The ‘EIT Digital Athens Connect: Bridging Technology and Talent’ event marking the one-year anniversary of the EIT Digital Athens office was successfully held, showcasing the significant achievements and progress made over the past year. The gathering brought together key stakeholders from academia, industry, and government, including the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Digital Governance, Konstantinos Karantzalos, Federicko Menna, CEO EIT Digital, the Vice President of the National Council for Research, Technology, and Innovation, Aristos Doxiadis and Dr Angelos Amditis, R&D Director of ICCS/NTUA.
EIT (The European Institute for Technology) Digital, the largest digital innovation ecosystem in Europe, expanded its presence in Athens. ΙCCS is proud to partner with EIT Digital, making an important step towards promoting innovation, education, and entrepreneurship in the country’s digital technological ecosystem.EIT Digital office in Athens was established in 2024 with the aim to invest in strategic areas to accelerate the market uptake and scaling of research-based digital technologies (deep tech) focusing on Europe’s key societal challenges: Digital Tech, Digital Cities, Digital Industry, Digital Wellbeing, and Digital Finance.
The event underscored the successful initiatives undertaken by the Athens office, such as the establishment of the “Cybersecurity Skills Academy,” the organization of the “EIT Digital Summer School on Maritime Informatics and Robotics” and the support provided to seven new startups through the “Found.ation” platform. The active participation and positive feedback from attendees demonstrated the event’s success in reinforcing the commitment to advancing Greece’s digital agenda and strengthening its position within the broader European innovation landscape.
“In this journey, technology and innovative research will always be shifting the rules of the game and that’s why the world of academia and research has a very significant role to play in this ecosystem. Apart from being a valuable actor in this chain, ICCS has also chosen to play a key leading role” noted Dr. Angelos Amditis, Director of Research and Development at ICCS, during an event marking the office’s one-year anniversary in Athens. He explained that the Greek office provides “administrative, financial, and organizational support and serves as a link to the local ecosystem.” Its operational goal, he added, is “to find another tool as a country to advance the digital agenda.”
EIT Digital office in Athens was established in 2024 with the aim to invest in strategic areas to accelerate the market uptake and scaling of research-based digital technologies (deep tech) focusing on Europe’s key societal challenges: Digital Tech, Digital Cities, Digital Industry, Digital Wellbeing, and Digital Finance.
“This initiative is not just a project. It is a vision that aligns with ICCS’s commitment to knowledge exchange, expertise, and strong collaboration between academia, the public sector, and industry,” emphasized ICCS President Professor Ioannis Psarras.
Across Europe, there are 23 such offices, with one also in Silicon Valley. “Our goal for these offices is to serve as an entry point for our ecosystem and for the ecosystem to access our activities,” said Federico Menna, CEO of EIT Digital. He highlighted that “we see great potential in the development of the ecosystem in Greece and are happy to strengthen our presence in the country.”
Discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities for Greek startups, highlighting the office’s pivotal role in fostering innovation and collaboration within the digital ecosystem.
Apart from Dr Angelos Amditis who was also the visionary behind this initiative, representatives from ICCS and I-SENSE Group participated in the panels and discussions. Dr Ioannis Karaseitanidis, I-SENSE technical Director, George Megas, Head of Innovation and Networking Office, and Panayotis Lytrivis, Senior Researcher, participated in the panel on ‘Deep Tech Commercialization: igniting innovation. Talent and Enterpreneurship in Greece’ highlighting the role of research institutes as catalysts for innovation and entrepreneurship and presenting CIBOS Innovation, ISENSE’s successful spin off company.
