Jury & Selection Committee

Ines Francisco is an EU project management and cultural innovation professional specialising in European funding programmes, collaborative research initiatives and the application of innovation to cultural heritage. With extensive experience across Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 projects, she combines expertise in grant writing, proposal development, consortium coordination and strategic implementation to support impactful European initiatives.

She has delivered 10 EU-funded projects and contributed to programmes supported by the European Commission, the United Nations and the Gates Foundation. Her experience spans work package leadership, cascade funding mechanisms (FSTP), stakeholder coordination and the management of complex projects involving academia, cultural institutions, industry partners and public-sector organisations.

Ines contributes to the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH), supporting communication, dissemination, knowledge exchange and the development of synergies across European heritage innovation initiatives. Her work includes the implementation of use-case pilots, planning the validation of digital tools in real-world cultural heritage contexts, and developing training and capacity-building resources for heritage professionals and stakeholders.

Ines serves on the Selection Committee as a representative of young heritage professionals.

Agni Petridou–Skordi is an architect, urban planner and heritage conservation expert with extensive experience in the preservation, regeneration and sustainable management of historic urban environments. With a career spanning more than four decades, she has played a leading role in shaping heritage-led urban development in Cyprus, particularly through her work on the historic centre of Nicosia.

She studied architecture at the University of Florence . She holds a Specialization Diploma in the Conservation of Monuments and Sites from ICCROM and the University of Rome, as well as a Master’s degree in Town Planning from UWE Bristol. For 37 years, Agni worked for the Municipality of Nicosia, where she led the Nicosia Master Plan (NMP) and later served as Director of the Technical Services. Through the NMP bi-communal office, supported by international institutions, she contributed to the preservation and rehabilitation of the cultural heritage of the historic center of the divided city, developing significant expertise in large-scale conservation projects and urban regeneration as a peacebuilding process.

Throughout her career, Agni has coordinated and contributed to major urban heritage initiatives recognised internationally, including five projects awarded by Europa Nostra and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2007. She also coordinated the Zaha Hadid project for Eleftheria Square, a landmark urban design intervention integrating contemporary architecture with the historic Venetian walls of Nicosia.

Agni serves as a Council Member of Europa Nostra, having previously been a member of its Scientific Council, and is actively involved in the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Nicosia. She has participated in international architectural award juries and carried out expert assessments for projects nominated for UNESCO World Heritage List consideration.

Lesia Voroniuk is the Founder of World Vyshyvanka Day, a renowned Ukrainian cultural curator, and has a Ph.D. in Political Science. An expert in Ukrainian cultural heritage and head of the NGO World Vyshyvanka Day, Lesia has implemented over 70 projects in Ukraine and abroad, including documentaries, books and art albums, exhibitions, workshops, fashion shows, diplomatic receptions, large-scale educational campaigns, festivals, and reconstruction initiatives.

She is a 2022 European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards laureate (winner in the category “Citizens Engagement & Awareness-raising” and the Public Choice Award).

Marc Wingens is a Dutch cultural historian, heritage strategist and cultural leader specialising in community-based heritage, heritage networks and the strengthening of cultural organisations. As Director of Erfgoed Gelderland (Heritage Gelderland), he has dedicated his career to supporting heritage institutions, promoting collaboration and enhancing the social value of cultural heritage.

He studied Cultural History at Utrecht University and obtained his PhD from Erasmus University Rotterdam in 1994. After holding academic and research positions, including at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, he became Director of the Foundation and Cooperative Erfgoed Gelderland in 2006. The organisation serves as both a consultancy and cooperative network for approximately 260 heritage organisations in the province of Gelderland, including museums, archives, historical societies, intangible heritage groups and organisations working with archaeology, monuments and cultural landscapes.

Through his leadership at Erfgoed Gelderland, Marc has supported volunteer-driven heritage organisations through advocacy, knowledge exchange, capacity building and collaborative projects. He has also contributed to national and international heritage cooperation, including Dutch-German Interreg initiatives and current work related to the Lower Germanic Limes, strengthening cross-border approaches to heritage preservation and interpretation.

Marc serves as a Council Member of Europa Nostra and contributes to numerous heritage boards and advisory bodies, including OPEN, the national organisation for provincial heritage institutions, and the heritage platform of Kunsten ’92. He has extensive experience in heritage evaluation and recognition programmes, having served as secretary of the Gelderse Roos Prize for heritage volunteers since 2017, as a jury member for the Brabant Heritage Award and as advisor to the Mondriaan Fund (2019–2022).

Together with his husband Rudolf Burggraaf, he is also committed to raising heritage awareness among students of Dutch UNESCO schools, fostering a new generation of heritage-minded citizens.

Prof. Dr. Christian Hanus is a leading expert in sustainable cultural heritage, architectural conservation and the reconstruction of historic environments. As Scientific Director of the Research Lab Sustainable Cultural Heritage at the University for Continuing Education (Danube University Krems), he brings together research, education and innovation to address the complex challenges facing historic buildings and cultural landscapes.

Since his appointment as Professor of Building and Environment in 2013, with a focus on architecture and engineering, Christian has developed pioneering approaches to the preservation, adaptation and sustainable use of cultural heritage. His research explores the reconstruction of historic cities affected by natural disasters, including the development of implementation concepts for earthquake-damaged settlements and his coordination of the Scuola di Ricostruzione in Accumoli. He also specialises in the building physics, energy efficiency and long-term ecological and economic assessment of historic buildings through life cycle analysis (LCA).

Christian is the founder of the Centre for Architectural Heritage (2010), the Centre for Cultural Property Protection (2015) and the Sustainable Cultural Heritage Research Lab at Danube University Krems (2023). Through these institutions, he has established international research and teaching programmes that connect heritage conservation with resilience, sustainability and interdisciplinary innovation.

