9 May 2025
The SPECTRA National Outreach Workshop, organised by the Environmental Mass Spectrometry (ENVMS) Group at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, took place on Friday, 9 May 2025, in a hybrid format combining in-person and online participation. The workshop successfully welcomed over 70 attendees from across academia, industry, public authorities, and civil society for a vibrant exchange on water quality, food safety, authenticity, and traceability.
The event opened with a welcome address from Professor Dimitra Lambropoulou, followed by a keynote speech by Dr. Nikos Tzollas, Deputy Regional Governor of Digital Governance of Central Macedonia. The agenda featured insightful presentations and case studies from distinguished speakers including:
ANKO Western Macedonia S.A. – Organisation for Local Developmentrepresentatives from the Association of Greek Chemists, FoodOmicsGR, VISION4FOOD, ESYD, ELGO DIMITRA, DigiAgriFood EDIH, EYATH S.A., DELCOF SA, mussel farming, and the Enterprise Europe Network.
Mr. Vasilios Koulos – Vice President of the Association of Greek Chemists; Managing Director, BD INVENTIONS P.C.
Professor Georgios Theodoridis – FoodOmicsGR / BiACEM Twinning Project, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Professor Christina Kakderi – VISION4FOOD Project, School of Spatial Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Dr. Ioannis Sitaras – Director, Laboratories Accreditation Division, Hellenic Accreditation System (ESYD)
Dr. Ioannis Ganopoulos – Senior Researcher, Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, ELGO DIMITRA
Mr. Dimitris Bardakidis – Managing Director, ena Development Consultants (DigiAgriFood European Digital Innovation Hub)
Dr. Georgia Seretoudi – Head of Direction, Water Facilities, Thessaloniki Water Supply & Sewerage Company S.A. (EYATH S.A.)
Dr. Theocharis Danis – Head of DELCOF Lab, Association of Hellenic Canned Fruits (DELCOF S.A.)
Mr. Spyros Tsiaras – Mussel Farmer
Mr. Spyros Kellidis – Chair of the Agri-Food Sector Group, Business & Human Resources Consultant, M.A. Enterprise Europe Network
The discussions focused on sustainable development, digital transformation, environmental monitoring, and agri-food innovation. The event served as a bridge between research, industry, civil society, and policy, reinforcing SPECTRA’s mission to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and excellence in environmental and food sciences.
The success of the workshop underlined the importance of inclusive stakeholder engagement in advancing impactful research and sustainable practices across Greece and Europe.
