On Thursday, March 21, 2024, an informative meeting and open discussion took place via video conference on Innovation actions at local and regional level and the role of networking and collaboration in projects and good practices. Representatives and executives of public administration, executives and professionals of the innovation ecosystem, as well as representatives of agencies participated in the meeting, which is part of the communication and dissemination actions of the Regional Observatory of Social Inclusion.
In a world characterized by complex challenges, innovation contributes to tackling them effectively and efficiently, through improved solutions and/or new products and services for the good of society, leveraging science and multilateral cooperation. As innovation and digital transformation play an increasingly important role in the daily lives of citizens around the world, public policy makers in both local government and non-profit institutions, helping households and vulnerable populations, ought to include innovation in the design of public policies, actions and projects.
At the start of the event, Mr. Georgios Karamanolis, Co-Founder and CTO/CIO at Crowdpolicy, and Kyriaki Kyritsi, Head of the Social Inclusion Observatory of the South Aegean, DPO and Head of the Social Support Department of Cyclades, addressed a short greeting.
Then, Ms. Konstantina Kourkoumari, Executive of the Observatory from Crowdpolicy, analyzed the definition, the historical review and the importance of social innovation, while Kyriaki Kyritsi presented useful tools, such as public procurement of innovation, for the implementation of innovative actions and projects by public administration bodies as well as good innovation practices in the European Union and the South Aegean.
Then, the speakers took the floor, who, through short presentations, talked about horizontal policies and good practices. More specifically:
Mr. Meletis Nezis, IT Engineer, ASEP, spoke about “Social Innovation and Good Practices at local and regional level”.
Ms. Vasiliki Denaxa, Head of Local Information and Mobilization Actions and member of the WWF Hellas Syros team, spoke about and presented the “Integrated system of environmental information and awareness and upgrade actions for the protected area of the island of Gyaros”.
Ms. Fotini Zanetti and Gabriela Spigou from the Community Center of Rhodes with a Roma Branch, spoke about the “Active Aging (Γερνώ Ενεργά)” action that was implemented for a significant number of elderly people in Rhodes and Tilos.
Mr. Anastasios Milios, Deputy Mayor of Education, Lifelong Learning & Tourism of the Municipality of Karpathos, spoke about the “Agile Scrum Methodology for the Management of Issues and Projects in the Municipality” through useful digital tools.
Mr. Panos Karadaglis, UI/UX Designer, Web Developer and co-founder of Life Pulse, talked about the voluntary blood donation application and presented the usefulness of practical application in Municipalities and Regions.
A short discussion followed. You can view and download all the presentations at the following link: Παρουσιάσεις Ημερίδας 21.3.2024_Καινοτομία_Παρατ Κοινωνικής Ένταξης Νοτίου Αιγαίου
The meeting was held with the technical and operational support of the innovation and technology company Crowdpolicy.
You can watch the video podcast here:
More about the South Aegean Social Inclusion Observatory: https://socialobservatory.pnai.gov.gr/
