EIT Digital is proud to announce the opening of a new office in Thessaloniki, Greece.
While the recent weather events that lead to human casualties hindered any large-scale celebrations, a small ceremony took place on September 8 in the premises of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Walk AUTh), where the office will be hosted.
With this opening, EIT Digital aims to foster stronger connections between universities, businesses, startups, students, and researchers across Greece and the broader region, starting with neighboring countries like Bulgaria.
EIT Digital CEO Federico Menna noted the enormous potential for digital innovation in the country.
"We believe in Greece's potential in the field of digital innovation development. This new office marks an important first step, kicking off increased engagement and activity in the coming months," Menna remarked at the opening.
Greece faces challenges in developing homegrown digital companies and talent. EIT Digital seeks to reverse this trend by linking Greek tech ecosystems and talent pools with proven innovation models across Europe.
Thessaloniki’s strong university system makes it an ideal fit for advancing EIT Digital's mission of digital skills education and training, with the goal of keeping the EU competitive globally across digital technologies like AI, cybersecurity, and cloud computing.
This also aligns with the AUTh Walk center's goals of promoting an innovation culture across Aristotle University, providing collaboration spaces for students and researchers, and building a tight-knit innovation community.
The Thessaloniki office is EIT Digital's twentieth in Europe (plus a hub in Silicon Valley) and its first physical presence in Greece.
Elena Contioso-Fleming, EIT Digital's Director Region South, stressed the importance of this milestone moment for the organisation. "Having a physical presence in Greece represents a key achievement for EIT Digital. We've made progress over the years and expect to see tremendous results in the future from this new strategic foothold in Thessaloniki," she said.
Initially, the new EIT Digital office will focus on scouting talent, developing skills, and fostering a vibrant local innovation ecosystem.
On-the-ground support will include open calls for research projects, accelerator programmes for scaleups, and summer schools to develop entrepreneurial talent.
EIT Digital is proud to partner with the Aristotle Univeristy of Thessaloniki represented by the Vice Rector for Research & Lifelong Learning Prof. Efstratios Stylianidis.
