Irene Papanikolaou

Irene is an expert in partnership and fundraising, with extensive experience in scaling and optimizing innovation portfolios in impact finance, social innovation, and climate change. She specializes in designing and restructuring resource mobilization strategies, grant-making frameworks, and program development to maximize impact.

She has worked with international organizations such as UNESCO, FAO, and the European Parliament; government bodies like the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; academic institutions; as well as high-potential start-ups and NGOs, including EIT Climate-KIC, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), and ChangeX, among others.

Throughout her career, Irene has led over 20 public-private strategic partnerships, successfully mobilizing more than €10M for social initiatives. She has also developed data-driven narratives and communication strategies to attract resources and conducted in-depth analyses to support strategic decision-making.

Irene holds an MA from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.