At the heart are the needs of local entrepreneurship and the access of small businesses to financing
The first RIS3 Innovation Café was successfully held on October 1st, 2026 in Elassona, at the Enjoy Classic Cafe, as part of the activities of the Regional RIS3 Mechanism of Thessaly.
The goal of the RIS3 Innovation Cafés is to document the needs of entrepreneurs operating in the regional municipalities of Thessaly, so that the next calls of the «Thessaly» Program, with a total budget of 3.5 million euros, can be designed taking into account the real needs of local entrepreneurship.
Representatives of the Thessaly Region, local government, development organizations and the business community of the region participated in the meeting. Among others, the Mayor of Elassona Nikos Gatsas, the Deputy Prefect of P.E. Larissa Maria Galliou, the Thematic Deputy Prefect of Education, Equality and Culture Vassilis Simos and the Thematic Deputy Prefect of Entrepreneurship Grigoris Goundopoulos, who is also the Administrator of the Agricultural Food Partnership of the Thessaly Region, were present. The AEENO was represented by Director Ms. A. Katsayianni, the Coordinator of the LEADER Program Ms. Sevaste Basdekia, as well as staff from the Development Organization.
At the heart of the discussion were the needs of small and very small businesses, their access to financial instruments, and the difficulties they face in submitting and implementing investment plans. Special emphasis was placed on the need for simpler and more flexible procedures for investments with a small budget, on reducing bureaucracy, and on utilizing microfinance tools that meet the real needs of small businesses.
At the same time, the participants shared experiences from existing funding programs and highlighted practical difficulties related to the cost of preparing proposals, the documentation requirements, and the operation of information systems. A common point of discussion was the need for the requirements of each program to be corresponding to the size and budget of the investment.
The RIS3 Innovation Cafés They constitute an open channel of communication with the local communities of Thessaly, aiming to document the needs, challenges, and proposals from businesses and organizations, and to better connect them with the regional innovation ecosystem.
Elassona was just the beginning. The RIS3 Innovation Cafés cycle continues throughout Thessaly, bringing the dialogue closer to businesses, the people of production, and the local communities. Next stop is Agia, the Wednesday, October 7, at 18:00, at Café Konne, in the central square of Agia.
We listen. We connect. We innovate. We move forward.
RIS3 Innovation Cafés – a dialogue that travels throughout Thessaly.
More information: ris3thessaly.gr/ris3-innovation-cafes/
