ABOUT US

Email: einarm[at]ttoiceland.is

Einar Mäntylä is the CEO of Audna TTO Iceland. He has a PhD in Molecular Genetics and an MBA in Innovation & Business creation from the Technical University in Munich, Germany. Einar has over three decades of international experience in Life Sciences, Biotechnology and the Biomedical industry, and has worked as an entrepreneur and manager on innovation management, strategy and business development within the start-ups, NGO´s and academia.

As the Innovation Manager of University of Iceland (UoI) he led the establishment of TTO Iceland and is a past Board member of The Science Park of UoI, Icelandic Startups and several spin-offs. Einar is an entrepreneur and the co-founder of Orf Genetics hf. And DISACT ehf.

“Scientific innovation is our only sustainable way forward”.

Email: sverrir[at]ttoiceland.is

Sverrir Geirdal is Business Development Manager at Audna TTO Iceland. He has an MBA-degree from the Copenhagen Business School (CBS), a diploma in Business and Economics from the University of Iceland Along with a diploma in Systems Engineering fromm the EDC school in Odense. 

He has many years of experience in financing innovation projects, first with the New Business Venture Fund and later on his own. Sverrir operated his own consulting firm for many years, where he consulted on information technology, policy making, business developement and operations. His speciality is ICT and the financial sector. 

After undertaking several auditing- and data management projects, Sverrir returns to innovation with the goal to bridging the gap between science in Iceland and the business sector. It is his firm belief that this can enhance the quality of life and prosperity in the country.

Email: lydur[at]ttoiceland.is

Lýður Skúli Erlendsson is Science and innovation Manager at Auðna TTO Iceland. He has a PhD in microbiology from the University of Lund in Sweden. 

After graduation, Lýður worked at ORF Biotechnology for several years before he started working at the Icelandic Research Center (Rannís). There he worked as a team leader in the research and innovation department, which runs the largest publicly supported programs for innovation in the country, the Technology Development Fund and Tax Deductions for Research and Development. 

Lýður therefore has a lot of experience with financing and cooperation with entrepreneurs, start-ups, and the scientific community. He sits on the board of Nordic Innovation, which supports innovation and increased competitiveness of Nordic innovative companies. 

Lýður has also been actively involved in the preparation and implementation of international collaborative networks sch as Blue Bio Cofound and the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance (AORA). He is one of the founders of the Marine Microbiome Forum, which is a collaboration platform for scientists and policymakers in the EU, USA, and Canada in the academic field. 

Lýður believes that innovation is undoubtedly the key to prosperity in society and that science is one of the main sources of new opportunities. Technology Transfer from the academic environment to the industry is therefore important for the formation of a strong innovative society.

Email: elisa[at]ttoiceland.is

Elísa is a lawyer at Audna TTO. She completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in law from Reykjavík University's Faculty of Law and Business Law from the University of Bifröst, which gives her a broad knowledge of legal and business-related issues. Elísa has the right to litigate before the district courts.

Elísa has mainly worked in law at the public level, i.e. at the governing council and local authorities, where she has worked on strategic planning and implementation in matters concerning, among other things, innovation, language technology and intellectual property rights. She has extensive experience in contract drafting and company law and led negotiations that ensure a solid legal basis for new companies, as well as providing advice on organization, operation and protection of intellectual property.

Elísa believes that by ensuring the protection of intellectual property and using it correctly, we can build a solid foundation for start-ups and contribute to continued development and growth in the business world.

Email: ingunn[at]ttoiceland.is

Ingunn Sigurpálsdóttir is the marketing and finance director of Auðna TTO. She has a B.Sc. in Operations Engineering from the University of Reykjavík, has completed APME project management from the Open University and is a Certified Digital Marketing Expert from Akademias.

Ingunn has extensive experience in project and event management and digital marketing. She has worked at companies of various sizes, including in the travel industry and wholesale. Ingunn is passionate about innovation and has been involved in the development and implementation of diverse projects.

Email: anders[at]ttoiceland.is

Guðbjörg is managing director at IceTec (Tæknisetur), which provides expertise and support for tech companies and entrepreneurs by providing expertise and access to tech facilities. IceTec is also a valuable partner in domestic and international projects focused on applied research in material sciences, building materials, energy, and life sciences.

Kristinn is the chairman of Auðna's board of directors. He is a professor at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Iceland. Kristinn is also the chairman of the Intellectual Property Committee of the University of Iceland and the National University Hospital of Iceland. Before joining UI, he worked for over 20 years in applied research and product development, together with patent work, on an international level.

Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir completed a Ph.D. in Population Genetics, University College Dublin, Ireland. Now Deputy CEO and Director of Research & Innovation at Matis Ltd.. Before she was Head of Department at the Marine Research Institute, Iceland and Senior Advisor at Icelandic Centre for Research (Rannis). Experience in coordinating National, Nordic and European RTD collaborative projects. National delegate in Programme Committees of the European Commission since 2006 and before an Icelandic delegate in Scientific Committees and member of advisory boards. Supervisor and evaluator of M.Sc. and Ph.D. theses. Received the young scientist award by the board of the Rannis in the year 2000. 

Anna Valborg is a European patent expert and manages the patent portfolio of Emblu Medical, an international health technology company that is the parent company of Össur and other related companies. Previously, she worked in the patent department of the pharmaceutical company Actavis/Teva. She oversees the Candidate Support Program of the European Patent Office (EPO) and teaches courses on patents for European accreditation. Anna Valborg is Iceland's representative in parliament and in EPI (European Patent Institute) committees and sits on the board of the Association of Icelandic Patent Experts

Dr. Ólafur Eysteinn Sigurjónsson is the head of the Faculty of Technology at Reykjavík University. Ólafur Eysteinn has been a professor of health engineering at HR since 2017, before that he was a docent there from 2014 and an assistant professor from 2008. He has taught, among other things, molecular and cell biology, tissue engineering, biomechanics and biomaterials. Ólafur Eysteinn has been the director of research, innovation and stem cell processing at Landspítala Blood Bank since 2006, and is also a clinical professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Iceland. Ólafur Eysteinn has been on the board of the Scandinavian Life Support Association since 2013 and was its president 2016-2019. Ólafur is the chairman of the working group on innovation at the European Blood Alliance.

Lilja is the director of operations and strategy at Alvotech, a biotech company specializing in the development and production of biotech analogues. There she oversees transformation projects, goal setting and operational dashboards. Lilja is also a mentor at KLAK. Previously, she worked i.a. as the managing director of SagaNatura and Research and Development Director of Genís. She has a PhD in Biomedicine from UTSW Medical Center. She has extensive experience in the operation of biotechnology companies and has led numerous research projects funded by Rannís, the European Union and the NIH.

Svava María Atladóttir is the director of development at Landspítala. She is an engineer by education and co-author of a textbook on creative thinking in healthcare systems. In the period 2001-2020, she worked in Silicon Valley, California, where she ran a consulting company, secured a number of patents and taught the methodology of design thinking at university level.