The Region of Central Macedonia in cooperation with the European Commission and the Smart Specialization (S3) Platform, hosted international conference on “Digital Innovation for Regional Development”, on the occasion of the Greek Presidency of the EU Council. The Conference took place on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at the Science Center and Technology Museum “NOESIS” in Thessaloniki.

With less than three months to go, the Greek presidency working tirelessly with its institutional partners, the European Parliament, the European Commission and all Member States, has brought about tangible results in the common quest for solutions benefitting citizens. Over 50 agreements impacting and improving almost every aspect of European citizens’ daily life, have been achieved.

The EU and all EU Member States have become more innovative in recent years. As a result, the EU has closed half of the innovation gap towards the US. However, the differences in the innovation performance within the EU are still very high and diminish only slowly. The innovation gap widens at regional level where the innovation performance has worsened in almost one fifth of EU regions according to the Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2014, which complement the IUS 2014.

With an announcement, the Greek International Business Association (SEVE) stressed that the new licensing framework, which was submitted in parliament today by the Minister of Development, Competitiveness and Kostis Hatzidakis, is moving in the right direction.

On the 30th of April, the Academy of Entrepreneurship, as part of the European Young Innovators Forum (EYIF) innovation hub in Greece will be organizing an event entitled: “ICT and young entrepreneurs: Enhancing Innovation”.

The Region of Central Macedonia in cooperation with the European Commission and the Smart Specialization (S3) Platform, hosts international conference on “Digital Innovation for Regional Development”, on the occasion of the Greek Presidency of the EU Council. The Conference will take place on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at the Science Center and Technology Museum “NOESIS” in Thessaloniki.

Today in Brussels the European Commission launched the European Design Innovation Platform (EDIP). This project led by the Design Council aims to increase the use of design for innovation and growth across Europe and is co-financed by the European Commission.

The ''SME instrument'' programme has been designed specifically for single or groups of highly innovative SMEs with international ambitions, determined to turn strong, innovative business ideas into winners on the market. The instrument provides full-cycle business innovation support from the stage of business idea conception and planning (phase I) over business plan execution and demonstration (phase II) to commercialisation (phase III). Participants will be able to call on business innovation coaching for the duration of their project.

Mr. Dimitrios Lakasas, the SEVE President, considers the agreement between the Greek Government and Troika as a positive outcome by stressing out that Greece is close to exiting a very difficult period that had very negative effects on the Greek economy and society. In any case, with the reforms that have already taken place and in particular the latest developments in improving inputs - improving non-wage costs (reducing social security contributions by 3.9%, as announced yesterday by the Greek Prime Minister Mr. Antonis Samaras), reducting the energy cost for energy intensive industries from the Public Enterprise of Electricity (“ΔΕΗ”), simplifying export procedures - it becomes apparent that there are more practical tools and evidence that the competitiveness of the productive and export business will be significantly strengthened in 2014.

The Thessaloniki local branch of EUNIC organizes on Friday 28.03.2013 in the Thessaloniki New City Hall (City Hall Council room) a workshop on social entrepreneurship. The seminar is organized in the framework of the European Youth Capital, Thessaloniki 2014, in collaboration with the Thessaloniki Goethe Institute, the Italian Institute of Thessaloniki and the Greek-Spanish Cultural Center of Thessaloniki “Federico Garcia Lorca,” in the framework of EUNIC Thessaloniki, with the support of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the AUTH unit for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Anna Lindh Foundation, the organization 180º, the magazine PARALLAXI, the festival " Thessaloniki Else " and the Business and Cultural Development Centre(KEPA).