George Dimitropoulos

MedINA is an environmental organisation, established in 2003, that works with local communities to protect and conserve their natural resources and to promote their cultural heritage. Our vision is a world where societies thrive in harmony with nature. MedINA is a transdisciplinary team of 22 people, comprising environmental scientists, social scientists, sustainable agriculture experts, planners, ethnographers, communication experts, financial and admin officers, and has solid experience in managing projects from 14 different funding sources. MedINA’s work focuses on the protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems and agroecosystems. Our actions include the protection of free-flowing rivers, with a focus on the transboundary Aoos/Vjosa river basin; the revival of traditional water management practices as nature-based solutions on the arid islands of the Cyclades; and the multifaceted support of rural communities and promotion of agrifood heritage in the Aegean islands. Since 2024, we have expanded our scope of work to circular bioeconomy, through our participation in the Horizon Europe project RIBES (Regional Inclusive Biobased Entrepreneurship Solutions). RIBES aims to boost bio-based advancements in nine European regions by developing innovative governance and business models at the intersection of circular bioeconomy, social innovation, and rural development. MedINA is a project partner and coordinates the Region of North Aegean in Greece, playing a key role in initiating and coordinating a Multi-actor Transformative Forum in the region, while supporting innovation, capacity building and dissemination processes.