Thessaloniki is home to three major universities and one major research centre with over 150,000 students and researchers, Maria Goulaptsi, Head of the Innovation Support Department of the Greek region of Central Macedonia, said during a cross-border conference held here on Wednesday. The event was part of BTA’s Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project.
She emphasized that this means that the field of innovation and research is very important for the region.
The main instrument for the development of the region is the Operational Programme Regions in Growth 2014-2020, with its first axis relating to the support of business and innovation, Goulaptsi pointed out, adding that startups from Bulgaria can receive support if they transfer their headquarters to Central Macedonia and develop their activities there.
The Central Macedonia Region is one of the fastest growing regions in terms of innovation according to the EU regional indicator, Goulaptsi stressed. "We have a smart development strategy, which for us is a very important tool in locating the strengths of the region, to which a large percentage of funding should be focused", she noted, adding that the costs invested in research are increasing every year.
The mechanism aims to support cooperation between business and universities, because very often there is research that is created by universities, but does not reach businesses, Goulaptsi stated. On the other hand, enterprises have certain problems that can be solved through university research, but this is not known to companies, she said.
BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project aims to raise public awareness and foster open dialogue about cohesion policy, local achievements, and the implementation of the EU's policy priorities. The project kicked off with a conference in Veliki Preslav in November 2024. The schedule of conferences until the end of September 2025 includes events in the following cities: Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Kazanlak, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Razgrad, Ruse, Samokov, Svishtov, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Troyan, Targovishte, Haskovo, Shumen, and Yambol. Cross-border conferences will be held in Belgrade, Bosilegrad, Bucharest, Edirne, Skopje, and Thessaloniki. The project builds on the Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future and Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future projects, implemented by BTA in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
/KK/
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