First place at the EUSAIR POPRI Youth 2024 Competition for the student team "Trash Feaster Vessel" from the Technical University of Crete, supported by the Ideas Incubator of the Region of Crete

The Science and Technology Park of Crete (STEP-C), Unit of the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), in collaboration with the Primorski Tehnološki Park of Slovenia, participated, once again, in the "EUSAIR POPRI youth" initiative this year. The "EUSAIR POPRI youth" competition is part of the European Commission's Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) and promotes the education and training of young people in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Participating teams submitted their business ideas and took part in the international competition held in Šibenik, Croatia, on May 15 and 16, 2024, along with teams selected from the participating countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, and San Marino).

Greece was represented by the "Trash Feaster Vessel" team from the Technical University of Crete, led by the undergraduate student Ernesto Sigalas, and funded by the Ideas Incubator of the Region of Crete. The "Trash Feaster Vessel" team, which won first place in the category of the university students, also comprises the postgraduate student Marios Konstantoudakis and their mentor, Assistant Professor Diomidis Katsourakis from the School of Production Engineering and Management at the Technical University of Crete. The team presented a semi/autonomous vessel that collects trash from marinas and ports with minimal human intervention, providing a solution to a serious environmental problem.

The Ideas Incubator (https://ibo.crete.gov.gr/fytwrio-idewn/) is an initiative of the project "Actions for academic innovation within the framework of the operation of the Innovation Business Observatory of Crete Region" implemented by the Region of Crete in collaboration with the Technical University of Crete, the University of Crete, the Hellenic Mediterranean University, and the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas, with funding from the Region of Crete.

STEP-C is the only organization from Greece that participated in the "EUSAIR POPRI youth" initiative, aiming to support, promote, and showcase the youth innovative entrepreneurship of Crete internationally.