First female president appointed to lead European Business and Innovation Centre Network

July 2021

Topic

As the next President of EBN, Cristina Fanjul aims to further strengthen the organisation by making its network more dynamic, open and inclusive.

Business Spirit News reporting ⬤ Author

Director of CEEI (Centro Europeo de Empresas e Innovación) Cristina Fanjul will become the first woman to lead EBN (European Business and Innovation Centre Network) as President in its 36-year history.

She has been a member of the EBN Board of Directors for five years and has a background as an expert evaluator of the European Innovation Council Accelerator start-up support initiative of the European Commission.

David Uhlir, JIC, Czech Republic, is handing over this role after providing leadership and stability to the organisation in the challenging period marked by the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘’The Board of Directors is pleased to have voted unanimously naming Cristina Fanjul, former Vice President of EBN, as its next President.

Throughout her career, Cristina has demonstrated a commitment to the association community and EBN, and a proven ability to drive alignment and result in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment,’’ Uhlir said.

Cristina Fanjul will become the first woman to lead EBN (European Business and Innovation Centre Network); image:CEEI

Fanjul is a member of the Advisory Group EU Marie Sklovodowska-Curie actions supporting researchers, sits in the Board of the Spanish National Associations of CEEIs/Business Innovation Centres and participates in numerous projects and events of the European entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem.

’I am honoured to build upon the successful foundation of EBN.

In this unprecedented period of uncertainty, we need to be ready for anything.

My ambition, which I believe we all share, is to strengthen the network making it more open, dynamic, and more inclusive.

And as much as possible, where the pandemic allows it to seek connections and collaborations.

The ecosystem has changed a lot with newcomers in the start-up and innovation world and we need to be prepared to facilitate strong connections with those agents and actors.

The start-up and innovation community deserves the most powerful and effective version of us (European Business Innovation Centres and Associate Members), so we need to meet this ambition,’’ Fanjul shares her ambitions as newly appointed President of the EBN.

EBN is a non-profit organisation serving a pan-European community of people who use innovative business as a driver for regional sustainable economic development.

EBN's initiatives include EU|BIC (European Business Innovation Centre) certification, development and distribution of quality business support programmes, facilitation and initiation of project collaborations, global networking, and advocacy for excellent business support actors.

More than 130 certified EU|BICs and 46 Associate Members in over 30 countries are part of the global EBN network, which supported over 5,200 companies with access to finance, raising in total over €609+ million in investments.