Mariana Santos

Mariana, as a Senior Consultant and responsible for the Horizon Pillar II programme, has the key responsibilities of mentoring innovation consultants and developing high-quality proposals for European, Danish, and Norwegian funding schemes. Since 2023, she has also managed the collaboration between Innovayt and Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences in Hamar, providing proposal development, reviews, and training services to support the university’s research funding efforts.

Mariana holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Leicester (UK) and a BSc in Biology from the University of Aveiro (Portugal). She completed postdoctoral research at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute in Calgary (Canada) before transitioning to industry. Her early industry experience includes working as an Account Executive managing the Roche Neuroscience account at MediTech Media, followed by roles as a Market Access Analyst and Scientific Writer. In 2019, Mariana entered the field of innovation consulting, combining her scientific expertise and communication skills to support R&D and innovation-driven projects.