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Eric Ponthieu

Twenty three year professional experience in EU policy-making and implementation; transport, energy, infrastructure, environment, information society, sustainable development and urban planning policy; research and innovation management; journalism, institutional communication, and lecturing in EU policy. International experience with stays in Japan, US, Canada, China, Italy and France. Strong human management capacity and ability to process and communicate strategic and political information.

Middle management

Head of Unit “Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and information society”, European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), managing a team of 14 persons supporting the preparation of opinions by the EESC Members, from 01/06/2006

Head of Sector “Urban environment”, European Commission (EC), Directorate General for Research, managing a team of 10 persons dealing with R&D on urban infrastructures, tools and technologies, to promote sustainable development in EU cities. Issues covered: governance, water and waste management, urban and regional mobility, cultural heritage, sustainable construction, etc. Scientific, administrative and financial management; annual budget of €20-30 millions; from 01/07/2003 to 31/05/2006

Management of R&D projects

Scientific officer, European Commission,Directorate General for Research, successively in charge of R&D projects in the areas of:
- new cleaning processes for water and waste treatment, and for chemical and petrochemical industries: EC, DG RTD, 05/94 to 12/95

- transport (in the context of the Task ForceCar of Tomorrow)and fuel cell/hydrogen (energy technology for transport and stationary applications): EC, DG RTD, 01/96 to 03/99
- transport, infrastructure, land use and spatial planning: EC, DG RTD, 03/99 to 05/06

Communication

  • EC information officer of the Task Force Car of Tomorrow(01/96 to 12/98), Non Nuclear Energy (JOULE) research programme (06/96 to 12/98), and Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentProgramme(01/99 up to 12/2002).This implied in particular the drafting of briefing notes and speeches (e.g. for the Research Commissioners Mrs.Cresson and Mr Busquin), “success stories” about European R&D projects, press releases, the organisation of conferences, the realisation of publications and videos of different natures, etc.

  • Multiple collaborations with the press as a free lance scientific journalist: editing of more than 400 papers on science & technology, environment, management, etc., in different newspapers and magazines: Le Soir, Libération, Trends-Tendances, L'Instant, La Recherche, etc. (from 04/90 to 12/95)

Policy formulation and implementation

Major role (DG RTD co-ordinator) in the preparation and follow-up of the “Environment Technologies Action Plan”(ETAP) (2004), in the follow-up of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy and the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). DG RTD officer in charge of the research cooperation between European Commission and UN-HABITAT (from 06/2002)

Lecturing

  • Regular lecturer on The EU policy on R&D and innovation, The EU transport policy and related R&D, The EU Environment & Health, etc. at different European/non-European universities and research organisations ((from 06/00). Visiting professor at Peking University (18-22 December 2006), Kyoto University (23=27 July 07), University Roma Tre (26-28 November 07) and Ryokoku and Kyoto Universities (20-31 July 2009)

  • Senior lecturer (Maître de conférences) at the Université des Sciences et des Technologies de Lille, lecture in Management of environment in the entreprisein the frame of a DESS in ‘Water engineering’, half time position (from 01/94 to 02/95);

  • Junior lecturer at the Institut Meurice Chimie, lecture for the laboratory of general chemistry (from 09/86 to 09/87).

R&D work

  • Researcher under BRITE EURAM contract at the Laboratoire de Catalyse Hétérogène et Homogène of the university of Lille, for a doctoral thesis (from 09/90 to 09/93)

  • Researcher in a Japanese chemical industry (HARIMA) in Tsukuba, with the EC.support (from 07/92 to 09/92)

  • Researcher under BRITE EURAM contract at the Laboratoire de Physico Chimie et de Catalyse of the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL, from 09/87 to 09/90)

 

  • Abstracting of scientific papers dealing with the ceramic topic for the American scientific journal Ceramic Abstracts (from 02/91 to 09/93)

Scientific consulting

  • Consultant position for the realisation of the 1993 annual report of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (Ispra, Italy) (from 09/93 to 01/94);

  • Participation to different evaluation sessions (e.g. Euromanagement programme related to the assistance to SMEs, former DGXXIII; valorisation of RTD proposals in BRITE/EURAM programme; production of media events for the Communication Unit of DG Research)


EDUCATION

2002 Certificate in management of innovation, from the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium

1994 Certificate in management of environment, from the Université de Mons Hainaut, Belgium

1993 European doctorate in physical chemistry, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, France,"mention très bien avec les félicitations du jury"

1989 Special bachelor's degree in Applied Natural Sciences, orientation New Materials,

Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium, ''la plus grande distinction"

1986 Industrial engineer in chemistry, Institut Meurice Chimie, Belgium,"grande distinction"

TRAINING

  • Industrial training in CPC (Corn Product Corporation), Brussels (07/85); themeStudy of the behaviour of industrial yeasts

  • One-week visit of laboratories and industries of the biotechnological sector in Baltimore (Maryland, U.S.A, 01/89);

  • One month training in the laboratory of Professor G.M.Pajonk of Lyon, France (07/91); theme:Synthesis of highly porous materials by supercritical drying;

  • Two months training in the Japanese industry Harima Chemicals Inc. located in Tsukuba Japan) in the frame of a collaboration between E.C. and Japan (REES programme) (from 07/92 to 09/92)); Theme: Synthesis of .fine metallic powders from rosin metal salts;

  • One month training in the laboratory of Professor R.A.L.Drew (Mc Gill University of Montreal, Canada, from 07/93 to 08/93); theme:Sintering of doped ALN powders;

  • One-week training in the laboratory of Professor R.Kaner (University of California, Los Angeles, USA, 0 1/08/93  > 08/08/93); theme:Synthesis of fine nitride powders via solid stale metathesis reactions.

  • Two-week training on “ Market and product strategy “ organised by the EU Japan Centre for industrial cooperation (Tokyo, Japan, 6 16/07/98)

  • One-week training on Macroeconomics organised by EC (Brussels, Belgium, 12 16/10/98)

  • One-week training on French administration and regional land use planning (Paris-Lille, France, 22-26/11/99)

  • One-day training on policy impact assessment (Brussels, 19/11/03)

  • Three-day visit of nuclear facilities in France (France, 04/07)

  • Media Training (Brussels, 05/08)

  • The economic evaluation of projects and policy decisions (Brussels, 2 days, 10/2008)

  • Effective Head of Unit (11-13/02/09 and 4-6/03/09)

  • Methods and tools of strategic forward looking (Paris, France, 26-27 March 2009)

LECTURER AT DIFFERENT UNIVERSITIES/RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS

-Ecole Nationale des Sciences Chimiques de Paris (France),
- Université des Sciences et des Technologies de Lille (France),
- CIEMATin Madrid (Spain),
- Technical University of Gdansk andUniversity of Lomza (Poland),
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)
- Universita degli studi di Roma “La Sapienza” (Italy)

- Universita degli studi Roma tre (Italy)

- Ecole des Mines of Albi, France

- University of Peking, China (Visiting Professor from 18th December 2006 to 22 December 2006)

- University of Tongji of Shanghai (China)

- Univerisity of Jiao Tong Shanghai (China)

- University of Kyoto (Japan)

- Technion University (Israel)

- Ryokoku University (Japan)

Member of the jury of a doctoral thesis on “public spaces in urban areas”, University of Liège, May 2005