceted projects within the healthcare sector. Starting her career as a community nurse, she quickly transitioned into more complex roles including health policy advisory and health data security audits, which showcased her capacity to blend clinical expertise with strategic operational management. From the very start of her career Janna has been involved in digitization processes of health data as end user, advisor and consultant. From 2009 to 2015, Janna served as a consultant focusing on health ICT, enhancing data safety- and sharing in primary and tertiary care settings in the Netherlands.

After this, she has developed her professional career to International Project Management, participating in the coordination of significant EU-funded projects (FP7, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, IMI/ IHI-JU), demonstrating her capability in navigating large and complex multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Beyond her primary professional pursuits, Janna has actively contributed to the academic field as a tutor and skills trainer at Maastricht University, focusing on soft skills for public health and professional development. Currently she delivers training in financial management and project management for EC projects. 

At MATICAL, Janna applies her robust experience in project coordination, financial management, process optimization, risk management, and team leadership to support the strategic, administrative and financial aspects of projects. Being fluent in Dutch, English, Catalan and proficient in Spanish, Janna brings a global perspective and diverse linguistic skills to her role.

Clara Barquín

IPR and Public Procurement

Strategic Innovation & Project Planning

Lawyer specialising in the legal regime of foundations, public procurement and drafting agreements with third parties in the field of research. Postgraduate degree in Public Procurement. Master in Health Law and Biomedicine – Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Master thesis: “Public procurement in the field of biomedical research”.

Previous to MATICAL, she worked for 6 years as Head of the Legal and Public Procurement Department for the Andalusian Public Foundation for research in biomedicine and health. In charge of reviewing and drafting contracts and collaboration agreements in the field of biomedical research: basic research projects, clinical trials, European projects. Drafting of the bases for calls for internal grants for research projects. Design, implementation and evaluation of public procurement and tendering programmes

Karine Seymour

Health technologies, Health industry and Health data expert

Strategic Innovation & Project Planning

Master in Applied Sciences, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Executive MBA – Toulouse Business School, with honours.

More than 20 years of experience in the PACS and Teleradiology business. Founder of the start-up MEDEXPRIM in 2015, devoted to transforming the routine care data available in hospitals into harmonized, curated, high-quality regulatory-grade datasets of imaging & clinical data.

Karine has a deep understanding on R&D and Innovation in Health technologies, including software, clinical, legal, business intelligence and contractual engineering. She is one of the main EU experts in projects involving medical research and AI development using real-world data.

Ricard Martinez

Senior Legal Advisor

DPO, Legal & Ethical Affairs External Advisor

Expert in privacy and personal data protection. Doctorate in Law from the Universitat de València. His research focuses on fundamental laws pertaining to data protection, as well as the impact of information and communication technologies on privacy. He is a member of the Ministry of Energy, Tourism, and Digital Agenda’s Working Group on Digital Rights of Citizens and coordinates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Working Group established by the Conference of Spanish University Principals (CRUE-TIC). He has served as a Data Protection Officer at the Universitat de València, Head of the Transparency Service at the Valencian Provincial Council, and President of the Spanish Professional Association of Privacy. He has also collaborated with various universities as a lecturer in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs, while being responsible for the Studies Area at the Spanish Data Protection Agency.

Dr. Martinez has written several monographs on data protection and contributed to commentaries on the Development Regulation of the Organic Law of Data Protection. His work also encompasses monographs on Law and Social Networks, Cloud Computing, and other related topics. He is a member of Fide’s Academic Council and serves as the co-director of its Data Protection Forum.

Main competences: GDPR, EHDS, Data Governance Act. Exploitation agreements, DSA, Ethical issues.

Juan Antonio Castro

ICT, Digital Transformation, Business strategy

Strategic Innovation & Project Planning

He is an accomplished executive with extensive management experience in international and domestic businesses, driving strong and healthy growth across various sectors. He has managed up to seven business units simultaneously, with over 120 employees, and possesses expertise in retail, operations and technology, marketing, risk and security, supply chain, and distribution networks.

Knowledge Areas: Banking systems and products, with a focus on payments and customer regulations; Operations and technology, including operational models, metrics, and BSC; Innovation and digital transformation with cutting-edge technologies; Risk management across operational, compliance, strategic, and enterprise levels; Retail business, customer experience, and service delivery; Sourcing models and vendor management.
Industries: Banking, Technology, Musical

Instruments Manufacturing, Food Processing, Elderly Homes

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