International Hellenic University Spearheads Landmark Erasmus+ EcoDigify Summer Camp: Bridging Academic Excellence, Industry Outreach, and Green Digital Innovation
Transdisciplinary cohorts from Greece, Sweden, Netherlands, and Italy gather at IHU Thermi Campus alongside active industry mentors and university leaders to pioneer real-world sustainable digitalization.
THESSALONIKI, GREECE — The International Hellenic University (IHU) proudly hosted the international EcoDigify Summer Camp at its Thermi campus from September 16–18, 2026. This landmark event, developed under the EU Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership (Grant Agreement: 2024-1-SE01-KA220-HED-000250071), brought together over 50 active participants—including undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD students, academic facilitators, and leading industry experts—from Linköping University (Sweden), Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia (Italy), Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (Netherlands), and host institution International Hellenic University (Greece).
| “Higher education must fulfill not only the high standards set in ambitious European project commitments, but also adapt dynamically according to what every partner, educator, and enterprise brings to the table. When street smarts are combined with university smarts and true co-creation, extraordinary outcomes are born.” — Organising Committee & Academic Leadership, International Hellenic University |
Academic Steering Committee & Host Organizers
The Summer Camp was hosted and organized by Prof. Maria Drakaki (IHU) with the valuable support, co-creation, and active contribution of the international academic steering team:
- Vivian Vimarlund — Linköping University (Project Coordinator)
- Agostino Cortesi — Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia
- Dimitrios Vlachopoulos — Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
- Joost Maarschalkerweerd — Erasmus University Rotterdam
- Mandira Roy — Ca’ Foscari University / Linköping University
- Dimitris Blougouras — International Hellenic University
- Malin Wiger — Linköping University
- Theofilos Pouliopoulos — Stimmuli for Social Change / IHU
The official opening ceremony featured an address by IHU’s Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs and Quality Management, Prof. Panagiotis Tzionas, who highlighted the strategic role of European higher education alliances in driving the EU Twin Transition—the simultaneous advancement of digital technology and ecological responsibility.
Action-Oriented Learning Pathway & GreenHack Sprints
In an active learning environment designed to replace passive lectures with hands-on problem solving, student teams participated in an intense series of experiential workshops and GreenHack innovation sprints:
- Digital Collage Storytelling: Serious play mapping the links between drivers, cause, and ecological impacts of power-hungry digital devices.
- On-Site Field Missions: Exploring real-world e-waste hotspots, renewable energy production environments, and circular economy industrial practices.
- Target Locking on MVGPs: Each cross-border student group isolating a specific sustainability challenge to construct a Minimum Viable Green Product.
- GreenHack Technical Sprints: Developing ICT wireframes, conducting Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), and establishing circular economy business models.
- Final Showcase & Content Booth: Live 5-minute sales pitches to expert juries, 60-second Instagram-style video demonstrations for the upcoming MOOC, and award announcements.
Field Visit Academic & Technical Direction
Special recognition is extended to the IHU academic faculty and technical staff who planned and guided the immersive field visits and technical audits:
- Prof. Georgios Martinopoulos — (Merchant Marine Academy of Macedonia) – IHU Visiting Faculty
- Vangelis Banos — IHU IT Technical Staff
- Manolis Tzimtzimis — IHU Technical Laboratory Associate
Institutional Outreach: Industry & International Mentors
A defining cornerstone of the Thessaloniki Summer Camp was IHU’s strong institutional outreach (εξωστρέφεια). The university actively engaged leading enterprises, technology SMEs, and international bodies who provided active coaches, mentors, and jury members for the student cohorts:
- Christos Traikoudis (SIDMETAL)
- Maria Pantelidou (SIDMETAL)
- Savvas Achillas (Dialectica)
- Adriani Pitta (Dialectica)
- Angela Andreou (HELLENiQ ENERGY)
- Romana Mandeganja (International Organization for Migration (IOM – UN Migration))
- Fani Galatsopoulou (International Organization for Migration (IOM – UN Migration))
- Afroditi Panagiotou (Deloitte)
- Konstantina Chasapi (Deloitte)
- Maria Tatsi (Sustainable Digitalization Expert)
Future Horizon: The Summer Camp Replication Playbook
The empirical findings, student evaluation data, and operational best practices gathered during the Thessaloniki event will now be channeled directly into the formal creation of the Summer Camp Replication Playbook (Deliverable led by IHU under WP4). This practical implementation manual will enable higher education institutions across Europe to replicate the EcoDigify GreenHack blueprint, accelerating transdisciplinary education for the European Green Digital Transition.
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ABOUT ECODIGIFY & MEDIA CONTACTS
EcoDigify (2024-1-SE01-KA220-HED-000250071) is an Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership in Higher Education co-funded by the European Union, coordinated by Linköping University (Sweden) alongside International Hellenic University (Greece), Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Italy), and Stimmuli for Social Change (Greece).
Lead Host & WP4 Coordinator: International Hellenic University (IHU)
Location: Thermi Campus, 14th km Thessaloniki – Moudania, 57001 Thermi, Greece
Project Web Portals: https://ecodigify.eu
