Speakers

Caroline Parkinson is Director of Creative at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Her career includes Creative & Cultural Skills, Creative Scotland, and consultancy in business transformation, and photography. Her early creative life included ballet and rhythmic gymnastics, fashion, singing in bands for over 30 years, and photography. She serves on the Board of Architecture & Design Scotland, and volunteers as presenter of the MOVE Summit, Scotland’s 3-day Animation and VFX Gathering.

João Pedro Milheiro  is a computer engineer and the Lab Manager at Fab Lab Aldeias do Xisto in Fundão, Portugal, since 2012. With over 20 years of experience in IT, he specializes in 3D modeling, programming, web development, and digital fabrication. Graduated by Fab Academy, a prestigious master in digital fabrication from MIT s Center for Bits and Atoms, João is a passionate about innovation and technology, and plays a key role in promoting maker culture and entrepreneurship in the region.

Toni Barreiros is an architect and currently the Head of Innovation at Fundão Municipality, Portugal. He studied architecture in Lisbon and worked in several studios before returning to his hometown in 2007. Since 2013, he has led projects such as Fab Lab Aldeias do Xisto, Cowork Fundão, startup incubator, and the Business and Services Center of Fundão. He completed the MIT Fab Academy in digital fabrication in 2017.

Alberta Menegaldo is trained architect, she has been collaborating for 8 years now with Fablab Venezia, creating and managing projects and research opportunities concerning digital fabrication paradigms for arts, culture and social innovation. In 2021, together with other professionals, she founded Prossimi, a social enterprise that uses technology to create projects and pathways for a more participatory and sustainable society. They are currently investigating how technology and people can interact in an inclusive and generative way, to create new business models and futur-able communities.

Andreas Bauer has been the director of the Ars Electronica Center in Linz since 2011. He is responsible not only for the operational management of the organization but also for collaboration with partners and international research institutions, including the European Space Agency (ESA). In 2016, he brought the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO.at) to Linz — an initiative that helps teachers spark students’ interest in science and technology through the fascination of space. As a project manager, he oversaw the 2014/15 reconstruction of Deep Space 8K.

Melinda Varga is an experienced Communications and Community Manager with a passion for building vibrant communities and fostering meaningful connections. As the face of the community at MotionLab.Berlin, she’s been leading community engagement efforts for nearly two years, working closely with makers, innovators, creatives, and deeptech startups to help grow and strengthen the MotionLab.Berlin ecosystem.

Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic (ANO), former Minister of Industry and Trade and Minister of Transport.

Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Subcommittee on Culture, former Director of the Prague Spring International Music Festival and the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK. A proud Prague native, art enthusiast in all its forms, and founding member of the association for the construction of the new concert hall in Prague – the Vltava Philharmonic.

An expert in strategy, project management, and innovation in digital manufacturing. He played a key role in founding the first FabLab in the Czech Republic, led the international H2020 FabLabia project, and initiated the FAB25.cz. He has extensive experience in team leadership, organizational transformation, and event management. Since 2025, he has also served as Director of the VIDA! Science Center.

His professional career began during his studies at the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague, where he graduated with honors. He has worked in several architectural studios, designing housing, urban infrastructure, and public spaces. His most engaging projects have taken place in Terezín, where he has served as the City Architect since 2022. His work in Terezín also brought him to the Innovation Center of the Ústí Region (ICUK), where he contributed to the concept of the Transformation Center of the Ústí Region. For over a year, he has been designing its makerspace and related facilities, processes, and systems to support future operations.

Since 2015, he has worked in the creative industries, particularly in the maker movement, hardware startups, and tech innovation. As a co-founder of Make more, he focuses on building and operating open workshops, fablabs, and makerspaces, now represented by the consulting and design studio Make Designers. He draws on years of experience at Prusa Research, where he served as Director of PrusaLab, and as an organizer of Maker Faire festivals across the Czech Republic.

With over 20 years of experience in urban and regional development, he specializes in strategic management and support for local economic development, both in the Czech Republic and abroad. As Deputy Minister for Regional Development, he coordinated the preparation of the Czech Regional Development Strategy 2021+. He also contributed to the design and negotiation of EU programs supporting integrated investments and helped shape the Smart City concept. At the SFÉRA Educational Center in Pardubice, he now leads a nearly 70-member team of passionate professionals. He fosters partnerships with schools and tech companies.

"Novavita" means "new life" – and true to its name, this materials and design lab focuses on waste reuse. In its current project, it is developing 100% recycled plastic tiles. In collaboration with Austrian creators from Mad Plastic Labs, the lab is working to expand and scale production.

A small Romanian company with 19 years of experience in the furniture industry, specializing in the recycling of polyurethane foam. It transforms what others see as waste into valuable resources. The goal of its latest project, in cooperation with a Dutch designer, is to create a new line of modular office chairs.

A small Slovak company and renowned manufacturer of preventive orthopedic footwear, improving quality of life for diabetics and individuals with unique footwear needs. In collaboration with a Polish designer, they are focusing on process optimization through modern technologies such as 3D modeling, parametric design, and foot scanning.

Fab Lab Aldeias do Xisto, PT is a community-based lab, supporting innovation and experimentation in Fundão, Portugal. It fosters entrepreneurship, local development, digital fabrication, connecting creatives, makers, schools, universities and businesses in the heart of the region.

Fablab Venezia, IT  is a space for digital fabrication and social innovation. Founded in 2014, it helps enterprises, artists, artisans, cultural organizations develop advanced and sustainable projects through digital fabrication technologies. Together with its social spin-off it is currently building a centre for participatory innovation in the heart of Mestre-Venezia.

Ars Electronica, AT, is a hub for art, technology, and society based in Linz. More than just a festival, a museum, a research laboratory and so much more, it plays a key role in shaping the city’s identity as a center for digital innovation and creativity, attracting global thinkers and boosting Linz’s cultural and economic profile.

MotionLab.Berlin, DE is Germany’s premier Innovation Hub & Makerspace – an ecosystem for Hardtech, art, creativity, and entrepreneurship. We are an international community with access to state-of-the-art machinery, prototyping machines, coworking spaces, offices, and production facilities. Through events and workshops, we provide our community with the knowledge and resources to turn bold ideas into reality—fast. This is where groundbreaking innovations and creative ideas take shape, shaping a future worth living for all of us.

The first open-access open lab in the Czech Republic, where anyone can create their own prototype or product. It offers modern equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines, and organizes educational events for schools, companies, and the public.

Located within the Transformation Center of the Ústí Region, it will be the largest facility of its kind in the Czech Republic. It will offer a comprehensive ecosystem of spaces, tools, processes, and expertise needed to successfully launch product-based ventures.

Josef Pruša’s open prototyping lab where technology, design, and entrepreneurship converge. It offers state-of-the-art digital fabrication tools, supports hardware startups, and serves as a space where ideas quite literally take shape.

An innovative learning hub aiming to inspire visitors toward technical fields, awaken their creativity, and offer meaningful and enjoyable ways to spend free time. It connects science, modern technologies, and traditional crafts. Its collaboration with schools, universities, businesses, and other organizations helps align education with the needs of tech-oriented companies in the region.

Iniciativa zaměřená na výuku technických dovedností a práci s hardwarem prostřednictvím otevřených dílen.

Vzdělávací organizace propagující maker kulturu a digitální výrobu napříč generacemi a profesemi.

Make Designers je specializované oddělení organizace Make more zaměřené na návrh a realizaci moderních dílen a tvůrčích prostorů. Nabízíme komplexní služby od počátečních konzultací až po finální implementaci, vše s důrazem na udržitelnost, funkčnost a inovativní přístup.