The United Nations (UN) has designated October 31st as the World Cities Day, aiming at promoting cooperation among nations in seizing opportunities and addressing challenges during the transition toward sustainable urban development on a global scale.

The DAISSy Research Group of Hellenic Open University (HOU) works systematically over time fostering equality, access to services, the creation of new opportunities, and the active participation of citizens, while respecting the diversity of cities and societies. Examples of such successful actions in recent years are important european co-funded projects where DAISSy-HOU participates as the only Greek entity in international consortia.

Indicative example is the «Blueprint for SMARt COmmunities’ Skills Development in Europe (SMARCO)» project, which focuses on supporting skills development for resilient, smart communities, in alignment with the European Skills Agenda and the Large-Scale Partnership for the Digital Ecosystem, contributing to the goals of the Digital Decade. DAISSy-HOU among other initiatives, develops an educational program that focuses on two critical professional profiles shaping the future of smart communities: "Smart Community Resilience Engineers" and "Procurement and Planning Specialists for Resilient Smart Community Solutions". In the context of the digital and green transformation of cities, addressing the emerging challenges requires the development of a workforce equipped with the appropriate knowledge and skills to design, implement, and manage resilient systems for the sustainable communities of the future.

The european project "Open Data City Officer (OpenDCO)" developed a professional profile focused on open data in smart cities at a European level, as well as a modular training program covering all aspects of the "Open Data City Officer" role. The project aimed at fostering the acquisition of essential knowledge and skills regarding smart cities and open data—including the management and utilization of such data—to facilitate the development of innovative applications across a range of sectors, such as education, transport, and healthcare.

Similarly, the "Smart City Asean Learning Network (SCALE)" european project focused on smart cities—specifically, on the creation of educational programs designed to build knowledge and develop skills for emerging and future smart city professions in Southeast Asian countries. Within this framework, competency-based educational modules were developed, allowing for the flexible integration of emerging and innovative smart city elements into existing curricula. This supports the acquisition of a diverse range of transferable, digital and green skills, as well as specialized competencies essential for the smart, resilient city.

DAISSy-HOU works continuously so as to achieve a consistent contribution towards fostering collaborative action for enabling cities, and communities more broadly, to become inclusive, safe, and sustainable, while ensuring a human-centric approach.