Following the first proposal submitted to the General Secretariat of Research and Innovation through which the Rural Tourism Network e-pithros was created, a 2nd call followed in which a proposal titled JoInOuT was submitted, which was approved.

The JoInOuT proposal, which focuses on the Culture – Tourism – Cultural & Creative Industries sector, came 3rd in ranking order and secured a total funding of €2,196,299.41.

ETAM S.A. is the main sponsor and the coordinator is the company Aegean Solutions SA. In total, 14 companies – agencies participate in the proposal, 10 of which are based in Crete.

The approved proposal brings together a set of innovations related to tourism products aimed at businesses and visitors with the aim of facilitating overall access to technological methods and practices that improve the content of the tourist experience, modify business models and contribute to sustainability and in the competitiveness of tourism in the Greek countryside.

The proposal adopts the philosophy of the e-paithros Tourism Network and at the same time aspires to design, implement and disseminate new technological practices, strengthen the actions of the e-countryside network and deliver a sustainable ecosystem of synergies and collaborations of innovation and entrepreneurship.

The project seeks to evolve into a collaborative structure, so that businesses operating or targeting the countryside take a new approach so that all companies in the e-paithros partnership (and not only) gain access and direct participation in research and innovation.

The project entitled "Joint Innovative Activities for Outdoor Tourism" and distinctive title: "JoInOuT", is implemented within the framework of the Action "Cooperative Innovation Formations/SCC" - 2nd Call: Businesses" and is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by National Resources in the context of the Operational Program "Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (EPANEK)" of the NSRF 2014-2020" (Project code: ΓΓ2CL-0359457).