Mário CAMPOLARGO

Mário Campolargo was born in Gafanha de Aquém, Ilhavo in 1956.

He graduated in Electrotechnical engineering from the University of Coimbra (1978), has a master’s degree in Computer Science from Imperial College of London (1983), a postgrad degree in Management from École Solvay of Brussels Free University (1992) and a diploma in European Studies from Católica University in Lovaina-a-Nova (1995).

He was a researcher at the Telecommunication Studies Centre (Aveiro) for 12 years and headed the Software Engineering division. He was the Portuguese representative at the International Telecommunication Unite and led several European projects.

In 1990, he joined the senior staff at the European Commission and was manager and scientific lead of the RACE research into telecommunication programme.

In 1999, he took on the role of Head of Unit of “GÉANT and e-Infrastructure” at the DG Information Society, and was charged with several R&D portfolios, focusing especially on implementing global e-Science infrastructures.

In 2008, as Director of “Emerging Technologies and Infrastructures at DG CONNECT, he was in charge of the Future and Emerging Technologies area, ICT- based Infrastructures for Science, Cybersecurity, and experimental research for the Internet of the Future.

In 2012, he headed the “Net Futures” department at DG CONNECT, focusing especially on the field of the Internet of the Future, including SG, Cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IOT), Smart Cities and corporate innovation insitiaties, such as Startup Europe.

From 2016 to 2022 he was Deputy Director General and Director General of DIGIT (European Commission), in charge of the global strategic and operational coordination of the directorate-general, for the definition and implementation of the European Commission’s Digital Strategy, and the transition of the Commission’s services to working from home during the pandemic, focusing particularly on creating a digital culture and cybersecurity issues.

He also led European initiatives in the field of Interoperability (including the COVID digital certificate) and the Modernisation of European Public Administration.