Greek City Elefsina Among ‘Smart21’ Communities of 2022

Elefsina, Greece. Photo source: Visit Greece

The Municipality of Elefsina, near Athens, has been included on the list of the “Smart21 Communities of the Year” released recently by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF).

ICF is a global network of cities and regions with a think tank at its center. Its mission is to help communities in the digital age find a new path to economic development and community growth – one that creates inclusive prosperity, tackles social challenges, and enriches quality of life.

The selection of the Smart21 Communities of the Year marks the beginning of the annual process which will conclude when ICF names the 2022 Intelligent Community of the Year at the ICF Summit later this year.

Elefsina promotes tech innovation

The Smart21 list includes cities, towns and regions from a number of countries, namely Australia, the US, the UK, Vietnam, Canada, Taiwan, Greece, Brazil and New Zealand, that have applied the six principles of the ICF Method: connect, work, innovate, engage, include, sustain.

Elefsina was included on the list for engaging in new technologies and promoting innovation.

“This distinction recognizes the progress that Elefsina has made in recent years and our strong will to use new technologies and promote innovation for the benefit of citizens,” Elefsina Mayor Argyris Oikonomou said in an announcement.

Elefsina has submitted an action plan and a funding application for over 1.5 million euros through the “Antonis Tritsis Special Development Program for Greek Municipalities”.

The municipality has also released two research dissertations for innovation, entrepreneurship and technology in collaboration with the National Technical University of Athens.

Other activities include:

– The StartupNow Forum that took place in Elefsina in October 2021 with the aim to promote the area as an innovation hub. It attracted 107 speakers and 500 participants, and included 200 B2B meetings and 17 workshops.

– The municipality is among the organizers of the Thries Innovation Hub which aims to help local communities, businesses and citizens make their transition to the 4th industrial revolution. The hub hosts innovative activities including a hackathon for students, a business educational program and the Business Gate, a networking platform for businesses.

The next steps

In the next phase of Smart21, communities will complete detailed questionnaires providing more information on their projects. From this data, ICF analysts will select seven to be named the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2022 at a conference taking place in June.

The Top7 will be the focus of the 2022 ICF Global Summit in October, where one will be named the Intelligent Community of the Year.

The Smart21 Communities of 2022:

– Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
– Alexandria Lakes Area, Minnesota, USA
– Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
– Binh Duong Smart City, Vietnam
– Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
– Durham Region, Ontario, Canada
– East Central Region, Minnesota, USA
– Elefsina, Attica, Greece
– Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada
– Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
– Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada
– City of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada
– Markham, Ontario, Canada
– New Taipei City, Taiwan
– Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
– Prospect, South Australia, Australia
– Rochester, New York, USA
– Seat Pleasant, Maryland, USA
– Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
– Townsville, Queensland, Australia
– Whanganui, New Zealand