The Workshop entitled “Challenges and Prospects for Universities inspired by UNESCO’s landmark volume on the future of education: Learning outcomes and skills” was successfully held in Alexandroupoli, organised by the Quality Assurance Unit in collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning of the Democritus University of Thrace.

Opening remarks were delivered by the Rector of DUTH, Professor Fotios Maris, the President of the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education, Professor Periklis Mitkas, the representative of His Eminence the Metropolitan of Alexandroupolis, Traianoupolis & Samothrace, as well as -online- by Sahle-Work Zewde, former President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chair of UNESCO’s International Commission on the Futures of Education.

The symposium featured opening remarks by Professor Periklis Mitkas, President of the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE); Dr Christina Besta, Director General of HAHE; Professor Maria Michalopoulou, member of the DUTH Governing Council; Professor Marirena Grigoriou, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Lifelong Learning; Professor Katerina Kedraka, Coordinator of the DUTH Teaching and Learning Centre (CTL-DUTH); Ms Stella Gavaki, Head of the DUTH Quality Assurance Unit (QAU-DUTH); and Dr Christos Kaltsidis, staff member of QAU-DUTH.

In the keynote speech, Thanassis Karalis, Professor of the University of Patras, analysed the findings of UNESCO’s Education 2050 Report, presenting the challenges for higher education while focusing on the importance of learning outcomes and the development of skills that respond to future social and professional demands and challenges for the University of the future. The round-table discussion explored contemporary approaches linking academia to the labour market, the integration of learning outcomes within quality assurance processes, and European educational synergies — effectively, as Professor Karalis highlighted, marking the starting point for consultation on UNESCO’s education report in Greece.

The symposium was organised as part of the implementation of SP1: “Quality Assurance Unit of Democritus University of Thrace (MODIP-DUTH)” and SP3: “Teaching and Learning Support Centers of Democritus University of Thrace,” as part of the Action “Quality Assurance, Strategic Development, Teaching & Learning Support Services for the members of the academic community, and the Digital Governance Unit of DUTH,” with MIS Code 6038353. This Action has been included in the “Human Resources & Social Cohesion 2021-2027” Program, under the priority “Education & Lifelong Learning.”

Athens, Greece – The kick-off event of the “Technology Bridge Network” project was successfully hosted at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, marking the official launch of a strategic national collaboration implemented under the “Competitiveness 2021–2027” Programme.

The Technology Bridge Network brings together eight major academic and research institutions across Greece: the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Project Coordinator), the Democritus University of Thrace, the University of the Aegean, the University of Crete, the Technical University of Crete, the Hellenic Open University, Harokopio University, and the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens. The initiative is coordinated by NKUA through its Technology Transfer & Innovation Unit “ARCHIMEDES”.

The central mission of the Network is to strengthen cooperation among Technology Transfer Units, foster innovative mechanisms linking research to industry, and accelerate the transformation of scientific knowledge into tangible economic and social impact.

The event opened with welcome remarks from Professor Aristeidis Samitas, Vice-Rector for Finance and Development of NKUA and Scientific Coordinator of the project. Distinguished speakers followed with short addresses, including Mr. Stavros Kalafatis, Deputy Minister of Development for Research and Innovation, Professor Dimitrios Kainourios, member of the NKUA Board of Directors, Emeritus Professor Stavros Thomadakis, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Dr. Antonios Gypakis, General Secretariat for Research and Innovation and Ms. Sophia Tsakiri, President of the Technology Transfer & Intellectual Property Working Group, HFRI (ESETEK).

Next, representatives from each institution presented their planned activities under the project. The Network partners were represented by:

• Prof. Petros Kavasalis, Vice-Rector for Research & Innovation (University of the Aegean)
• Emeritus Prof. Nikolaos Mylonas, Academic Advisor, Archimedes Unit (NKUA)
• Ioannis Kourkoutas (Democritus University of Thrace)
• Panagiotis Partsinevelos (Technical University of Crete)
• Thomas Dasaklis (Hellenic Open University)
• Prof. Kleopatra Bardaki (Harokopio University)
• Christina Karlou, Head of the Technology Transfer Office (Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens)
• Evangelia Karageorgou, Knowledge Transfer Office (University of Crete)

As stated by the Scientific Coordinator, Professor Ioannis Kourkoutas, through the actions of the Technology Transfer Office of DUTH, we aim to strengthen the university’s research and innovation activity and create synergies with the local productive ecosystem.

The Technology Bridge Network project (OPS Code 6018942) is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national resources.

Rector’s Office, Democritus University of Thrace

 Komotini 05.11.2025

Democritus University of Thrace invites you to the conference it is organizing on the topic: “Agri-Food and Digital Innovation: DUTH as a Catalyst for Growth”, on Friday, November 7, 2025, at the Lecture Hall of the Department of Civil Engineering, D.U.TH., in Xanthi, Kimmeria.

The workshop is co-organized by emblematic initiatives and European projects of the Democritus University of Thrace (D.U.Th.) in the agri-food sector: the European Digital Innovation Hub #DigiAgriFood, the EIT Food Hub Greece, and the European projects DIGI-Rangeland and OFELIA.

Within the framework of the OFELIA project, which aims to strengthen interregional value chains in functional foods and medicinal and aromatic plants through digital transformation, the event will showcase opportunities for SMEs and start-ups to access direct financial support for testing, adopting, or developing innovative digital solutions. This will be carried out through a cascade funding mechanism (FSTP), providing selected beneficiaries—via a transparent open call process—with financial aid, technical support, and mentoring from experts to help bring their ideas closer to the market. This initiative helps reduce innovation risk, speeds up digital transformation, and connects businesses with technology providers and other key partners such as research institutions across Europe.

During the event, participants will also visit the infrastructure of the Institute of Agroecology and Digital Agriculture (PAKEK) at Democritus University of Thrace, located on the Kimmeria campus. The establishment of this infrastructure marks a significant milestone in the project “Democritus University of Thrace – University of Excellence” (implemented under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0,” with funding from the European Union – NextGenerationEU).

The workshop is open to the public, primarily targeting members of the academic community, researchers, students, and representatives of organizations active in agri-food, green energy, and innovation (including farmers, agricultural cooperatives, processing units in the agri-food sector, agricultural advisors, and agronomists).

Detailed Program of the Event:

 For better event organization, interested participants are kindly asked to register and indicate their transportation preferences through the following links.

Event Participation Form: https://forms.gle/yu6vZS82YBWPKx3U9

Student Participation

To facilitate students from the cities of Orestiada, Alexandroupoli, Drama, and Kavala, round-trip buses will be provided to Xanthi on the day of the event.

Bus Transportation Registration Form: https://forms.gle/yu6vZS82YBWPKx3U9