Eric Amaral Garcia is a Programme Assistant in the Smart and Sustainable Growth Unit at the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO). He is working on the Interregional innovation investments (I3) instrument, which promotes innovation through Smart Specialization and interregional collaboration.
Before joining the Smart and Sustainable Growth Unit, Eric worked as a Project Officer at the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), and as a Research and Innovation Officer in the industrial association Confindustria Emilia Area Centro in Bologna, Italy.
Eric holds a B.A in International Cooperation and Development from Università di Bologna and a M.A. in European Studies from Università degli Studi di Padova.