International Environment & Science Festival Brings Young Innovators from Four Countries Together in Xanthi

• 4 Countries · 12 Student Projects · E-STEM

• Environment · Sustainability · Innovation

• Xanthi, Greece | 7–8 October 2026

“The ecosySTEM – Empowering Children for Environmental Sustainability through E-STEM” project is approaching one of its most significant final milestones: The International Environment & Science Festival, which will take place on 7–8 October 2026 in Xanthi, Greece.

Under the slogan “SHAPING THE FUTURE WITH STEM,” the Festival will bring together young participants and selected student projects from the four ecosySTEM partner countries: Türkiye, Greece, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

Following months of E-STEM education, experimentation, Design Thinking activities and project development across the four countries, 12 selected student projects, three from each partner country, will meet on one international stage.

The projects reflect young people’s responses to environmental challenges and demonstrate how science, technology, engineering and mathematics can be combined with creativity, environmental awareness and problem-solving to develop ideas for a more sustainable future.

From Local Learning to an International Stage

The International Festival represents an important culmination of the learning and project-development process carried out through ecosySTEM.

Throughout the project, children and young people have participated in environmental E-STEM activities addressing key sustainability themes, while Design Thinking has encouraged them to identify real environmental problems, develop solutions and transform their ideas into projects, prototypes and presentations.

The Festival in Xanthi will provide an opportunity for selected student teams to present their work, exchange experiences with peers from other Black Sea countries and demonstrate the results of cross-border E-STEM cooperation.

Beyond showcasing individual projects, the event will celebrate the collective journey of young people who have learned to look at environmental challenges not only as problems, but also as opportunities to investigate, design, collaborate and innovate.

From Local Learning to an International Stage

The Festival will bring together the four ecosySTEM partner organisations:

• IDEA Universal – Türkiye

• Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH) – Greece

• Ukrainian Association of Business Support Centers (UABSC) – Ukraine

• Institute of Oceanology – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IO-BAS) – Bulgaria

Through this international gathering, ecosySTEM highlights one of the central ideas of the project: environmental challenges cross borders, and building a more sustainable future requires knowledge, cooperation and a new generation capable of thinking beyond those borders.

The International Environment & Science Festival is organised within the framework of “ecosySTEM – Empowering Children for Environmental Sustainability through E-STEM” implemented under the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme and co-funded by the European Union.