The INFOSTRAG Group of the Laboratory of Industrial and Energy Economics (LIEE) of NTUA organized the 15th Seminar on the Information Society & Knowledge Economy during July 17–19, 2020, in the Events Hall of the Cyclades Chamber of Commerce. The Seminar was co-organized with the Cyclades Chamber of Commerce, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Open Technologies Organization – EELLAK/ELLAK, and the Invent ICT Program.

Due to the exceptional circumstances created by the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s Seminar was held in a hybrid format, with some presentations taking place in person and others online. It was also broadcast live via the LIEE/NTUA YouTube channel. In terms of content, the Seminar inevitably emphasized various aspects of the health crisis and its impact on the functioning of the public sector and on economic and social activity. The Seminar included five thematic sessions.

The first session, held in two parts on Friday morning and afternoon, focused on the digital transformation of the state, economy, and society, and the impact of the pandemic crisis on this transformation. Presentations covered many dimensions of this broad and significant topic, such as the response level of public administration, local government, and the education and research system in the country to the demands posed by the crisis; public sector initiatives encouraging the provision of innovative solutions by third parties (startups, researchers, etc.); and the challenges and opportunities the pandemic brings for accelerating the digital transformation of the productive sector. The opening speech of this session, delivered by NTUA Emeritus Professor Danae Diakoulaki, analyzed the evolution of the pandemic in Europe using quantitative data from the World Health Organization.

Saturday morning was divided into two thematic sessions. The first was dedicated to the keynote speech by Professor Orestis Terzidis, head of the Institute for Entrepreneurship, Technology Management, and Innovation (EnTechnon) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. His speech and the following discussion addressed the paradigm shift in production driven by Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, which can be applied not only to industry but also to many other sectors, as well as the opportunities these changes create for production processes and supply chains, especially for countries like Greece.

The second part of Saturday morning focused on innovative entrepreneurship and the opportunities the pandemic crisis creates in that direction. Dr. Evangelos Siokas (NTUA) presented the outcomes of NTUA’s entrepreneurship support structures, including the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Unit (since 2011), the EPI.noo Incubator (since 2014), and the Invent ICT Program (since 2017) [EPISU-NTUA]. Additionally, innovative business ventures supported by the EPI.noo Incubator and Invent ICT were presented, some of which provide solutions to address the pandemic. The final presentation in this session was delivered by Assoc. Professor Angelos Tsakanikas (NTUA), Director of LIEE, and focused on the opportunities for the Greek pharmaceutical industry to achieve a new growth dynamic in the post-Covid-19 era.

On Saturday evening, the fourth thematic session took place, focusing on global value chains and the role of the Greek production system in the new environment shaped by the pandemic crisis. The session began with a keynote speech by Professor Nikos Vonortas, Professor of Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University and Director of the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy. His speech highlighted the transformation of globalization and global value chains due to structural factors like the Fourth Industrial Revolution, rising economic nationalism (notably the China–US rivalry), and international climate and environmental goals, now further affected by the pandemic.

Following this was a presentation by NTUA Emeritus Professor Giannis Caloghirou (with Angelos Tsakanikas, Emilia Protogerou, and Panagiotis Panayiotopoulos), focusing on enhancing Greece’s structural competitiveness amid the current crisis by strengthening the key pillars of the knowledge economy (research and technology development, innovation, knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship, and capacity and skills building). Then, Nikos Diakoulakis (Investment Consultant, former Special Secretary at the Ministry of Development) gave a talk on the structures and mechanisms for implementing development programs.

Next, Angelos Tsakanikas (NTUA), Michalis Vassiliadis (IOBE), and Petros Dimas (NTUA) presented an innovative approach for quantifying the role of intangible assets in global value chains. Then, Eugenia Topaloglou, NTUA Chemical Engineer, gave a presentation on the value chain of Greece’s food, beverage, and tobacco sectors, and the session concluded with a presentation by PhD Candidate Dimitris Stamopoulos (NTUA) on how electric mobility technologies are transforming the automotive market, also referencing the pandemic’s influence.

The fifth and final session, held on Sunday morning, featured a variety of topics. The first talk, by Maria Kavvadia, PhD in the History of Science and Medicine (European University Institute), examined historical examples of pandemics and epidemics, highlighting continuities and discontinuities in their management, epistemological implications, scientific and socio-cultural approaches, and societal impact. Then, Dr. Prodromos Tsiavos, Head of Digital Development at the Onassis Foundation’s Stegi, presented digital innovation activities carried out during the pandemic, showcasing the opportunities for the culture sector in Greece. The final speech was delivered by Assoc. Professor Petros Stefaneas (NTUA), focusing on the validity and verification of mathematical models that examine pandemic phenomena. The Seminar concluded with a summary discussion of the key findings and outcomes.

• Download the Seminar Program here

• View the Seminar Presentations here

• Watch all Seminar sessions here

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The Seminar included the following thematic sessions:

Friday, July 17 – Morning (10:00 – 13:30)
Covid-19 Crisis and its Impact on the Digital Transformation of the State and Economy – Part A

Friday, July 17 – Evening (18:00 – 21:30)
Covid-19 Crisis and its Impact on the Digital Transformation of the State and Economy – Part B

Saturday, July 18 – Morning (10:00 – 11:00)
The Fourth Industrial Revolution Before and After the Covid-19 Crisis: Impacts, Lessons, Challenges, and Opportunities for Europe and Greece

Saturday, July 18 – Morning (11:00 – 13:30)
Business Opportunities and New Business Models Arising from the Covid-19 Crisis through the Use of Research

Saturday, July 18 – Evening (18:00 – 21:30)
The Covid-19 Crisis and the Issue of Economic Globalization, Global Value Chains (GVCs), and the Mobility of People, Goods, and Services

Sunday, July 19 – Morning (10:30 – 11:30)
Pandemics of a “New” Disease: Historical Continuities and Discontinuities

Sunday, July 19 – Morning (11:30 – 12:30)
Seminar Conclusions: General Discussion