The policy for the support and development of staff of the Interdepartmental Postgraduate Program “Digital Technologies in Hospitality Management and Tourism” is aligned with the strategic objectives of the program and its quality assurance policy.

Staff Support Policy

Staff support is implemented in practice through multiple actions, as outlined below:

• Participation in mobility programs. Mobility is primarily supported through the Erasmus program. Within this framework, inter-institutional agreements (IIAs) exist between the Ionian University and foreign universities. The mobility of teaching staff is considered essential, as it significantly contributes to their academic development and research activity. The two departments supporting the program encourage academic leave in foreign universities as well as international collaborations. Additionally, the program provides incentives to increase participation in mobility actions, such as flexible replacement of teaching duties during staff absence.
• Establishment of Teaching Awards. A process has been designed to award the instructor who receives the highest evaluation score each academic year, based on student feedback collected through course evaluation questionnaires administered by the Quality Assurance Unit (MODIP) of the Ionian University. The award includes coverage of travel expenses for participation in scientific conferences or workshops related to the instructor’s teaching field within the program.
• Access to educational and research resources. The program allocates an annual budget to ensure access to open-source software licenses, digital libraries, and research infrastructure necessary for the teaching and research activities of its staff.
• Encouragement and support of continuous professional development for teaching and administrative staff through institutions such as the Center for Teaching and Learning Support of the Ionian University. Training may cover various areas, including (indicatively) new technologies in education and administration, human resource management, legal and ethical issues, and personal development topics (e.g., workplace resilience).

Staff Development Policy

Staff development is promoted through the following actions:

• Enhancement of the quality and quantity of research output. The program supports the development of research activity by providing financial support for staff participation in scientific conferences and workshops. A prerequisite is that the publication or workshop is relevant to the staff member’s teaching or research area within the program and contributes to the development of collaborations with other postgraduate programs and institutions in Greece or abroad.
• Organization of outreach activities. The professional development of teaching staff is supported through outreach initiatives organized by the institution and/or the collaborating departments, such as conferences, summer schools, and workshops. Faculty members are encouraged to participate in national and international scientific events to present their research results, including work conducted in collaboration with postgraduate students, stay informed about developments in their field, and explore opportunities for new research collaborations. Additionally, the program may cover costs related to organizing outreach activities (e.g., career days, digital tourism events), aiming to promote the program and strengthen its connection with the labor market.