Anu Ilmonen

Anu is working as a Director and Team Leader for the Defence and Security team. She helps companies and businesses to boost their innovations from research to market, including for example innovation potential analysis, creation of the project concept, building partnerships and collaborative projects, preparing public funding applications, and coordination of EU funded projects.

Anu joined Spinverse in 2015, and she has led the preparation of several successful funding applications. She has experience in a wide variety of EU funding instruments, such as SME instrument, EIC Accelerator, BBI, NMBP, SPIRE, ICT and EDIDP. The largest and most complex projects prepared are PEFerence (total budget of 45 M€), SWEETWOODS (total budget of 43 M€) and IMPRESS (total budget of 18 M€). In addition, she has helped consortia during the Grant Agreement Preparation phase and has supported the coordination of PEFerence and SWEETWOODS projects.

Anu holds a M.Sc. degree from Helsinki University of Technology. Before Spinverse, she worked at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, most recently as a Senior Scientist. She has also served as a liaison officer and intelligence officer in peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and Macedonia. In 2014, she completed Tieturi’s Professional Project Manager Training Programme, and achieved IPMA level C Project Management Certification (renewed in 2019).

In her spare time, Anu enjoys cycling, gym training, cross country skiing, sailing, good food and wines.