Intelligent Networks & Digital Twins
📅 May 8, 2026
⏰ 09:30 – 18:00
📍 Foundation of the Hellenic World, Athens
📝 Physical event
[Registration is free, but required]
On May 8th, 2026, p-NET Emerging Networks & Verticals launches the New Tech Forum, a new annual initiative designed to bring together key stakeholders from technology, policy, industry, academia, and the creative sectors to explore emerging technologies and their real-world impact.
Partnerships
The New Tech Forum 2026 is held in partnership with the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece, Unity, Metaverse Standards Forum, and Techritory, and is supported by the METACITIES Excellence Hub in Southern Europe Project.
Forum Focus
The 2026 edition focuses on Intelligent Networks and Digital Twins, highlighting the role of Private 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Extended Reality (XR), and Metaverse technologies across key sectors including smart cities, culture and tourism, industry, defense, space, sports, and gaming.
Digital twins – real-time digital representations of physical systems – are rapidly becoming a foundational technology worldwide. They enable advanced monitoring, simulation, optimization, and immersive experiences across the physical and digital worlds. While global adoption is accelerating, Greece and the wider region still lack a coordinated, strategic approach – an opportunity the New Tech Forum aims to actively address.
Speakers
Didoe Prevedourou is the Managing Director of p-NET. She has extensive work experience in both academic and corporate environments in high-level administrative and research positions. Her research focuses on ICT and its application in various verticals. She is a graduate of the Computer Engineering and Informatics Department of the University of Patras and holds an MSc in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University, USA.
p-NET
Dimitris Efraimoglou is Managing Director of the Foundation of the Hellenic World. He is Head of the research and scientific programs of the Foundation of the Hellenic World and Director of the Research, Development and Excellence Center in Virtual and Augmented Reality at the “Hellenic Cosmos” Cultural Center, one of the most ambitious research and innovation initiatives.
Foundation of the Hellenic World
Dimitris Papastergiou was born in 1973 in Trikala.
He graduated from the Polycladic Lyceum of Trikala and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of NTUA (National Technical University of Athens). At the same time, he attended journalism courses, while he maintains strong ties with technology and the internet, a relationship that was strengthened at the Multimedia Laboratory of NTUA.
In 2001 he built and presented, together with a group of his colleagues, the first integrated website for the Prefecture of Trikala, 3kala.gr.
Since 2002 he has been practicing the profession of Electrical and Computer Engineer in the city of Trikala. He was involved in studies and construction of private electromechanical projects and the creation of software programs. In 2007 he entered the field of renewable energy and has constructed more than 300 private renewable energy projects.
His involvement in the community began in 2002, with his election to the City Council. He was re-elected in 2006, and in 2014 he was elected Mayor of Trikkaion and member of the Board of Directors of KEDE. He was re-elected Mayor in 2019 and, in the same year, he was elected President of the KEDE.
He is married to the engineer Soula Brakis and is the happy father of Faye, Kostas and Nikos.
From June 2023, he is Minister of Digital Governance in the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Ministry of Digital Governance of Greece
Ministry of Development
Region of Western Greece
Leonidas Christopoulos is the CEO of EKKOMED – Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center since September 2024. He previously served as President and CEO of EKOME (2023–2024) and as Secretary General of Digital Governance and Simplification of Procedures at the Ministry of Digital Governance (2019–2023), where he led Greece’s digital transformation strategy and strengthened the country’s audiovisual incentives framework. He holds degrees from Panteion University and the University of Warwick (MA in International Political Economy) and is a graduate of the National School of Public Administration.
Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center
Jeff Melanson is a Strategic Partner at Unity Technologies, working globally at the intersection of digital twins, AI, and immersive technologies. He partners with governments, infrastructure operators, and industrial leaders to deploy scalable digital twin platforms that improve capital planning, operational efficiency, and workforce development. His work focuses on translating emerging technologies into measurable ROI and long-term economic competitiveness.
Unity
Dr. Dimitrios Tzovaras is a Research Director (Senior Researcher Grade A’) at the Information Technologies Institute and the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas – CERTH (January 2021 – April 2025). He also served as the Director of the Information Technologies Institute of CERTH in the period 2012-2021.
Centre for Research and Technology
Ali C. Hantal is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of XR Masters, creator of MyGeoVerse – a geospatial platform that enables location-aware AI agents. He is also Co-President of the Open AR Cloud Association, Leader for the Forum Labs Initiative at the Metaverse Standards Forum and Adoption Officer for the GeoPose SWG at the Open Geospatial Consortium. Ali holds an MBA from the University of Baltimore and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Bogazici University. He currently resides in Washington, D.C.
