Getting access to EU funding can be an amazing opportunity for some, but quite a maze for others. At Norway Health Tech, we have a seasoned team of advisors in place to help you choose the right path. So far, this work has led to over 1 billion NOK worth of EU money finding its way to Norwegian startups and research institutions. 

Our team of EU advisors have a solid track record in making substantial contribution to the Norwegian health ecosystem over the years. No less than 1 billion NOK worth of EU money has made its way to Norwegian startups and research institutions that are members and were supported by NHT, contributing to making health the second most successful sector in Norway when it comes EU funding.  

Here is our EU team: 

Sergio Ferreira plays a key role in the cluster’s endeavor to build competence and capacity of its members, providing strategic advice on access to finance (public and private capital), international scaling, IP protection, regulatory issues and resilience. Sergio has been involved in over 150 EU funded projects (as a Project Officer in the European Commission, as a Project Coordinator, as a project partner and as an advisor in various capacities). He has seen a lot of what makes projects succeed or fail and uses that competence to support Norwegian health innovators in creating value from EU projects!  

Since 2005 Sergio has worked for an industry association and for the European Commission in Brussels, mostly managing EU grants to projects bringing innovative technology to market or supporting companies in realizing competitive edges on a variety of sectors. Sergio is an Engineer and an MBA with a passion for innovation and the development of technology to improve people’s and our planet’s health. He is a versatile individual, eager to support Norwegian organizations in benefiting from further engagement and integration with the EU and global spheres.

Theo Xenakis joined Norway Health Tech (NHT) in January 2022 as an EU Project Manager, with primary responsibilities around managing NHT’s work in the EU-funded project SMILE e-health (work package lead). Besides supportinng NHT’s work in EU projects, he is also working on NHT’s participation in the EIT Health network, supporting competence building in the NHT ecosystem regarding EU programs, organizing ecosystem building activities for NHT members in the Trøndelag region, as well as organizing community events to support innovation and collaboration in the Norwegian health tech ecosystem. 

Prior to joining NHT, Theo worked at EIT Climate-KIC for approximately 5 years. His main responsibilities included coordinating a portfolio of innovation projects in the Benelux region, and programme management of an international summer school. Theo holds an MSc in Urban Environmental Management from Wageningen University and Research, and a Diploma (MSc equivalent) in Rural and Surveying Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. 

Natale Rolim is an EU Project Manager at Norway Health Tech. Here she works together with Nemonoor (European Digital Innovation Hub) to advance adoption of AI-enabled solutions by SMEs and the public sector in Norway.  As part of Invest4Health she is focusing on replicating new ways of financing health promotion and disease prevention through a social franchising model. Both Nemonoor and Invest4Health are projects funded under the Horizon Europe programme. 

Before joining NHT, Natale worked as a researcher and project coordinator of clinical trials in the Norwegian public healthcare sector, encouraging potential public and private initiatives focused on machine learning in clinical decision-making. She also coordinated an EU-funded project for EpiGuard, a Norwegian SME, which aimed to develop new products, implement a quality management system and prepare a 510(k) premarket notification to the FDA to enter the US market. 

She holds a PhD in Cardiovascular Physiology from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil and a postdoc from the Cardiac Exercise Research Group at the Department of Circulatory and Medical Imaging at NTNU.