Collaboration with
African Universities

Event Topics

Internationalization of African Universities: Discover the opportunities and address the challenges

From April 1st to 5th, African universities will collaborate with Hellenic Mediterranean University and ATHENA European University at the Heraklion campus, building on the online activities from Erasmus Days 2023 organized by ATHENA. This series of meetings under the KA171 International Mobility, Capacity Building for Higher Education, and Virtual Exchange Calls aims to bolster global academic connections, enhance research, and encourage cultural exchange. Despite facing challenges such as resource constraints and potential brain drain, these partnerships offer substantial benefits. This initiative represents a strategic effort to elevate the international profile of African universities, fostering innovation and preparing students for a globally interconnected future.

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New Technologies in Agriculture and Food Industry

The ATHENA European University’s Industry Task Team proudly presents a workshop on new technologies in the Agriculture and Food Industry on April 3rd-4th in Heraklion, Crete. This event aims to explore innovative approaches in sustainable farming, AI and machine learning applications, biotechnology for food security, and the impacts of climate change on agriculture. It offers researchers, industry experts, and policymakers a platform to discuss advancements and collaboration opportunities. Join us for a dynamic exchange of ideas to drive the agriculture and food sectors forward, fostering sustainability, productivity, and food safety in the European context.

Program

	Monday 1st	Tuesday 2nd		Wednesday 3rd		Thursday 4th	Friday 5th
			Forum on New Technologies in Agriculture and Food Industry
			09:30-09:35	Prof. Celestino Obua, Rector, MUST, Uganda	09:30-09:50	Identify challenges and point out strenghts
			09:35‐09:40	ATHENA Alliance – Introduction into the program (Ilka Kureck – Ruger Winnegge)	09:50-10:30	Framework for European – African cooperation – upcoming calls
09:30-10:15	Prof. N. Katsarakis, Rector HMU, Greece Prof. Celestino Obua, Rector, MUST, Uganda Prof. I. C. Arizechukwu, UNN, Nigeria Prof. A. Mwakasaugula, MZUMBE, Tanzania		09:40-10:00	Remarks/Keynote from the African Guests	10:30‐13:00	Discussion of ideas for joint (European-African) projects	Workshop in How to write, coordinate, and report a Capacity Building Project Konstantinos Petridis (HMU)
10:15-11:00	The HMU International Collaborations Konstantinos Petridis (HMU)	Meeting to plan our activities for the new KA171 call (moderator: Eva Menegaki / Kotti)	10:00-10:20	Artificial intelligence and computer vision for precision agriculture Raphael Canals (University of Orléans)	10:00‐13:00	Wrap Up
10:15-11:00			10:20-10:40	Digital use case in agriculture Marie‐Joseph Lambert (CybeleTech, Orléans)	13:00–13:15	Mediterranean/Cretan Diet – An evidence-based Therapeutic Nutrition tool Anastasia Markaki (HMU)
11:00-11:45	Internationalizing a Global South University—a case of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda Dr. Celectino Obua (Mbarara University)	Potential Research Collaborations between the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies/MUST and HMU Tom Ogwang (Mbarara University of Science and Technology)	10:40-11:10	Coffee Break	13:15‐14:45	Lunch Break
11:30-12:15	Coffee Break		11:10-11:30	Land use classification and crop area estimation using drones and satellite data Nasser Gyagenda (University of Siegen)			Coffee Break
12:15-13:00	12:15 – 12:25: The Department of Accounting & Finance (Prof. I. Chatzioantoniou) 12:30 – 12:40: The Department of Management Science and Technology (Prof. G. Mastorakis) 12:45 – 12:55: The Department of Nursing (Prof. M. Sfakianakis) 13:00 – 13:10: The Department of Agriculture (Prof. I. Daliakopoulos) 13:15 – 13:30: The School of Engineering (Prof. M. Karapidakis)	Opportunities for cooperation between Mediterranean European and North African Universities in the field of food – Erasmus Experiences Dr. Georgios Tsikalakis (HMU)	11:30-11:50	Advancements in Food Safety: A Technological Perspective Grigorakis Spyros (Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania)			University Networking Presentations – the participants present their universities
			11:50-12:10	Honey Safety: Is honey dangerous for our health? Eleftehrios Alissandrakis (HMU)
			12:10-12:30	Unveiling the amazing World of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Manolis Karpadakis (CEO of Terra Creta)
13:00-14:30	Lunch Break		12:30-13:50	Lunch Break	Lunch Break
14:45-16:30	HMU Campus Tour	University Networking Presentations The University of Mbarara in Uganda Mr. Fortunate B. Atwine	13:50 ‐ 14:10	Towards Sustainable Future – Selected Examples On Precision Agriculture Jurij Rakun (University of Maribor)		Visit Knossos (transfer with the bus from HMU campus	Closing Remarks and plans for the 2nd Forum by George Kritsotakis (HMU)
			14:10‐14:30	Empowering local farmers for inclusive agricultural development Wellington Alves (P.Porto)
			14:30‐14:50	The threat of ransomware – a challenge for farmers, entrepreneurs, policy makers and societies in each continent. Aleksandra Kowalska (UMCS)
			14:50‐15:20	Coffee Break
			15:20-15:40	Precision agroecology: exploring the potential of smart water and soil management for climate change adaptation Dr. Ioannis Daliakopoulos (HMU)
			15:40‐16:00	Sustainable Management of major agricultural pests in the Mediterranean and African Region Dr. Manolis Roditakis (HMU)
			16:00‐16:20	Modern Electronics, Automations and IoT Technologies for Smart and Intelligent Agriculture: The case of Olive-Tree Cultivations in Crete George Fouskitakis (HMU)
			16:20‐16:50	Outlook for the next day – collection of topics for joint projects