The EUTOPIA Central Office is the management home of the core central secretariat of the alliance. The main responsibilities of the Central Office Secretariat include:
coordinating governance processes, providing support and policy advice to the alliance, through the Board of Directors,
overseeing the progress of the alliance's activities, working closely with Institutional Coordinators, ensuring synergies between projects and initiatives,
monitoring European developments in Education and Research policy, providing policy expertise and advice to the alliance,
engaging with stakeholders and policymakers at European level, promoting EUTOPIA's vision, strategy, and policies.
The Central Office Secretariat works closely with the Impact and Dissemination Unit based at CY Cergy Paris University.
Mattia holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and a PhD from KU Leuven, Belgium. Mattia began his career as a researcher at KU Leuven, conducting research in the field of Manufacturing Processes and Digital Technologies. He later joined EIT Digital, one of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). At EIT Digital, Mattia coordinated the operations of the EIT Digital Entrepreneurial Academy and its participation in EU projects, and contributed to several pan-European higher education programmes, such as the HEI Initiative, EIT Digital Doctoral School and EIT Digital Master School. Mattia leads the EUTOPIA Central Office, coordinating the implementation of the strategy of the alliance, delivering on governance processes and promoting EUTOPIA's vision.
Melinda has previously served as Deputy Director at EQAR (The European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education) and as a consultant for several international organisations. Her career encompasses roles at the European Parliament and the European Students’ Union. Earlier, Melinda worked for the Bologna Follow-Up Group Secretariat under the aegis of the Romanian Ministry of Education. She holds a master’s in Educational Management from Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania. Melinda advises and supports the Secretary-General in harmonising the alliance’s multiple projects and contributing to ensuring connections, synergies and coherence of initiatives across projects.
Ilenia holds a master’s degree in Languages and Economic and Legal Institutions of Asia and Mediterranean Africa from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. Ilenia is fluent in Italian, English, French, Arabic and Spanish and boasts six years of experience as the International Relations and Partnerships Coordinator at the International University of Rabat, Morocco, one of the Global Partners of EUTOPIA. Ilenia's expertise lies in planning and coordination, developing partnerships, and managing Erasmus+ projects. As Central Office Administrator she is sustaining the Central Office’s missions, assisting with implementation of activities, management of the office, planning events, and supporting activities involving EUTOPIA Global Partners or students from EUTOPIA member universities.
Maëlle holds a master’s degree in European project management from the University of Caen Normandy in France and is fluent in English, French and Spanish. Maëlle began her career in the field of EU affairs in a Social Enterprise in the UK, helping deliver projects funded by the EC’s Life Long Learning Programme (Erasmus Plus’ predecessor). Maëlle then moved on to the Research and Innovation sector, joining the University of Liverpool, and held there several positions in Research Support and Development. She eventually ended up leading the university’s Horizon Europe team where she contributed to shaping the university’s European research strategy. In her new capacity, Maëlle supports the Secretary General with coordinating EUTOPIA’s governing bodies, monitoring EU policies, and advising on strategic development and funding opportunities for the alliance.
Egeljin holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a master’s degree in European Studies from KU Leuven, Belgium. She began her career supporting EU projects at Transtec, a management consultancy, assisting with the planning of high-level international conferences and debates while implementing the communication and visibility strategy. Egeljin moved on to a research supporting role within the United Nations University focused on monitoring Sustainable Development Goals performance in Flanders, Belgium. Before joining EUTOPIA, she worked as a project consultant at Roland Berger, collecting data, conducting market research and financial analysis to support strategy development projects across various industries. Within EUTOPIA, Egeljin drives the financial and operational processes of the Central Office and coordinates the activities of the Business Intelligence Unit.
