10 Feb Transnational training activity for Asian HEIs’ staff in Athens, Greece
Following the completion of the online training on methods and tools for developing and sustaining effective collaboration frameworks – tailored for the administrative and academic staff involved in the operation of the Sustainable Blue Economy Centres in each of the 4 HEIs – a 10-day transnational face-to-face training activity was organised and conducted by Symplexis, with the support of Aegean Rebreath, the University of Aegean, and the University of Cyprus. The training took place in Athens, Greece, and the broader Attica region, from January 27 to February 7, 2025.
A core team of 13 of the trained in the Capacity Building Programme staff, participated in this follow-up transnational training activity, which included presentations, theoretical and practical elements, and study visits and meetings with n-Helix networks and innovation leaders in Greece. The first week of the training began with a general introduction and overview of the ten-day training in Athens, along with a recap of the Capacity Building Program on developing and sustaining collaboration frameworks. It also focused on action planning, especially in the context of the SustainaBlue project and the development of annual action plans for the operation of the Sustainable Blue Economυ Centres.
The week also included a presentation by Professor Nikos Ventikos from the School of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens, as well as a series of study and cultural visits, such as to the National Technical University of Athens, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the Blue Cycle initiative in Piraeus and the Hellenic Maritime Museum. The final day of the week was dedicated to a day trip to Poros island, providing insights into local sustainability practices and the work of the Blue Municipalities Network.
During the second week, training visits continued to the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) in Anavyssos, the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, the Acropolis Hill and Rafina. In Rafina participants explored an example of institutional and private sector collaboration through the project “Small Actions, Big Crimes”. This was followed by presentations on the opportunities and challenges of sustainable aquaculture in Greece and on the MUSICA project by Anna Maria Kotrikla from the University of Aegean. The training concluded with further work on the SBECs’ annual plans, a recap of the two-week of training and a post-training evaluation session.
