A highly productive meeting was held in Komotini on Tuesday, 7 October 2025, between representatives of the Eugenides Foundation and the Unit of Experts in Employment, Social Insurance, Welfare and Social Affairs (MEKY) of the Ministry of Labour & Social Security, and the Rector, Professor Fotios Maris, Vice Rectors, and members of the Governing Council of the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH).

Representing the Eugenides Foundation were Professor Ioannis Golias, Governor of the Foundation and former Rector of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), and Mrs Maria Filippi, General Director of Education and Training. From the MEKY, participants included Mrs Irini Andriopoulou, Head of the Unit, Dr Vaios Kotsios and Mr Georgios Athanasiou, Senior Experts, as well as Mrs Lamprini Pangalou, researcher at the NTUA -UNESCO Chair on Green Innovation and Circular Economy.The meeting took place at the University Administration Building, where participants engaged in a highly constructive discussion on skills development, skills mapping, and vocational training.

Following a detailed briefing and exchange of views on the labour market, emerging skill demands, and training needs in the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace—particularly in the Rhodope and Evros regional units—based on data from the National Mechanism for Diagnosing Labour Market Needs as well as insights gathered through regional collaborations of the Eugenides Foundation and MEKY, a fruitful dialogue was initiated on establishing a strategic partnership. This partnership will aim at the joint design and implementation of training programmes addressing regional development priorities and labour market needs.

The Rector, Professor Fotios Maris, thanked all participants for the engaging discussion and the constructive proposals presented, expressing his confidence that the ongoing consultations will soon lead to a productive and lasting collaboration for the benefit of the human capital of the region in which the University plays a key role.

From the Rectorate

Komotini, 7 October 2025