XR Masters & Metaverse Standards Forum
As VP of Advanced R&D, DJ offers strategic leadership in advancing Media R&D at Adeia Inc. Prior to Adeia, DJ led the Immersive Media R&D group at Charter Communications as a Senior Director. In this role, he focused on service delivery innovation over the network for Gaming, AR/VR and holographic communication. DJ has > 60 granted US patents and additionally > 200 pending US patents. He has held roles in engineering, R&D and product management at Time Warner, Bosch, Eaton and Emerson prior to Charter Communications and Adeia. He has a BS from Indian Institute of Technology, an MBA in general management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Cincinnati.
Adeia Inc.
Mr. Georgios A. Onopas was born in Athens, Greece, in 1968. He is currently Director of Access & Transport Network Devops OTE Group in Greece. He has actively participated in the development of all mobile network Cosmote Group Networks in the Balkan area as well as the new generation fixed access networks deployment in Greece like FFTC & FTTH projects.
He has been engaged in Maritime & Satellite Communications, NGA, FTTH, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G deployment, Spectrum Strategy, Radio Network Planning, Network Performance monitoring, access network operation, as well as transport networks development and to a greater extent in measurements of receptivity and the quality of COSMOTE Network since October 1997. He has led many innovative technology projects on a variety of technologies like GSM, UMTS, LTE, FEMTO, WiFi, 5G, FWA, TETRA, FTTX, WDM, Microwaves, Aggregation Nodes.
OTE GROUP
Dr. Angelos Goulianos leads various ESA 5G/6G activities and the implementation of NTN centres across ESA Member States. Angelos is with ESA’s 5G/6G NTN Office, where his work focuses on 5G/6G Non-Terrestrial Networks and the convergence of terrestrial and space connectivity. He also serves as ESA’s delegate to the O-RAN Alliance.
European Space Agency
Maria Marinidou is a technology executive driving advanced connectivity, cloud, and digital transformation initiatives. She works with industry and innovation ecosystems to design and deliver real-world validation and large-scale technology programs. Her focus is on turning complex technologies into measurable performance and business outcomes across industry verticals.
p-NET
Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation
Dr. Chrissavgi Dre obtained her diploma degree and Ph.D. degree from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of the University of Patras, Greece. Her expertise is in the area of Telecom and Defense Systems. Specific areas of competence include new technologies in defense sector, analysis, development, and design of defense and telecom products and management of complex multinational projects and R&D teams. Currently, she works with Intracom Defense, as Deputy Director of the New Technologies Department in the area of National and European Defense Research and Development Programs. Prior to this, she has served for seven years (2012-2019) as the Director of the Intracom Defense’s Products Development Department.
INTRACOM DEFENSE S.A.
Slawomir is the Founder and CEO of IS-Wireless. He is a passionate entrepreneur, team leader and innovator. As an ex-scientist (Ph.D. at TUDelft) and an ex-athlete (black belt karate kyokushin) he likes to combine extremes.
IS-Wireless
Dimitris Christopoulos works in the Virtual Reality and 3D Graphics Department of the Foundation of the Hellenic World, with extensive experience in 3D modelling, computer graphics and immersive virtual environments. He contributes to the organization’s virtual 3D productions and participates in the Foundation’s technological and cultural projects.
Foundation of the Hellenic World
George Sofianopoulos is a Cultural Project Coordinator at the Foundation of the Hellenic World, with experience in digital cultural applications, heritage dissemination and project management. He has a background in History and Heritage Management and works on the development and coordination of educational and cultural content within cultural and technological projects.
Foundation of the Hellenic World
Angeliki Eleftheriou is Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MOPTIL, where she also leads Corporate Affairs and drives business growth and international expansion. An operation, marketing & communications expert with a strong entrepreneurial mindset, she specializes in delivering high-impact technology projects that address real user needs.
With international experience across the UK, Germany, and Greece—including roles within the Germanos Group of Companies and Deutsche Telekom AG —she brings a strong background in marketing, research, and strategy. At MOPTIL, she leads digital transformation initiatives in tourism and cultural heritage, leveraging AR, VR, and AI technologies, and has contributed to the company’s evolution into a leading innovator in Greece and abroad.
She also serves on multiple Greek committees, contributing to innovation policy in technology, tourism, and cultural heritage, and is a strong advocate for the use of technology to enhance cultural experiences.