An author of specialist publications and a member of numerous scientific committees in Austria and internationally, Christian contributes actively to academic exchange and professional education across Europe.

Jermina Stanojev, PhD, is a cultural heritage and international cultural relations expert specialized in policies, governance, research and strategic advising. With experience at the intersection of culture, cultural heritage, sustainability, international cooperation and public policy, she works to strengthen the role of culture and heritage as a driver of international relations, social cohesion, regional and sustainable development.

Her expertise spans cultural heritage governance, international cultural relations, cohesion and enlargement policies, evaluation methodologies, and evidence-based policy recommendations. She has contributed to the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards as a Jury and Selection Committee Member, supporting the assessment of outstanding heritage initiatives through rigorous evaluation, collective decision-making and the development of recommendations.

Jermina has an extensive experience in European-level evaluation and peer-review processes, having worked across many programmes and initiatives including Creative Europe, Horizon 2020/Europe, the European Heritage Hub, the European Urban Initiative, the European Universities initiative, Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans, CHARTER, OMC groups and many others. As an Individual Expert of the European Commission’s Cultural Heritage Expert Group, she provides strategic expertise on heritage policies and governance. She has authored analytical, technical and policy reports for different European institutions including the European Parliament, the European Commission and international organisations such as UNESCO.

Jermina also coordinates cultural heritage research and teaches at several universities, bridging academic knowledge with practical approaches to heritage policies, sustainable transformation, public engagement and international cooperation.

Flora Bacqueline Vidal de Llobatera holds a PhD in Humanities, Heritage and Culture (University of Girona). She currently combines her research work with teaching on heritage as part of the UOC-UdG Master’s in Cultural Management and the Bachelor’s degree in Tourism at the UdG, as well as managing a cross-border university cooperation project between the University of Girona and the University of Perpignan (Interreg POCTEFA efa 138/02 UNIESCAT).

As a member of the SEC-History (Society, State and Culture) research group at the Open University of Catalonia, she has been part of the working group for the project ‘Francoist regionalism from the perspective of Catalonia: centripetal practices and discourses’ (PID2021-125227NB-I00). Her research interests focus on the study of the relationship between cultural practices and the uses of cultural heritage, on the one hand, and hegemonic discourses and blocs, on the other, at different historical moments.

She is currently conducting research into cultural practices in the city of Barcelona during the 20th century, drawing on the personal archive of Xavier Vidal de Llobatera, a lawyer, art collector and founding member of Club 49.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nusret Demir is a leading expert in remote sensing, photogrammetry and geospatial intelligence, specialising in the application of advanced engineering technologies to environmental sustainability, disaster management and cultural heritage preservation. Based at Akdeniz University, he combines academic research, technological innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration to develop solutions for documenting, analysing and safeguarding complex environments.

He holds a PhD in Geomatics Engineering from ETH Zurich, following earlier degrees in Industrial Engineering and Geodesy & Photogrammetry Engineering from Yildiz Technical University. Alongside his academic career, he is the Founder and Project Manager of ETEN R&D Engineering Ltd., established in 2013, where he has led innovative projects integrating laser scanning, geographic information systems (GIS), image processing and spatial data analysis.

Throughout his career, Dr. Demir has applied geospatial technologies to address challenges ranging from environmental monitoring and disaster resilience to the digital documentation and protection of cultural heritage. His work demonstrates the potential of emerging technologies to support evidence-based conservation strategies, improve risk preparedness and create new approaches to heritage management.

Recognised internationally for his contributions to engineering and cultural preservation, Dr. Demir is a winner of a 2026 Europa Nostra Award.

Ioanna Mikrou is a cultural heritage professional specialising in heritage conservation, research, project management and sustainable heritage-led development. Combining expertise in conservation practice, innovation and strategic development, she works at the intersection of cultural heritage, entrepreneurship and European cooperation.

She holds an MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from ESADE Business School and a postgraduate degree in Monument Protection from the National Technical University of Athens, with a specialisation in conservation materials. She currently serves as Business Development Manager at Dalkafouki Oikos Ltd, a company dedicated to the development of ecological and compatible restoration mortars for monuments and historic buildings, where she contributes to advancing sustainable approaches to conservation.

Ioanna is a member of the Board of Elliniki Etairia – Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ELLET), contributing to initiatives focused on the protection and promotion of Greece’s cultural and natural heritage. As an individual member of Europa Nostra and through her involvement with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Athens, she actively participates in European heritage networks, including the European Historic Houses Association Next Gen Group, where she represents ELLET.

Alongside her professional work, she has contributed to research projects at the National Technical University of Athens in the fields of cultural heritage, digital innovation and heritage-led sustainable development. Her work includes the assessment of socio-economic impacts of development proposals rooted in cultural and environmental assets, strengthening interdisciplinary approaches to heritage evaluation and decision-making.

Iulia Ștefancu is a heritage advisor specialising in adaptive reuse, sustainable transformation and the future of historic buildings. Based in the Netherlands, she works at the intersection of heritage conservation, climate adaptation and contemporary societal challenges, supporting approaches that ensure Europe’s built heritage remains relevant, resilient and connected to changing communities.

Educated at Newcastle University and Delft University of Technology, Iulia combines academic knowledge with practical experience in heritage-led transformation. Her work focuses on bridging heritage ambitions with real-world implementation, exploring how historic places can respond to evolving needs in areas such as housing, sustainability and climate resilience.

Alongside her professional practice, Iulia is actively engaged in strengthening youth participation and intergenerational dialogue within the heritage sector.

Iulia serves on the Selection Committee as a representative of young heritage professionals.