The Region of Thessaly organises a study visit to showcase the innovations of Thessalian rural economy companies and SMEs to EU regional authorities.
Larissa, 31st August 2018.
On 4-5 September 2018, the Region of Thessaly will organise the second two-day study visit pertaining ofto the EU-funded Interreg Europe INNOGROW project INNOGROW. INNOGROW brings together 9 managing authorities & policy influencing regional bodies from 8 EU countries, so as to improve their capacity to implement policies that promote the adoption of technology and business model innovations by rural economy SMEs, thereby boosting the competitiveness of the latter.
Within this context, during the study visit in Thessaly, the Region of Thessaly will have the opportunity to showcase specific enterprises and cooperatives that invested in new technologies through the support of specific regional policies. Hence, the study visit will highlight the importance of the intervention of regional authorities for promoting the overall innovativeness of the rural economy and, in particular, its SMEs.
More precisely, study visit participants will have the opportunity to gain knowledge about innovation adoption by the following fimsfirms/cooperatives:
• Agroil/Staff Colour Energy: The company consists of an industrial plant (with a production capacity of 13000 kilo litres/year) that uses waste oil and animal fat materials that pollute the environment, so as to produce marketable vegetable oils and animal fats that can be used as raw materials for biodiesel production.
• Tirnavos Cooperative: One of the most well known cooperatives in Greece, mainly for producing the well known Greek spirit called tsipouro, that further enhanced its market penetration and expansion by introducing innovative special spirits (e.g. tsipouro co-distilled with saffron, and special distillates, aged for years in oak barrels).
• Olympos: Starting as an SME, this dairy company grew larger through innovation and now demonstrates an innovative and unique unit worth 10 mil. € investment that concerns the production of biogas from anaerobic wastewater treatment and is the only one in Europe in the dairy field.
• ThesGala: This dairy farmers’ cooperative sells their own fresh milk directly to 25000 consumers every day using milk vending machines in the city.
• PAPAYIANNIS BROS: This family enterprise produces a broad range of traditional food products based primarily on sesame (halva, tahini sesame paste, sesame bars, bakery sesame seeds) and has invested in a new innovative fully automated production line for tahini with honey.
• Epilektos Biogas: Epilektos Biogas has constructed one of the biggest biogas power plants in Europe (6MW) next to its parent company, namely SELECTED TEXTILES SA, to supply energy to industrial plants in the region.
• EPSA: This company produces & sells lemonade since 1924 and has recently introduced many innovative iced soft drinks (e.g. Sour Cherry Drink, Pink lemonade) and “light drops”, a liquid sweetener from the stevia plant.
By focusing on the specific cases cited above, study visit participants will have the opportunity to investigate the intricacies of the practical application of innovation adoption, thereby improving their capacity to further promote innovation adoption in the rural economy of their regions through the preparation of informed INNOGROW action plans at the later stages of the project.
