Esteban Pelayo is an innovation manager with extensive experience on EU programme. Manager of the Science Park of Alicante, he is dynamising an ecosystem of more than 30 high-tech companies that are linked to the University of Alicante. From 2015 to 2022, he was Director of EURADA, the European Association of Development Agencies. He started his professional career in the Innovation Relay Center Network helping companies to establish transnational technology transfer agreements (IPR licensing) in the University of Alicante (1996-2000) and in the Regional Development Agency of Murcia (2000-2004).

He coordinated the network of technology centres of the Regional Development Agency (2004-2011), was a member of the working group to draft the Spanish quality norm on technology watch (UNE166.006), and he worked in the EU office of the Region of Murcia in Brussels (2011-2015) helping companies to participate in EU programs. He graduated as agriculture engineer, holds a postgraduate degree in innovation management and is a Spanish certified patent and trademark attorney.