José Franca, PhD in Electrical Engineering at Imperial College, London. Full Professor at the Technical University of Lisbon, entrepreneur and business executive. Co-founder and Chairman and CEO of CHIPIDEA (1997-2007), Board Member of NASDAQ listed MIPS Technologies (2007-2008), non-executive Board Member of Banco Espirito Santo (2008-2011) and Non-Executive Member of several tech-based start-up companies, both in Portugal and abroad. CEO of Portugal Ventures (2012-2015) and member of the National Council of Entrepreneurship and Innovation since 2012. Former State Secretary of Education (1991-1992). Fellow of the IEEE since 1997. Member of the Board of Governors of its Circuits and Systems Society and of the Executive Council of the European Circuits and Systems Society. Awarded the Ernst & Young International Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Portugal), the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Portugal's Alumni Association (INSEAD), the University of Coimbra Award, the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Golden Jubilee Medal and its Industrial Pioneer Award, Adjunct Professorship of the Chinese University of Hong King, Doctor Honoris Causa in Sciences from the University of Macau and distinguished as "Grand Officer of the Order of Merit", among others.