The event was hold with the participation of representatives from the Technical University of Crete, TEI of Crete, the Institute of Technology and Research, Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration, the Organization for the Development of Crete, the Decentralized Administration of Crete, the Heraklion Chamber of Commerce, the Municipal Company for Water Supplies and Sewerage of Agios Nikolaos, the Municipality of Rethymno, as well as Local Government of the island. The participants were welcomed by the vice governor of Entrepreneurship, Trade and Innovation, Ms Efi Koutentaki, who stressed out the focus of the Region of Crete on innovation and implemention of environmental policies. The particular project is in harmony with the importance that Region of Crete considers on the water sector especially regarding climate change. She wished “a fruitful and productive collaboration that will bring measurable results and promote technological innovation on water management. The interconnection of research and innovative entrepreneurship is a key priority of the smart specialization strategy in the Region of Crete; in this context, one main objective is to create an integrated network of cooperation between academia and research institutes, businesses and public bodies strengthening research and innovation in the water sector, with primary concern on the development of the local economy through the interconnection of research with the market.” Afterwards, the project coordinator made a presentation of the program and the Critical Mass Development Model followed by a presentation on skype from Professor of the Technical University of Crete Dr. Nikolaos Nikolaidis, entitled "Research and Innovation for Sustainable Water and Soil Management in the Region of Crete". Representatives of local stakeholders then presented a summary of their organization, their objectives and the difficulties they faced, and gave feedback on the presented program. The interactive debate revealed the need to collect and disseminate data on the hydrological cycle and the need to co-operate in order to address individual implementation problems of new technologies. References were made to relevant programs implemented in the region of Crete and the possibility of using good practices and emerging collaborations. As Eleftheria Martimianaki from the Municipal Water and Sewage Company of Agios Nikolaos noted “iWaterMap program could serve to focus on problems, shortcomings and needs, which vary according to each one’s position and which can be attributed to the complex and unclear legal status, as well as to the fragmentation of responsibilities. Moreover, it could help to collect and make available to the people concerned, material or data which are currently scattered in various departments, organizations etc. Finally, iWaterMap program could play a role regarding wastewater’s reuse, since it’s obvious that something has to be changed in that direction. Τhe reuse of wastewater for the irrigation of crops, which seems to be extremely interesting in the region of Crete, in practice meets a lot of difficulties and obstacles and in the end it is not applied or applied at minimum.”
