Francesca Bria

Francesca Bria is an Associate Professor and Senior Advisor on Technology and Innovation Policy, with affiliations as an Honorary Professor at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) and as Commissioner of Digital Technology and Innovation for the City of Barcelona. She has also held leadership roles at Nesta, the UK Innovation Agency, and advised governments, public institutions, and private organizations globally.

• PhD in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Imperial College London
• MSc in Digital Economy, University of London, Birkbeck

Her research focuses on reclaiming public ownership of data and digital infrastructure, exploring how societies can control smart technologies in critical sectors like utilities, transportation, education, and health. She emphasizes socio-economic impacts and ethical frameworks in digital transformation.

• Listed in Forbes Top 50 Women in Tech
• Apolitical's World's Top 20 Most Influential in Digital Government
• Repubblica 'D' 100 Women Changing the World

Francesca has led major projects including EU D-CENT (digital democracy and currencies) and DSI (Digital Social Innovation in Europe). She currently leads the DECODE project on data sovereignty in Europe. Her advisory work spans technology policy for the European Commission, governments, and public-private partnerships.