Michael, Daniela

Daniela Michael is the EfD Global Partnerships Manager.

She has more than 10 years of (strategic/operational) work experience in international academic collaboration with various societal partners, for advancing global sustainable development.

Her responsibilities include enhancing multilateral partnerships with academic partners and international organizations to promote EfD’s activities conducted by the collaborative programs and centers, and strengthening their exchange, as well as exploring international funding opportunities in today’s increasingly dynamic geopolitical world.

Her role focuses on both the contents of the collaboration and on the collaboration form itself, promoting mutually beneficial collaborative research and its utilization, and exploring more challenge-driven and inter-/transdisciplinary approaches and how to go from project to impact.

In the last 7 years, her work for Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg has specifically focused on developing and managing a multilateral strategic partnership and a thematic project portfolio involving 11 partners (mainly in Africa) and 6 prioritized thematic areas incl. trans-disciplinary, in close interaction with leading researchers and university leadership at each partner university.

She also coordinated a bilateral Sida Research Training Partnership Program in one of the African partner countries, supporting a World Bank-funded incubation program and renowned UnIPod makerspace (UNDP-funded), promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and youth employment by focusing on students and junior researchers as change makers.

She has worked at the United Nations University Office in New York, focusing on bridging the gap between researchers and decision makers by disseminating development research.

She holds two MSc degrees from the University of Gothenburg, one in International Development Cooperation and one in Geography (the former specializing in African development). Additional competence development includes project management (from idea to utilization) and leadership training (Full Range Leadership Model).