Dr. Max Lemke, Head of Unit for Internet of Things in Directorate General CONNECT of the European Commission, is responsible for programmes under Horizon 2020 on the digital transformation of key industrial sectors, including in particular agri-food, smart energy and mobility. He is as well engaged in the preparation of the new programmes under the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework 2021 - 27 (Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, etc.), in particular in areas such as smart IoT, edge computing, digital transformation of industry and digital industrial spaces and platforms. Previously, Max Lemke had a leading role in developing and coordinating the Digitising European Industry strategy and was involved in developing the European Strategy for Artificial Intelligence. Dr Lemke was responsible for the areas embedded and cyber-physical systems, advanced computing, and ICT for manufacturing (Industry 4.0). He was co-responsible in CONNECT for the Joint Technology Initiative ECSEL (Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership), the Public Private Partnership Factories of the Future and the pan-European network of Digital Innovation Hubs.

In the first half of 2020, Max was a European Union Fellow and visiting scholar at Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies of University of Washington in Seattle. He has conducted a study on “The digital industrial ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest” and taught as a guest professor a course on “Geopolitics of innovation: The US, the EU and China”. Before joining the Commission in 1995, Max has worked in research and industry in Germany around Fraunhofer, the US, and the UK. With a Diploma in Mathematics and Computer Science and a Doctorate in Natural Sciences, he has a scientific background in numerical mathematics, high performance computing, and software engineering.