Martin Špolc appointed Director for Prosperity in European Commission's DG RTD

The European Commission has appointed Martin Špolc as Director for Prosperity in its Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), it announced on 24/06/2026.

The date on which Špolc will take up his new duties will be determined at a later stage. He will replace Maria Cristina Russo, who has taken up the post of Deputy Director-General in charge of Innovation, Prosperity and International Cooperation in the same DG and who had been acting in her previous role on an interim basis.

A Czech national, Martin Špolc currently serves as Head of Unit for Preparedness and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA).

Before joining DG CLIMA, Špolc held several senior management positions within the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA), notably as Head of Unit for Sustainable Finance, Head of Unit for Capital Markets Union and Head of Unit for Economic Analysis and Evaluation.

Earlier in his career, he served as Deputy Head of Unit and Acting Head of Unit responsible for banking…