Angeliki resides in Athens with her family. She speaks Greek and English fluently and communicates confidently in French and German.
MOPTIL
Professor Panos Parthenios teaches Digital Technologies in Architectural Design and directs the Digital Media Lab at the Technical University of Crete. His work focuses on digital twins, XR, and advanced media in architecture and cultural heritage, leading pioneering VR/AR projects in collaboration with institutions such as the Greek National Opera and the Greek Ministry of Culture. He is co-founder of Parthenios architects+associates and a member of the Board of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.
Technical University of Crete
Vasos Vassiliou is a Professor at the University of Cyprus and a leading researcher in intelligent networks and smart city technologies. Through his work at CYENS and multiple EU-funded projects, he develops digital twin and AI-driven solutions that support climate resilience, cybersecurity, and sustainable urban transformation. He actively collaborates with public authorities to translate research into real-world impact.
University of Cyprus & CYENS
Prof. Spyros Denazis has been a faculty member in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department at the University of Patras, Greece, since 2004. Between 1996 and 2004, he worked in the telecommunications industry at Intracom S.A. and Hitachi Europe, based in Cambridge, UK, and Sophia Antipolis, France.
He currently leads an active research group with a broad portfolio of research activities and participation in European research projects in the areas of 5G/6G, experimental testbeds, NFV, SDN, smart cities, and cybersecurity. He also serves as the Scientific Coordinator of the p-NET Emerging Networks & Applications Competence Centre.
University of Patras & p-NET
Ilias Panagoulias holds a degree in Applied Mathematics and Physics from the National Technical University of Athens. He worked for several years as a researcher in Experimental High Energy Physics before transitioning to data science, developing solutions across various industries in consulting firms. In 2019, he joined TITAN, where he led the Data Science team in the manufacturing department, creating solutions to optimize cement plant performance. Since 2024, he has been serving as Digital Innovation Manager at TITAN.
Titan Cement
Dr. Soldatos holds a PhD. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow, an innovation consultant to multinational enterprises, and co-founder/partner in technology start-ups. He specializes in Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). He has played an active role in the implementation of more than 90 IT and digital transformation projects. He has published more than 200 papers in international journals and conference proceedings, and has coauthored and/or co-edited ten (10) books on IoT and AI technologies and applications.
AI Expert/Consultant
Albena Mihovska holds a PhD in EENg from Aalborg University, Denmark. She is currently the CTO of SmartAvatar B.V., The Netherlands. Further, she serves as the WG3 Chair of the One6G Association, is a Contributing Member of the 6G-IA SNS Women in Technology and Research Working Group (WiTAR), a Member of the IEEE R8 Conference Coordination Committee and the one6G liaison to IEEE P1955 SA on 6G Empowering Robotics.
SmartAvatar
Neils Kalniņš is a leading ICT expert and Director of the Techritory ecosystem at the Electronic Communications Office of Latvia, driving cross-border collaboration and advancing technology adoption in the Baltic Sea Region and beyond. An inspiring speaker, he advocates for innovation, collaboration, and future-focused growth.
Electronic Communications Office of Latvia
Marios Nicolaou, MSc, is Business Development Director at p-NET and Strategic Advisor to 5G Techritory, one of the world’s largest 5G digitalization conferences. He began his career at Bell Labs, USA, where he worked for 18 years, the last seven as Senior Director for Wireless Consulting in London. Marios also served as a 5G expert at Digital Catapult, UK, and as a board member at JCC Payment Systems, Cyprus. He holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine, and an MSc in Engineering Management from the University of Southern California.
p-NET
Why Attend?
The Forum will offer:
- Strategic perspectives on digital twins and intelligent network infrastructures
- Real-world use cases and applied examples from multiple sectors
- Dialogue between public authorities, industry leaders, researchers, and creative professionals
- A platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and future initiatives
Who Should Attend?
The New Tech Forum 2026 is designed for professionals and decision-makers across sectors shaping the future of intelligent networks and digital twins, including:
- Policy makers and public sector leaders involved in digital strategy, smart cities, culture, defense, and innovation
- Technology and telecom executives, network operators, and solution providers
- Industry leaders and engineers exploring digital twins, automation, and advanced connectivity
- Creative professionals from film, gaming, XR, fashion, and digital arts
- Researchers, academics, and innovation hubs working on next-generation technologies
- Startups and scale-ups developing AI, XR, metaverse, and digital twin solutions
- Cultural, tourism, and heritage organizations leveraging immersive technologies
Registration
👉 Participation requires prior registration.