dr. M.R. Machado (Marcos)

Kickstart AI: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Finance

ING Group - University of Twente (UT)

Joint cooperation of ING Group (ING) and University of Twente (UT), advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Finance

Sustainable Circular Economy Transition: from Industrial Symbiosis to Hubs for Circularity (IS2H4C)

I am a contributor to IS2H4C – a four‑year, €23.5 million flagship Horizon Europe collaboration that will turn industrial zones into “Hubs 4 Circularity” (H4C) and help Europe reach near‑zero‑emission targets under the Green Deal and Fit‑for‑55. Led by Dr Devrim Yazan (IEBIS, University of Twente) and delivered by 35 partners in nine countries, IS2H4C is the largest EU‑funded project ever run at UT.

My specific contributions

• Grant design & proposal writing – co‑authored the successful application with a focus on Work Package 5 (Financial and Business Models).
• AI‑driven finance & business solutions – work closely with the WP5 lead and all four demonstration hubs to explore and pilot AI applications for investment, risk, and operations in circular‑economy ecosystems.
• Doctoral supervision – supervise a PhD researcher investigating the “risk and value of circularity” to quantify economic upside and de‑risking mechanisms for H4C stakeholders.

Circular Economy Platform Twente (CEP Twente)

Member of the CEP Twente, a project coordinated by Dr. Devrim Yazan (IEBIS/Utwente). This project aims to establish the Circular Economy Platform Twente (CEP Twente) as a collaborative initiative between the academicians and students of the five faculties of the University of Twente (UT) including Green Hub Twente within 2023. The primary goal of the CEP Twente is to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable circular economy by fostering interdisciplinary research, education, and knowledge exchange. Starting in 2024, we aim to act as a regional platform that provides room for collaboration among regional stakeholders, including municipalities, companies, and NGOs. The platform will serve as an umbrella association, bringing together diverse stakeholders from academia, industry, and (local) government to build a community that shares a common vision and creates societal, environmental, and economic impact in the Twente region.

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance (MSCA Digital Finance)

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance (MSCA Digital Finance)

I am a contributor to DIGITAL, the Marie Skłodowska‑Curie Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance (MSCA Digital Finance), a €3.7 million EU‑funded initiative coordinated by Dr Joerg Osterrieder (IEBIS, University of Twente). The network delivers cutting‑edge research and training that bridges academia and industry, nurturing the next generation of digital‑finance experts across Europe’s innovation ecosystem.

My specific contributions

• Grant conception & consortium building – co‑authored the successful Horizon Europe proposal and supported the Principal Investigator in assembling the multi‑country research network.
• Work Package 8 lead (Project Management, 09/2023‑01/2025) – steered day‑to‑day governance, reporting, risk and quality management from project launch through the end of Year 1.
• Work Package 5 co‑lead (Sustainable Finance) – coordinate research strands on green and responsible‑finance applications within the consortium.
• Doctoral supervision – co‑supervise an MSCA PhD fellow investigating real‑world green‑finance use‑cases in partnership with Swedbank, the Fraunhofer Institute and other leading private‑sector stakeholders.

COST Action - Fintech and AI in Finance

COST Action - Fintech and AI in Finance

Member of the COST Action: Fintech and AI in Finance. Project is coordinated by Dr. Joerg Osterrieder (IEBIS/Utwente). The Action will investigate AI and Fintech from three different angles: Transparency in FinTech, Transparent versus Black Box Decision-Support Models in the Financial Industry and Transparency into Investment Product Performance for Clients. The Action will bridge the gap between academia, industry, the public and governmental organisations by working in an interdisciplinary way across Europe and focusing on innovation.

Erasmus: Blended Intensive Program (BIP) - Methods for Fintech and Artificial Intelligence in Finance

The aim of the BIP is to create an interdisciplinary course on advanced topics in the field of statistics and probability, with applications in the Fintech sector and Artificial Intelligence on key topics included in the UN SDGs.

The programme will enable participants to understand and develop analyses on financial instruments using appropriate techniques. Starting from the theoretical analysis of the technical-conceptual determinants and the regulatory environment of AI, models will be presented and the results of field tests of the experience gained in the adoption of models of the kind will be presented.

The programme aims to provide analytical skills to create, manage and interrogate large datasets applicable to the financial sector and to build critical awareness of current issues in the Fintech landscape. A set of programming tools will facilitate the implementation of models and enable participants to analyse decision-making processes.