New technologies to support creativity and innovation

The Β2020-2025 Digital Transformation Bible  included a set of projects aimed at strengthening the use of digital technologies in education and enhancing the digital experience across all levels of the educational system. Within this framework, projects were implemented or planned to support the strategy of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports for the promotion of digital education. For the education sector, projects were envisaged covering a wide range of digital services and technological applications. Indicative examples include:

• Digital services for the administration and organisation of education, such as MySchool 

• MySchool Digital Services 

• Digital Services of the Panhellenic School Network 

• eParents platform for the communication between school and family

• Augmented Reality Labs 

• Educator Training Platforms

• Digital Services of Academic Institutions 

• Digital Educational Content and e-Learning Services 

• EOPPEP (National Organisation for the Certification of Qualifications & Vocational Guidance)Digital Services 

• Expansion of the e-me Digital Platform 

• Supply and Installation of Interactive Teaching Systems 

• Innovation Labs in each Educational District, etc. 

Moreover, the Panhellenic School Network constitutes the national network and internet service provider for the country’s educational institutions. Its objective is to connect and support schools and educational organisations by providing e-learning, communication and collaboration services, as well as e-government services and technical support.The network serves more than one million users, including teachers, students and administrative staff.

Panhellenic School Network services include tools like Webex video conferencing technologies, website hosting, distance learning technologies, e-classroom and live broadcasts. 

As stated in the Strategic Plan for Vocational Education, Training, Lifelong Learning and Youth 2022-2024, the promotion of innovation is a basic priority for the reform of the existing national policy for Vocational Education and Training. In this framework, the operation of EPAL (Vocational High School) Model Schools is foreseen throughout the Greek territory, which will also function as centers for the development and diffusion of innovation and good practices, in Vocational Education and Training, through cooperation with research and innovation centers at national and European level. 

In the context of strategic planning for the digital transformation of education, the strengthening of digital skills of the educational community and the empowerment of vulnerable groups, the «Digital Care»  program was realised.The programme provided financial support to students in secondary and higher education who met specific social and income criteria for the purchase of technological equipment.The programme was implemented under the coordination of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Development, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and the Ministry of Digital Governance.

The "Digital Care II" Program constituted a continuation of the "Digital Care" Program, which was successfully completed in 2021 and funded more than half a million pupils and students. The action is implemented within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan «Greece 2.0 with funding from the European Union - Next Generation EU. The aim of the program is to strengthen further groups such as: 

• Public and private sector educators 

• Families with dependent members and minors under guardianship who attend educational structures and were affected by the fires that occurred in areas of the Greek territory in July and August 2021 

At the same time, the first axis of the «Greece 2.0.  Plan, regarding digital transformation, concerns the connectivity of citizens, businesses and the state. The actions of this axis aim to help fill the gaps in high-speed interconnections and achieve gigabit connections. The investments facilitate the installation of fiber optic infrastructure, the deployment of 5G networks and the transition to broadband technologies.

Facilitating access to culture through new technologies

The development of digital applications and services in the cultural sector constitutes an important priority of Greece’s policy for digital transformation. Within the framework of the 2020-2025 Digital Transformation Bible, projects have been promoted that make use of new technologies for the promotion of cultural heritage and the creation of digital cultural services.

Among them the following are included:

• Digitization of the cultural heritage of the Church of Greece 

• Digitization of important Byzantine antiquities in the area of ​​Mount Athos 

Other planned projects concern among others: 

• Digitization of artistic education 

• Creation of a platform for the retransmission of cultural content in live (or not) time 

• The upgrade and enrichment of the “Odysseus” platform, the digital database of the Ministry of Culture for Greek cultural heritage.

An important role in the digital provision of cultural content is played by the National Documentation Centre (EKT), which developed the unified cultural information space, the SearchCulture, the National Aggregator of Digital Cultural Content. The aim of the platform is to provide free and centralised access to digital cultural resources, ensure their unified availability, promote and interconnect them, and guarantee their secure preservation.At the same time, SearchCulture.gr contributes to the interconnection of Greek digital cultural content with the European Digital Library Europeana  , in line with national and European priorities. Through its modern technological infrastructures, EKT promotes the visibility of cultural heritage in the public digital space and ensures the long-term preservation of the results of digitization projects funded by public and private resources for the benefit of the wider community

The use of new technologies is adopted by Greek museums. The Acropolis Museum, with the use of multimedia applications, in order to bring its website visitor into contact with the museum, the multiple dimensions of the exhibits that make up its collections as well as the space from which they derive. 3D virtual tours, digital applications and videos offer the Museum's online audience the opportunity to gain a lively and active relationship with various aspects of ancient Greek culture. The viewer has the possibility to digitally navigate the museum through a spherical video. 

At the same time, the Benaki Museum applies digitaltechnologies, through the «Museum from Home program, which offers viewers the opportunity to tour the museum, watch online talks, discover collections, come in contact with Greek Culture, etc. 

Moreover, as part of the collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and Microsoft, the digital experience «Common Place was developed, making use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies for the digital reconstruction of Ancient Olympia and for the virtual tour of the archaeological site by visitors.

Furthermore, within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0”, the Ministry of Culture implements a series of projects for the digital transformation of cultural heritage. These initiatives include the digitization of museum and archaeological site collections, the development of digital applications and virtual tours, as well as the creation of new digital services for the promotion and dissemination of Greek culture to the wider public.