Grant Development Officer
We caught up with Steffi at her home in Italy, as she told her about herself, her work and her interests.
I live in Bari, Puglia in the south of the country. It is a city with great historical and natural heritage, good food and warm people. It is quite easy to walk through the streets, be forced into a funny chat and receive an invitation for lunch (when maybe your plan was to spend a nice day alone!).
What’s your background?
I graduated in Finance and Economics, and after the first year spent assisting companies in raising capital from private investors I joined a company involved in grant writing services and shifted my career to the world of European Funding, focusing on innovation. I have experience in supporting companies focused on AI, Medical Devices, Biotech, Robotics for Healthcare, among others. I’ve helped many companies and non-profit entities to obtain funding from the European Funding Program, the SBIR and STTR programs (USA), InnovateUk (UK), contributing to supporting innovative ideas and projects aiming to positively impact the world and our society as a whole.
Tell us about your favourite movies or books
‘Apollo 13’, Ron Howard, 1995 is my favourite movie. I have seen it 100 times. I’m inspired by the miracle of cooperation, commitment and creativity the crew and staff achieve. With the right motivation, everything can be accomplished.
‘Once upon a time in America’, Sergio Leone 1984; because I am a bit romantic.
‘Vanilla Sky’, Cameron Crowe 2001; because it describes a possible future where death will no longer be ineluctable and people will be able to transcend human limitations.
My best book is Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’.
What was it that attracted you to working at TheHill?
I wanted to concentrate on one main area of specialty, rather than spreading my expertise across too many different sectors. When a position at TheHill came up, with the focus on digital innovation and healthcare in UK it really appealed to me as a chance to contribute to creating equality in the health sector.
One of the ways TheHill supports SMEs, non-profits and individual academics or trust staff as they develop and implement their innovation strategies, is to identify funding opportunities suitable for their needs, given their current technical and market objectives.
In my role I provide support to companies, to the OUH NHS FT, and grant support for TheHill.
What do you like to do in your leisure time?
I love painting, and I good at it, but my work can be quite different – it’s not quite what you would like to have in your living room!
I try to do sport as much as I can (but not really because I like to!)