Multiplier event of successful completion and dissemination of results of the DTRaiN project

The Mediterranean Agricultural Institute of Chania – MAIH participated on the evening of Wednesday July 27, 2022, in the presentation of the results of the European project Erasmus+ DTRaIN – Design thinking for entrepreneurship in the agri-food sector (http://www.dtrain.eu/). The event took place at the “House of Culture” in Rethymno, thus announcing the successful completion of three years of intensive work.
With the phrase “we invest in continuing education” at the start of the event, the Deputy Governor of Rethymno Ms. Maria Lioni, referred to the importance of the project and in general the ongoing development of skills in the agri-food sector and pointed out with certainty that all its individual actions will contribute in this direction and raise awareness among the target groups.

Afterwards, the mandated Regional Councilor in the field of European and international relations, Mr. Georgios Alexakis, referred to the projects in which the Region of Crete participates, while at the same time approving the educational dimension of the DTRaIN project and the significant effects it can bring to the agri-food sector of the island. He also noted that undoubtedly the interconnection of tourism and agriculture is a necessary condition for development as these two sectors are the cornerstones of the economy of Crete.

She was also greeted by Dr. Nektarios Papadogiannis, Vice Chancellor of ELMEPA, who in turn referred to the importance of continuous innovation both in the research and business fields.

Mrs. Dimitra Dimitriou, responsible for KA2 projects of the Vocational Education & Training (VET) sector, of the Erasmus+ National Coordination Unit (IKY) spoke about the multiple benefits that an innovative action like DTRaIN can offer and highlighted the passion and vision with which the project was implemented.
The aim of the DTRaIN program is to revitalize the agri-food sector of the partner regions, to encourage the acquisition of key knowledge, skills and competences and to develop the entrepreneurial spirit in the sector through critical thinking and creativity. More specifically, the project developed an innovative training program which, through an online platform, provides the target group: managers and consultants of agri-food businesses, policy makers and continuing education trainers, basic knowledge and methodological tools for applying Design Thinking, aiming at embracing a different approach to solving complex business problems.

The program involved seven partners from four countries. The head of the project is the Region of Crete and in particular the Directorate of Development P.E. Rethymnon/ Department of Education, DBM and Employment while the following partners participate: the European Training Center for Employment – ​​EKKA (Greece), SQLearn (Greece), LDI UG – (Germany), Centro Machiaveli-CM – (Italy), Mediterranean Agricultural Institute of Chania (M.A.I.X) and the University of Valladolid, Spain. A representative of the partner Centro Machiaveli an Italian training and research organization participated in the event and mentioned the importance of the project for the agri-food sector of his region.

The Coordinator and representative of the Region of Crete Mr. Charalambos-Nikolaos Piteris and his partner Ms. Tjortzakis Eleni presented a detailed overview of the DTRaIN project. Mr. Piteris spoke at length about Design Thinking as a promising human-centered approach that focuses on a new culture and can contribute to solving complex problems and addressing challenges in the agri-food sector. This was followed by the presentation of the educational material by the representative of the Mediterranean Agricultural Institute of Chania (M.A.I.X.) Mrs. Eleni Stamataki and the presentation of the online training platform developed for the needs of the project (https://dtrain.sqllearn.com/) by Mr. Georgiadis Dimitris, representative of SQLearn. Finally Dr. Manos Hatazakis, external partner in the project, he referred to the principles of Design Thinking, its human-centeredness, emphasis on empathy, teamwork and collective effort to address complex challenges, find solutions and promote changes that are both desirable, feasible and sustainable. Dr Hatzakis also presented the challenge-case study developed by the Greek partners and it concerns the degree of readiness of olive oil producers to adopt environmentally friendly measures, the results of which will be used to design a serious game that will enrich the online educational material . finding solutions and promoting change that are both desirable, feasible and sustainable. Dr Hatzakis also presented the challenge-case study developed by the Greek partners and it concerns the degree of readiness of olive oil producers to adopt environmentally friendly measures, the results of which will be used to design a serious game that will enrich the online educational material . finding solutions and promoting change that are both desirable, feasible and sustainable. Dr Hatzakis also presented the challenge-case study developed by the Greek partners and it concerns the degree of readiness of olive oil producers to adopt environmentally friendly measures, the results of which will be used to design a serious game that will enrich the online educational material .

The event concluded with a discussion between the Head of ELGO “DIMITRA” Heraklion Dr. Agapi Vassiliou, the President of GEOTEE Crete Dr. Alexandros Stefanakis and Dr. Manos Hatzakis during which the difficulties and the necessity of adopting new methodologies to approach the problems and challenges faced by the agri-food sector and the prospect of utilizing the educational material of the project in this direction were pointed out.