Dimitri Corpakis, is an independent expert, writing and talking on innovation, growth and technological change. An engineer and planner by training, he has more than 30 years’ experience on the European integration process.
Dimitri worked extensively for the European Commission in Brussels as well as for the Greek civil service. His work experience spans many policy areas including Education and Training, Information and Communication Technologies, Social Sciences and Humanities, and Regional Innovation Ecosystems with an emphasis on interactions and synergies between the Union’s Research and Innovation and Cohesion Policies (European Structural and Investment Funds).
Prior to retiring from the European Commission, Dimitri led the Unit on the Regional Dimension of Innovation managing the legacy 7th Framework Programme actions on “Regions of Knowledge” (that he created in 2003) and “Research Potential”, building links with the Union's Cohesion Policy, with a strong focus on developing Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3); ensuring the Commission’s link with the Joint Programming Initiative on “Urban Europe” and launching the ground-breaking actions on closing the innovation divide (Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation - Teaming, Twinning and ERA Chairs). As of 2018, Dimitri co-founded FoSS (Friends of Smart Specialisation) an informal advocacy group.
Dimitri is a member of the International Triple Helix Association, a Fellow of the Regional Studies Association (RSA) and a Senior Research Fellow of the South East European Research Centre (SEERC) a research centre of CITY College, University of York Europe Campus.
