Josefin van der Meer is Program Director at Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency, where she leads the Civil-Military Innovation Program—an initiative that strengthens Sweden’s defense capabilities through civil innovation and cross-sector collaboration. She also serves as Sweden’s Programme Committee Expert for the European Innovation Council (EIC), supporting deep tech start-ups in securing Horizon Europe funding and accelerating their growth.

Drawing on extensive experience in deep tech entrepreneurship and innovation leadership, Josefin has designed and implemented national and European initiatives that bridge research, industry, and policy to drive technological advancement. She played a central role in the Swedish Presidency Conference on Deep Tech Entrepreneurship, advancing Europe’s competitiveness and resilience in emerging technologies.

Before joining Vinnova, she held technical and leadership roles at Cortus Energy AB, SciLifeLab, and international research institutions such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and New York University. Josefin holds dual Master of Science degrees from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and completed an Erasmus program at Delft University of Technology.