Yiannis Tolias is a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Managing Partner at Innovatia Systems. Since September 2025, he is coordinating the mechanism for monitoring, supporting, informing and connecting businesses with research institutions to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in Thessaly. His fields of professional activities include the design, management and evaluation of national and European projects and programs in the thematic areas of technology-driven regional development, innovation and technology transfer. Since 2014, he has been working as an expert with the European Commission’s DG Joint Research Centre (DG JRC) on the design, governance, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Smart Specialization Strategies in less developed regions of the European Union and neighboring countries. Since 2015, he has been a member of the Register of Experts of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Urban and Regional Policy (DG Regio), supporting the implementation of the European Structural and Investment Funds in the areas of Smart Specialization, Digitalization, and Evaluation/Monitoring of Innovation at a regional scale.