The DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University and the Achade-Achaia Chamber Development Entity successfully organized the awareness event on “Empowering Inclusive Workplaces through Equality, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI)” as part of the implementation of the “Equality, Diversity, Inclusion For improving the qualitY of management EDUcation (EDIFY EDU)” European project, currently undergoing by DAISSy-HOU as the Greek partner.
The event was organized by Achade-Achaia Chamber Development Entity, also a Greek partner of EDIFY EDU, was held in person on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at the PWC Technology and Innovation Hub facilities in Patras, and was supported by the DAISSy Research Group of the HOU.
In particular, the awareness event attracted participants from various sectors, being students, graduates, professionals, employers, business executives, representatives of the academic community, and stakeholders from the Region of Western Greece. Taking into account that the project is about to end, the main objective of the event was to disseminate the EDIFY EDU results, as well as to highlight Good EDI Practices, connect employers with job seekers and enhance awareness and sensitization regarding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at the workplace.
Specifically, Dr. Danai Katsanta, Executive staff at Achade, Project Manager of EDIFY EDU at the entity, and Professor Christos Pierrakeas, University of Patras, Deputy Director of DAISSy-HOU launched the event by delivering brief introductory speeches.
Subsequently, Mr. Panagiotis Christias, MSc, Achade-Achaia Chamber Development Entity Executive, Financial Manager of the EDIFY EDU project at the organization, highlighted the goals and achievements of the project so far, emphasizing on the importance of EDI issues in business and academic life.
Furthermore, Ms. Panagiota Polymeropoulou, MSc, Lead Researcher of DAISSy-HOU, presented the content of the EDIFY EDU Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) as well as the Specialization Course offered in Greece to students/all individuals as well as to business executives. This was followed by a thematic discussion, where the keynote speaker Mr. Stavros Kouris, Project Manager & Agile Expert, spoke about the challenges and opportunities offered by applying Inclusion principles in entrepreneurship and professional development. Good Practices and examples from Greece and abroad were presented, aiming at sharing experience and methodologies.
The event concluded by the “Meet Me Over Coffee – Job Matching Edition” activity, where any participant, students included, had the opportunity to talk directly with company representatives, submit their CVs and participate in informal interviews. This activity substantially enhanced networking and established communication channels for future collaborations. The exchange was vivid and creative, sealing the success of the entire initiative and leading to the next steps for the completion of the project’s implementation.
The EDIFY EDU is a three-year project co-funded by the ERASMUS Lump Sum Grant of the European Union and is coordinated by the “DUN LAOGHAIRE IADT-Institute of Art, Design and Technology” (Ireland) with eleven (11) partners in six (6) EU member states (Austria, Germany, Greece, Finland, Ireland and Italy) and three associated partners in Belgium, Germany and Italy. The DAISSy Research Group of the HOU and the Achade-Achaia Chamber Development Entity are the two partners which have been thoroughly linked for the effective implementation of the project activities in Greece, embracing also a number of respective stakeholders aiming at the multiple exploitation of the project results and its impact.
For more information on the EDIFY EDU project, and other activities of DAISSy: