Irene is a research scientist and bioengineer at ETH Zürich, where she works on building new solutions to the acute threat of complete microbial resistance to currently available antibiotics. She graduated as a biotechnology engineer/MSc from the Ecole Supérieure de Biotechnologie in Strasbourg. For her PhD studies she joined the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, MIT. She is convinced that now, more than ever, a prosperous future for our planet hinges on pushing the boundaries of science further, and applying our skills and knowledge for the common good.

Chas Bountra is a professor of translational medicine at the University of Oxford as well as Chief Scientist at the Structural Genomic Consortium, a public-private partnership that supports the discovery of new medicines through open access research. Prior to coming back to Oxford, Chas spent many years in the pharmaceutical industry and culminated as Vice President and Head of Biology at GlaxoSmithKline. He was involved in the identification of more than 40 clinical candidates for many gastro-intestinal, inflammatory and neuro-psychiatric diseases. He was involved in the launch and development of the first treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (Alosetron).

Mike feels that apps can create self awareness and lead to more collaborative and productive relationship between patients and doctors. Formerly a Creative Director at Frog Design and Fjord, two of the world’s most renowned design agencies, he is one of the creative minds behind Clue, the number one cycle tracking app in the US.Clue, which has been covered by The New York Times, Wired and Vogue, is a unique fertility tracking app that is confident, scientific - and not pink. In his presentation at Lift, Mike will share his experience from 15+ years in qualitative research and prototype development both on stage and in in-depth conversations following his presentation.

Exploring the Future of Humanity:Anders Sandberghas a background in computer science, neuroscience and medical engineering but is currently in the philosophy department of Oxford University, at theFuture of Humanity Institute. Anders’ research centres on management of societal and ethical issues surrounding human enhancement and new technology, estimating the capabilities of future technologies, and low-probability high-impact risks. Topics of particular interest include global catastrophic risk, cognitive biases, cognitive enhancement, collective intelligence, neuroethics and public policy.He is currently senior researcher in theFHI-Amlincollaboration on systemic risk of risk modelling. He is also research associate to the Oxford Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology, the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, and the Oxford Centre for Neuroethics. He has worked on enhancement neuroethics within the EU project ENHANCE, and robust risk estimation as an AXA research fellow.

Australian entrepreneur, venture capital investor, author and speaker with an extensive record in the areas of business, development and community activism,Bill Liaoacts as European venture partner forSOSventures, a $200m international investment that backs, among others, health and biotech related startups such asSynbiotaorRestored Hearing.Bill was the first outside investor in Xing, the co-founder of the code-for-kids community CoderDojo and founded of Weforest, a large-scale reforestation initiative. This summer, he ranIndie Bio, the first synthetic biology startup accelerator program in Cork, Ireland.At Lift Basel, Bill will tell us about the disruption he expects to happen when new kinds of data-drive startups enter the space previously reserved for “big pharma”, about his controversial ideas and the bold bets he makes in the synthetic biology space — by investing, mentoring and accelerating.

1000+ people from 30+ countries joined Lift in 2014 to make innovation happen!

We talk a great deal about the “so-called sharing economy,” “collaborative consumption” and an array of other buzzwords, but we still don’t agree on what it is. And now we are at a crossroads, down one road lies high-velocity markets of efficiently allocated assets, and down another lies cooperative local markets and deeper personal experiences. If we want this economy to survive and grow, we have to think about which one we choose.

Avec Josiane Gain (Directrice des Relations Universitaires IBM France), Frédéric Bardeau (co-fondateur simplon.co)et Pierre-Guy Hourquet (Kedge Business School)

Lift France,Marseille,15 octobre 2013, "Eduquer Autrement !":Pierre-Guy Hourquet,Directeur Recherche, Développement et Innovation au sein du groupeKedge Business School, partage sa réflexion sur les transformations d'une grande école de management à l'ère numérique.

Lift France,Marseille,15 octobre 2013, "Occupy Industry!":Massimo Menichinelli from OpenP2Pdesign, reflects on what policies could facilitate the development of open design and the "makers" movement.