When Education Meets Infrastructure: Memorandum of Cooperation between Olympia Odos and Democritus University of Thrace

As part of its strategy for sustainable development and strengthening its relations with the academic world, Olympia Odos signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Department of Chemistry of the School of Sciences of the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH). 

The cooperation with the educational community is continuous and evolving. It started at the beginning of the project with the construction of the Korinthos-Patras section and continues today with the visits of students from various universities to the Traffic Management Centers and the motorway facilities, as well as with the scholarships granted by our Company, such as to the University of Patras.

To date, more than 1,800 students have visited the facilities of Olympia Odos. The aim is to link the educational process with the design and implementation of major infrastructure projects.

The Department of Chemistry of the University of Thrace expects that the cooperation will build bridges between scientific knowledge and practice in the field, providing students with valuable opportunities to apply their skills in infrastructure projects. At the same time, the aim is to jointly develop innovative solutions that promote safety, sustainability and technological progress. Beyond academic advancement, this collaboration reinforces the Department's vision of educating scientists with a high level of scientific competence, social responsibility and professional ethics.

According to the above, the cooperation between Olympia Odos and the DUTH includes:

• The exchange of information on current activities and developments at national, European and international level;
• The provision of technical and scientific advice on issues of common interest, such as fire protection;
• Visits of students and scientific staff to the facilities of Olympia Odos for educational purposes;
• The use of the infrastructure by both parties for diploma theses and experimental measurements;
• Joint participation in research projects and submission of proposals;
• Co-organization of events such as workshops, seminars and presentations;
• The production of educational material such as books, papers and brochures.

The Memorandum was signed by the President and CEO of Olympia Odos, Dr. Panayiotis Papanikolas and the Chairman of the Department of Chemistry of Democritus University of Thrace, Prof. George Kyzas. The signing ceremony was also attended by the QHS Manager, Kostas Papakostas, and the Associate Professor Michael Chalaris, who are responsible for the communication between the two parties.

With this partnership, Olympia Odos reaffirms its commitment to promoting and supporting education and innovation, as well as research and continuous development in the areas of safety and sustainability.