The University of Patras, partner of the DECOST project, has been actively participating in the 7th Patras IQ 2021 Exhibition, the annual event organyzed in Patras to promote the interconnection of top research/technological achievements of the academic and research community and the private sector. Due to the COVID-19 recent restrictions, a large part of the programme has been virtrual.

After two years of implementation of the pilots in Spain, Jordan and Palestine, and the pilot that will start soon in Italy, the experience gained by the DECOST project is starting to attract the attention of many stakeholders. In this sense, events like this one are a great opportunity to start disseminating and capitalising on the DECOST experience, to promote that in the future a large number of Mediterranean villages decide to go for community composting as a solution to improve their organic waste treatment system. If they do, the private sector will play an important role in the provision of products and services.

The Patras IQ 2021 Exhibition, with its vision of establishing itself as a distinguished exhibition for the promotion of Innovation on a national and European scale, aims to highlight mature and innovative research ideas for their further development for the benefit of society and the economy. In this respect, this year the challenge is even bigger, as the exhibition can and should be a key driver of growth with significant benefits to the real economy after the pandemic.

This event is a highly successful co-operation of the productive institutions of the Ministry of Development & Investments, the Ministry of Education & Religious Affairs, the University of Patras, the Hellenic Open University, the Region of Western Greece and the Chamber of Achaia, by supporting and promoting smart development.