Joist Innovation Park began operation in Larissa, central Greece, on Thursday with a visit by Deputy Development & Investments Minister Christos Dimas and an event on “Innovation Parks as Models of Boosting Regional Ecosystems.”
Housed in a refurbished industrial building in the center of Larissa, the Park will host startup and innovative companies together with departments of research centers and universities, all collaborating for the adoption of innovation. It will provide virtual and augmented reality services, while also providing inclusive working practices in four clusters – eHealth, educational technology, AgroTech, and eTourism.
The Park was created by IT services and IT sonsulting company Joist, based in Larissa. According to a company description, the Park “introduces a phygital ecosystem that boosts innovation and knowledge transfer in the fields of entrepreneurship, technology, science, art, and design.” The four-cluster scheme “will function as the port of call for academic institutions, SMEs, business-minded individuals, innovation enthusiasts, startuppers, and anyone interested in developing, testing, and learning new things,” the company profile adds. The purpose, it noted, is to create an environment where businesses, associated institutions, and stakeholders are interconnected to increase their innovation and productivity levels, making them expand as strong competitors on a national and global level.
Commenting on the new enterprise, Minister Dimas said that the start of operations at Joist Innovation Park is “one more step toward turning Greece into an innovation hub,” and its founding in Larissa creates “a significant home of research and development of pioneering solutions in a region that presents unique dynamics, both with startups operating in it as well as with research centers and academic institutions located there.”
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
