The OD4GROWTH project of the INTERREG EUROPE Interregional Cooperation program has important goals and aspirations to strengthen the digital economy and twin transition in Europe. I can highlight the following objectives of the project:

• Raising awareness of public and private entities about the importance of open data, with the aim of exploiting it and activating a regional ecosystem for open technologies.
• Motivating agencies to make available and use data in order to increase the quantity and quality of available data.
• Formulation of a commonly accepted regional open data policy.

 Public Regional Authorities (Public Sector), Users (Civil Society) and Businesses (Private Sector) benefit through the 3 main themes

1. Quality and Quantity of Open Data provided by Public Bodies.
2. Quality of services addressed to citizens. (quality standards)
3. Support in the development of new services using Open Data. (businesses)

The project includes partners from various European countries, with experts in the field (Spain, Italy, Poland, France, Lithuania) and others (Greece, Hungary, Latvia) who need support to increase the availability and usability of Open Data. The total budget of the project amounts to 1,827,628 euros.

I participate in supporting the development of the regional ecosystem for open data (communication, informing about the development of the project, supporting the organization of local meetings). I run a feedback mechanism to collect information! By actively managing these aspects, I contribute significantly to the successful development of a regional ecosystem for open data, fostering collaboration and ensuring the continuous development of the initiative.

Project partners collaborate through online meetings, scheduled steering committee meetings, and ongoing email communication.

In summary OD4GROWTH wants to contribute to the development of the EU by improving and revising policies to strengthen the data economy in the EU and contribute to a smarter Europe, an open society and a common policy. With its participation in the project, the Regional Development Fund of East Macedonia and Thrace wants to develop in the East Macedonia and Thrace Region measures-instructions regarding Open Data (availability & usability).

I like to participate in this important project because it has important possibilities for me to understand how an important project works. Of course, I will not omit how much the colleagues (manager, mentor and other employees) who work at the Regional Fund of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace have contributed to the development of my skills. Finally, I believe it was an important opportunity of my life that will open new paths in my future!