Manuel Heitor is Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon and former Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Portugal.

Manuel is a Portuguese academic and former government official who served as Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education from 2015 to 2022, and previously as Secretary of State for the same area from 2005 to 2011.

His leadership focused on strengthening Portugal’s research and innovation systems, promoting international collaboration, and advancing higher education policies. Additionally, he was lead author and chair in the High-Level Expert Group that produced the EU-report titled “”Align, Act, Accelerate””, providing strategic recommendations for the future of EU Research and Innovation programmes.

His holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Diego. He has received a honorary Doctoral Degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 2022, and was a visiting Professor at Harvard and NYU in 2012 and 2023. As Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, he founded the Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research, IN+, and coordinated doctoral programs in engineering and public policy. Manuel heitor has published over 130 resercah apures and supervises over 40 postgrad students. His academic work spans across the subjects of energy, fluid mechanics, and innovation policy.

On October 8 at Rigshospitalet, Manuel will participate in the panel discussions Vision for global leadership and From Ambition to Impact: Strengthening Europe Through Life Science.