For three days (July 1–3), Ioannina, Greece, became a meeting point and source of inspiration for European innovation, hosting the largest gathering of Excellence Hubs ever held in Epirus region. Eight European Excellence Hubs visited the city to get to know the region’s dynamic social innovation ecosystem, exchange experiences, identify local challenges, and co-design solutions with local stakeholders.
Excellence Hubs are collaborative structures that strengthen the link between research and innovation and local communities, entrepreneurship, and public administration, within specific geographical or thematic contexts. They bring together universities, research institutes, businesses, civil society organizations, and local authorities. The participating Hubs focused on themes such as energy, agri-food, health, water management, and sustainable cities.
The choice of Ioannina as the host city was no coincidence. The city is home to one of Greece’s most active and pioneering social innovation ecosystems, distinguished by its interdisciplinary approaches, collaborations, and strong community involvement. Highlights included visits to local actors active in innovation, such as the energy community CommonEn with more than 50 households and businesses across Epirus; c.Ioannina, a collaborative space for digital nomads; EPROPSYI, where the first urban agri-photovoltaic project in Greece is being designed; the social enterprise WOW; and the Epirus Living Lab, a living laboratory of social and organizational innovation focusing on organizational change, energy, regional development, and local entrepreneurship.
The three-day event was co-organized by ECHO and Solar Hub. More than 60 participants from research, the social economy, entrepreneurship, and local authorities took part, with delegations from Turkey, Portugal, and Greece.
This visit provided a unique opportunity for interaction, the showcasing of best practices, and the creation of fruitful synergies to promote innovation in practice. The shared conclusion of the participants was aptly summarized in the motto that emerged from the three days of work:
“Innovation never happens in isolation—it requires openness and collaboration.”