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Elsa - Project Adviser

With a law background, a master's degree in Strategic Studies, a PhD in AI ethics and over 10 years of EU institutional experience, Elsa now works at the European Research Executive Agency as Project Adviser and AI Act Correspondent. 

What I love the most is the diversity of subjects I have had the chance to tackle, thanks to the opportunities given by internal mobility procedures, but also thanks to the support and encouragement I have received along the way.

Elsa from Greece

What is your role in the European Research Executive Agency (REA)?

My Unit at REA specifically supports the delivery of EU-funded projects under the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS), which is key to advancing low-emission technologies in the steel sector and the EU’s green transition. As Project Adviser, I ensure that projects are effectively managed and aligned with EU priorities by monitoring their progress, overseeing contractual and financial aspects, and supporting high-quality implementation. 

What led you to work at REA? 

I came from the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) in 2020. Initially, I started at REA working on legal and financial advisory work and increasingly became interested in the scientific substance behind the proposals crossing my desk. Today I get to help shape research that could transform European industry: I have worked on research enquiries, research infrastructures, and for the past couple of years on projects supporting the transition to low emissions steel technologies. 

What do you enjoy most about working for REA? 

What I love the most is the diversity of subjects I have had the chance to tackle, thanks to the opportunities given by internal mobility procedures, but also thanks to the support and encouragement I have received along the way. I also have been given the opportunity to accompany the current transformation of our organisation integrating AI technologies in REA business processes and to work as REA’s AI Act correspondent, member of the European Data Supervisor’s (EDPS) Network of AI Act Correspondents.  

How would you describe the work culture at REA? 

My work has always been welcomed and acknowledged at REA. REA Management is very supportive of continued research. I completed my PhD while working at REA, and I am about to start a non-resident fellowship with a US Ivy League University too. For this I am both grateful and lucky. REA gives you the opportunity, but you must work hard, be consistent, diligent, curious. And beyond this, there is the wellness, the sport, the team events, the after-work life with colleagues. Truly, the friendships I made along the way are another one of the best things about my experience at REA.