Desirée Scalia is a freelance consultant and trainer with over twenty years of experience in the design, management, and reporting of European projects (Erasmus+, Horizon, COSME, I3, Structural Funds). She has supported public bodies, enterprises, and non-profit organizations in Italy and across Europe, developing initiatives focused on youth empowerment, social innovation, entrepreneurship, and the green and digital transition. She has coordinated more than 30 EU projects, many as lead partner, and as Network Manager of the ADMA Energy Pilot, she contributes to building European networks for industrial innovation and interregional collaboration. As a lecturer in European project design, she also facilitates training programs on entrepreneurship and design thinking, and she is a Certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator.
Her distinctive skills include building international partnerships and facilitating participatory processes aimed at the regeneration and sustainable development of local communities. She has written articles for Il Sole 24 Ore on EU funding and SMEs and serves as an evaluator for EIT Urban Mobility.
Her interests include the New European Bauhaus, urban regeneration, lifelong learning, entrepreneurship, and sustainability as a driver of social inclusion and innovation.