Joanna Helman is a post-doc experienced in the execution of R&D projects, both national and international. She is author or co-author of more than 70 research papers and industrial reports. She has been employed for over 10 years at the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology. Her research focus is related to: lean manufacturing, new innovation business models, Open Innovation, innovation ecosystems, and the development of innovative models of cooperation between science and industry. Since 2009, she has been actively involved as a project manager, WP leader or key staff in several projects supporting SMEs in their access to advanced manufacturing technologies or developing research capacity – the most important projects include SYNERGY, AMiCE, TRANS³Net, and Nuclei. She participated in the prestigious "Top 500 Innovators” 3 months' internship and training program at Stanford University, focused on innovation, execution and leadership, entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and technology transfer. She is a member of Top500 Innovators Association. She is also a mentor in the TopMinds program, the initiative of the Polish-American Fulbright Commission, and the Top500 Innovators Association, which aims to support young talents. In 2019 she was one of the main organizers of the international Polish-American Innovation Bridge conference that aimed to strengthen bilateral innovation ties between USA and Poland. She has an AgilePM Foundation certificate.