Assets 4th plenary meeting in Ioannina
Advancing Collaboration and Social Economy Innovation: ASSETS Plenary Meeting in Ioannina
On 24–25 September 2026, partners of the ASSETS project gathered in Ioannina, Greece, for a plenary meeting hosted by P2P Lab. The meeting brought the consortium together in person, providing a valuable opportunity to review progress, exchange insights, and strengthen collaboration across partners.
Getting to Know the Epirus Living Lab
The first day opened with an introduction to the Epirus Living Lab, followed by an on-site tour led by P2P Lab. Partners visited local social economy initiatives, met the people behind the work, and engaged in direct discussions with Living Lab members. The tour offered a grounding reminder of the real-world context in which ASSETS operates, connecting the project’s research and tools to the communities they are designed to serve.
Among the highlights of the tour was a visit to Electra Energy Cooperative, a social cooperative working to build a more democratic, inclusive and sustainable energy system with citizens at its core. Partners visited their community urban agri-PV project at the Mental Health Centre of Ioannina, Greece’s first urban agri-PV installation, where solar panels are combined with a community garden growing vegetables, aromatic plants and more. Beyond energy production, the garden has become a space for social connection and therapeutic engagement for the people of the centre, a powerful example of local, inclusive innovation in practice.
Reviewing Progress and Sharing Best Practices
The afternoon shifted to structured work sessions, with partners convening for an overview of case studies development under Work Package 4. A dedicated workshop on awareness campaigns, lessons learnt, and best practices and recommendations provided space for collective reflection on how to communicate and amplify the work of social economy organisations more effectively. Partners also exchanged updates on dissemination, communication, and exploitation activities.
The day concluded with a social dinner by the shores of Lake Pamvotis, offering partners a chance to connect informally in one of Ioannina’s most beautiful settings.
Evaluation Tools and Co-Created Policy Recommendations
Day two opened with progress updates and a workshop on the introduction of co-created, locally embedded policy recommendations under Work Package 3. These discussions reinforced the project’s commitment to grounding its evaluation tools in local realities and ensuring that policy recommendations reflect the diversity of contexts across partner regions.
Building the Digital Cooperative Platform
Partners also reviewed the latest developments in the ASSETS Digital Cooperative Platform under Work Package 5, alongside updates on the co-creation process design and state-of-the-art analysis. These sessions ensured all strands of the project remain aligned and moving forward together.
Strengthening Collaboration for the Future
The Ioannina meeting concluded with a project management wrap-up led by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, setting out next steps and confirming the direction for the next plenary meeting. The two days reinforced the consortium’s shared commitment to collaboration, innovation, and the development of tools and approaches that genuinely serve social economy organisations and the communities around them.
The ASSETS consortium extends its sincere thanks to P2P Lab for hosting the meeting and for the warm welcome in Ioannina, and to all partners for their active engagement and constructive contributions.
