Natascia Lai joined the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) in September 2022 as Deputy Head of Unit B3 – Industry. She supports the unit in delivering the European Research and Innovation agenda, with a focus on enhancing industrial competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience across Europe. Unit B3 is responsible for managing industrial initiatives under Horizon Europe’s Cluster 4 – Digital, Industry, and Space, as well as overseeing legacy projects from Horizon 2020 in areas such as Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Biotechnology, and Advanced Manufacturing and Processing. These projects contribute to the development of key enabling technologies, including advanced manufacturing and raw materials research.

Natascia has been with the European Commission since 2005 and brings extensive experience in the implementation of successive EU Research Framework Programmes (FP6, FP7, Horizon 2020, and Horizon Europe), particularly in the fields of Industrial Technologies, Transport, and SME support.