As part of the memorandum of cooperation between the Educational-Developmental PLOIGOS and the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts, and Tourism (IGCAT), as well as with a plethora of local entities in Crete, FORTH welcomed the IGCAT Jury. The visit was conducted to assess Crete’s readiness to hold the title of European Region of Gastronomy 2026. The Jury was represented by Dr. Diane Dodd – President IGCAT / Founder and Executive Director – World Region of Gastronomy Award and Platform.
The event opened with a series of presentations in the A. Payatakis Conference Hall, which covered issues of innovation and sustainable development in the field of agriculture and food, cultural heritage, etc. Specifically, the presentations included:
- “Catalyst for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: The Science and Technology Park of Crete” by the Director of the Science and Technology Park of Crete (STEP-C), Dr. George Papamichail
- “Ambient Intelligence in the domain of Precision Agriculture” by Dr. Asterios Leonidis and Mr. Christos Stratakis from the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory of the Institute of Computer Science
- “Environmentally friendly solutions for a sustainable food production” by Professor Panagiotis Sarris, from the Plant & Plant-Microbe Biology Lab of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
- “Predicting Olive Oil Sensory Attributes: From Statistical Models to Machine Learning Algorithms” by Dr. Giannis Kamarianakis, Principal researcher at the Statistical Learning Lab of the Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics
- “Photonics Applications for the origin and quality control of Agrofoods” by Dr. Michalis Velegakis, researcher at the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser
The visit was also attended by Dr. Michalis Katharakis, Director of the Mediterranean Agri-Food Competence Center (MACC).
Following the presentations, the visitors toured various research laboratories at FORTH, providing them with a comprehensive view of the programs and innovations being implemented in agriculture, food, and technology. Specifically, the tours included:
- The Fly Room of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology with presentations by Dr. Ioannis Livadaras and Dr. Linda Grigoraki
- The Photonics Applications for Heritage Laboratory of the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, with presentations by Dr. Paraskevi Pouli
- Le Sommelier System of the Information Systems Laboratory of the Institute of Computer Science, with presentations by Dr. Theodoros Patkos
- The Ambient Intelligence Programme facilities and the Smart Greenhouse of the Institute of Computer Science, with Dr. Asterios Leonidis and Mr. Christos Stratakis
This visit highlighted the pioneering actions of FORTH and the institution’s dedication to supporting sustainable development strategies, thereby contributing to the empowerment of local communities and promoting Crete as a gastronomic region of international renown.
With this visit, IGCAT aims to strengthen the local community by raising awareness of the importance of protecting and promoting local foods, culture, arts, and natural resources as part of sustainable and balanced tourism and development strategies.
