14th International Summer School on Digital Innovation and Startup Entrepreneurship - DigiBus2026

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING - Department of Information and Communication Systems Engineering
13 Jul 2026 to 18 Jul 2026
Samos

DigiBus2026 Programme (View as a file)

Note: The Digibus2026 program and activities are equivalent to 3 ECTS credits*.

EEST

1st day—
Monday 13 July

2nd day—
Tuesday 14 July 

3rd day—
Wednesday 15 July 

4th day—
Thursday 16 July
5th day—
Friday 17 July

6th day—
Saturday

18 July

10:00 - 11:00 Intro & Teams setup

Prof. Yannis Charalabidis
Professor of Digital Governance,
University of Aegean, Greece
Elevator Pitch

All team members present / only the leader speaks

Mentor 1: Dr. Gerasimos Kontos
(Teams 1-3)
Mentor 2: Dr. Irina Gorelova
(Teams 4-6)

Idea Mentoring

All members present

Mentor 3: Mr. Thanassis Petmezas
(Teams 1-3)
Mentor 4: Mr. Apostolos Constantinidis
(Teams 4-6)

Mentoring
All team members present.

Mentor 5: Dr. Effi Staiou
(Teams 1-3)
Mentor 6: Dr. Irina Gorelova
(Teams 4-6)
Teamwork  
11:00 - 11:30 The leaders accept the members / declare Elevator Pitch

Mentor 1: Dr. Irina Gorelova
(Teams 1-3)
Mentor 2: Dr. Gerasimos Kontos
(Teams 4-6)
Mentoring
All team members present.

Mentor 7: Dr. Hasnain Bokhari
(Teams 1-3)
Mentor 8: Dr. Maria Kalyvaki
(Teams 4-6)
Teamwork  
Break (30m Sharp) Onsite: team setup Break Break Break Break  

12:00 - 12:45

Idea development & Pitching

Prof. Yannis Charalabidis
Professor of Digital Governance,
University of Aegean, Greece

Teaching Confidence in the Clouds, Artificial Intelligence and Desktop Flight Training Devices for Competencies Development in University Programs

Dr. Gerasimos Kontos,
Abu Dhabi University

Industry Keynote 1

(e-lecture) Venture Capital: An Insider’s View for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Researchers

Dr. Alexandros Eleftheriadis
Founding Partner, Big Pi Ventures

TBU: An unconventional walk through a successful business model

Prof. Francesco Bellini
Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Final Presentations /
5 Judges
(15 min per team)

 
12:45- 13:30 Creativity or on LCA for start-ups (TBA)

Dr. Irina Gorelova
Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
(e-lecture) Industry Keynote 2:
The right to be explained in financial services: designing AI in the age of trust crisis that speaks human.

Dr Dimitrios Salampasis, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Lessons from Ancient Greek Philosophy

Prof. Yannis Charalabidis
University of the Aegean, Samos, Greece
13:30 - 14:30 Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch  

14:30 - 15:30

Evaluator.gr

Prof. Yannis Charalabidis
Professor of Digital Governance,
University of Aegean, Greece

Mr. Athanasios Davalas
Phd Scholar
University of Aegean, Greece

****

Apostolos Constantinidis
Investment Manager
University of the Aegean, Greece

Margins are the Market: How Inclusion Drives Digital Innovation

Hasnain Bokhari
Head of Digital Policy and Artificial Intelligence,
Lecturer,
Postdoctoral Researcher,
in Willy Brandt School of Public Policy at University of Erfurt,
Germany

Lessons from Ancient Greek Philosophy

Prof. Yannis Charalabidis
University of the Aegean, Samos, Greece

Final Presentations / Judges

 

15:30 - 16:30

AI platform for assisting and supporting start-uppers.


Dr. Zoi Lachana,
University of the Aegean, Greece

(e-lecture) Introduction to Industry 4.0 to 6.0 and Digital Transformation: The Quintuple Innovation Helix and AI

Prof. Dr. Elias G. Carayannis
Professor of Science, Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship,
School of Business, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

Social Lifecycle Analysis: Environmental and Social Business Process Modelling for Deep Tech-Enabled Startups

Dr. Effi Staiou
Yasar University, Izmir, Turkey

Beyond Digital Literacy: Participation, Digital Identity, and Smart Societies in the Age of AI

Prof. Gonca Telli Yamamoto,
Yeditepe University,
Istanbul, Türkiye

Industry Keynote 3:

Title*

Mr. Thanassis Petmezas
ENTERSOFTONE,
Athens, Greece

 
16.30-17:00 Work Assignment: Elevator Pitch
Takeout: The team leader presents 3 slides for 5 minutes (the key features)
Work Assignment: Develop your concept Work Assignment: The Final Presentation
Takeout: the Final Presentation (15 slides)
Announce the final teams
Teamwork
Announcement of the Winning Teams  
17.00 - 18:30 Teamwork Teamwork Teamwork Teamwork

Final Words!!!

 
18:30 - 20:30 Teamwork Teamwork Title:

Maria Kalyvaki
Advisor, Marketing Club
Associate Professor
Department of Marketing and International Business
College of Business | Minnesota State University, Mankato

Title: Technological solutions for the Modern Hotel
Mr. Nikolaos Liapis
MBA, Digital Innovation and Startup Entrepreneurship student at the University of the Aegean, Greece


Title: Technological solutions in Viticulture and Winemaking
Mr. Konstantinos Paraskevas
MBA, Digital Innovation and Startup Entrepreneurship student at the University of the Aegean, Greece
 

 *Upon successful completion of the school (1 week of lectures/mentoring/projects) and completion of an essay, participants will receive a certification honoring 3 ECTS points. Certification of 3 ECTS will be awarded only to those participants that choose to write an essay (not mandatory). All participants will receive a certificate of attendance.