Hungarian Lawyer and Regional Leader Bernadett Petri Joins the GFCC

Credit: Photo by Naida on Unsplash.

The GFCC is pleased to welcome Dr. Bernadett Petri, Managing Director at the Hungarian Development Promotion Office (MFOI), as an individual member.

Dr. Petri is an experienced lawyer and policy expert who represents Hungarian interests within European Union institutions, international organizations, and cooperative frameworks. Her work focuses on facilitating engagement between the EU and project developers in Hungary by strengthening connections through EU-funded programs and strategic initiatives on digital policy and innovation, competitiveness and industrial transformation, regional innovation ecosystems, strategic technologies, EU technological sovereignty and territorial development.

She is the author of several academic articles and studies focusing on the relationship between European Union regional policy and innovation development. Since autumn 2023, she has also been serving as Hungary’s National Contact Point (NCP) Coordinator for the Digital Europe Programme, supporting stakeholders in accessing EU funding opportunities in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, digital infrastructure, and European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs).

"Bernadett is a tremendous leader who is thinking and doing at the intersection of innovation, competitiveness and regional development in Europe. Her deep expertise in European policy and regional development will be a tremendous asset to our network. It is a privilege to have her as a member," says GFCC President Deborah L. Wince-Smith.

Dr. Petri holds a law degree from Pázmány Péter Catholic University and studied English and European Union law at the University of Cambridge. She also earned a Master’s degree in economics from Corvinus University of Budapest and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Pécs.

Following her bar examination, Dr. Petri worked in both Budapest and Brussels across the fields of economic law, intellectual property law, international law, and corporate law. She later served at the European Parliament and as a member of the cabinet of Tibor Navracsics.

Since March 2020, she has served as a researcher at the EUSTRAT Institute of the Ludovika University of Public Service and as a lecturer at Pázmány Péter Catholic University. Since 2024, she has also held the position of Ministerial Commissioner for the Coordination of Directly Managed EU Funds in Hungary at the Ministry for Public Administration and Regional Development.

“Europe’s competitiveness will not be determined solely by the strength of its largest innovation hubs, but by whether it can connect regional development, technological innovation and strategic industries into a truly integrated transatlantic and global ecosystem. In an era defined by the drive for technological sovereignty, green transition and geopolitical competition, innovation policy can no longer remain geographically concentrated or institutionally fragmented. By connecting government players, regions, universities, innovation actors and strategic industries across continents, the GFCC has the unique ability to translate local and regional innovation capacities into global competitiveness networks. I am particularly proud to be part of the GFCC Community and contribute to strengthening the bridges between regional innovation ecosystems in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world,” says Dr. Petri.