National Developments -Greece
Activities with National Stakeholders
March 2017. Meeting between HCMR and Danubius PP scientists Drs. Vangelis Papathanassiou and Vasilis Lykousis with the General Secretary for Research and Development Dr. Patricia Kyprianidou. The General Secretariat for Research and Technology (G.S.R.T.) belongs to the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs and is the entity responsible for coordinating all national activities in relation to funding of research and infrastructure projects and the representation of Greece internationally. The General Secretary expressed strong interest in the idea of Danubius RI and its preparation through Danubius PP. The meeting was followed by a written detailed description to the General Secretary of the scope of Danubius RI and the details of the Greek participation through the proposed Nestos Supersite.
6 April 2017. Meeting of Danubius PP scientists Dr. Panagiotis Michalopoulos (HCMR) and Prof. George Sylaios (DUT) with local stakeholders in the Region of Nestos Supersite.
- Meeting at the Nestos Municipality. Nestos is the municipality with jurisdiction in the area of Nestos river delta and outflow to the Thracian Sea. A meeting was conducted in the Town Hall with the technical advisors to the mayor. They were informed about Danubius RI and PP for the first time and expressed strong interest in supporting the projects in the form of assistance in obtaining permits for the construction of Danubius RI research and hosting (accommodation) facilities.
- Meeting with the Deputy Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace at the Regional Goverment offices in Xanthi. In this meeting the Deputy Governor Kostas Zagnaferis was informed about the plans to establish Nestos Supersite as part of Danubius RI. The Deputy governor offered his insight on the possibilities of including Danubius RI in the SIR3 strategy of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and the ways of including the activities of the infrastructure as eligible in the structural funding scheme of the region.
- Meeting with the Mayor of Paranesti municipality, which includes the two large hydroelectric power stations in the upstream region of Nestos River . The mayor of Paranesti Mrs. Aliki Sotiriadou was introduced to Danubius RI and PP and was enthusiastic about the prospect of collaborating with Danubius RI. As president of the Environmental Education Center of the Region which includes River Nestos, the National park of Eastern Rhodope Mountains and the Virgin Forest of Fracto, she proposed various forms of potential collaboration in funding opportunities as well as ideas for establishing research and accommodation facilities in the upper part of Nestos drainage basin. She presented the possibility of using the accommodation facilities of an existing environmental education Center near Paranesti ( Figures 1 to 4) for the needs of Danubius R.I. An agreement (MoU) could be signed between the Danubius RI legal entity and the Environmental Education Center so that several houses (from a total of 55 houses) could be offered for use by Danubius RI users
