Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, Dimitris Papastergiou, presented the opportunities arising for Greece’s space ecosystem as Adrian Golemis becomes the first Greek to participate in the official European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut training program.

For the first time in its history, Greece is officially represented in an ESA astronaut training program. Adrian Golemis will soon begin his training at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. This development marks a major milestone in strengthening Greece’s presence in space research and technology, opening new opportunities for the country’s participation in international space missions. The training, scheduled to start in April 2026, is a fundamental prerequisite for future participation in space missions and includes an intensive program of theoretical instruction and practical exercises.

Minister Papastergiou stated: "The training of the first Greek astronaut is not only a personal achievement for Adrian; it is a powerful symbol of a new era for our country in space. It is living proof that Greece can design, participate, and play a leading role in a field that until recently seemed distant. I cannot think of a better proof than the fact that a Greek citizen will now have the opportunity to travel to space. Our national presence in space is not fragmented; it is part of a cohesive strategy that is already underway: from increasing our participation in ESA research programs to the National Microsatellite Program, whose first launches are already a reality. Six micro- and nanosatellites are currently in orbit, while in the coming days, weather permitting, six more Greek nanosatellites are expected to be launched. In April, we continue with thermal microsatellites, further expanding our operational capabilities in space. In this way, we are creating a comprehensive ecosystem of knowledge, innovation, and production".

Adrian Golemis commented: "It is a great joy for me that, through the systematic work of the Hellenic Space Center and the General Secretariat of Telecommunications and Post, my success in ESA’s most recent astronaut selection has been transformed from a personal achievement into a national opportunity. It is an honor to help Greece be represented for the first time in the field of astronauts. Traveling to space has been a childhood dream. I am thrilled that we are moving forward with the right framework for our country: my integration into ESA’s astronaut training program expands the window for Greek companies, universities, and research institutions to participate in the agency’s collaborative programs, complementing the National Microsatellite Program that is already underway. Having worked in this field for eight years, I have witnessed the significant economic, scientific, geopolitical, and educational benefits that arise. I am particularly pleased that Greece is now moving in this direction and extending its activity in human and robotic space exploration. It is important to recognize that our country has a mature ecosystem capable of contributing to and benefiting from the European framework. Astronaut training also prepares us for the possibility of Greek participation, in collaboration with Europe and the U.S., in missions to the International Space Station (ISS), advancing domestic space research and technology for future applications that improve life on Earth. I would like to sincerely thank my family for their support, as well as every Greek citizen who has worked for our country’s entry into the astronaut program."

Brief Biography of Adrian Golemis

Adrian Golemis was born and raised in Larissa, studied medicine at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and completed an interdisciplinary Master’s in Space Sciences at the International Space University (ISU) in France.

He has lived and worked for one year in complete isolation with a small crew at the Concordia Station in Antarctica, conducting European experiments studying changes in human physiology and psychology under extreme living conditions similar to those in space. His next posting was at the French Institute of Space Medicine and Physiology (MEDES), where he worked on clinical studies simulating the challenges faced by the human body in space, aimed at improving understanding and care on Earth.

Since 2018, he has contributed to the medical support of ESA astronauts, currently serving as Lead Flight Surgeon. He is also a research collaborator at the Hellenic Space Center (ELKED).

In 2022, Golemis ranked first among 25 selected candidates out of 22,500 applicants in ESA’s astronaut selection process, becoming the first Greek citizen to complete all selection stages, enabling Greece to be represented in a research mission in space for the first time. Subsequently, he was elected a member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).

Golemis also promotes science through public presentations and interviews, including many in schools.

Source: Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence

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In the rugged, mountainous landscape of Amorgos, one of Greece’s easternmost Cycladic islands, a remarkable movement is unfolding. Born from necessity and a deep love for the sea, Amorgorama is a fisher-led initiative that has become a global exemplar for marine conservation and sustainable fishing. This innovative partnership, uniting local fishers, conservationists, scientists, and government bodies, aims to protect the marine environment while safeguarding the livelihoods of the island community.

The Crisis that Sparked a Movement

For generations, the fishers of Amorgos relied entirely on the Aegean Sea for their sustenance and way of life. However, like many coastal communities worldwide, they began to face a grim reality: marine pollution and overfishing were devastating ocean ecosystems. Michalis Krosman, President of the Professional Fishing Association of Amorgos, recalled, "We thought the sea was a source that will never end. There will be fish forever." But by 2010, fishers observed dwindling catches and decreasing incomes. Their nets often brought back more plastic than fish, and the northern beaches, inaccessible by land, accumulated tons of plastic rubbish every spring after winter storms. This plastic debris posed a threat to the ecosystem and fish reproduction.

The dire situation forced many fishers to take on second jobs, or even surrender their licenses and dismantle their traditional Greek fishing boats, known as Kaïkia, in exchange for compensation under a 2014 EU overfishing regulation. Faced with an uncertain future, the approximately 40 members of the Professional Fishing Association of Amorgos, known as “Η Χοζοβιώτισσα,” decided to take matters into their own hands.

The Birth of a Collective Vision: Amorgorama

The movement began taking shape as early as 2013 when the fishing association ventured beyond Amorgos to attend the 2nd European Low-Impact Fishermen (LIFE) conference in Spain. It was there that Michalis Krosman and his colleagues realized they were not alone in their struggles, and that solutions existed. This realization sparked a vision for a different future for Amorgos's seas.

In 2019, the association co-founded Amorgorama with German artist and scientist Florian Reiche. The initiative gained early momentum through a successful crowdfunding campaign and key partnerships within Greece and beyond, including the Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF) and the Blue Marine Foundation (BMF).  The name itself, "Amorgorama," embodies this hope: Orama means vision in Greek, signifying the fishers' vision for "clean seas full of fish".

The Four Pillars of Amorgorama’s Strategy

After extensive discussions and a hard-won consensus, the fishers of Amorgos developed a four-pillar master plan aimed at revitalizing their marine environment and ensuring sustainable livelihoods. This bold approach, unique in Greek fishing history, demonstrates their commitment to long-term sustainability.

1. Seasonal Fishing Prohibition: A critical decision was to pause fishing activities for all boats—local, professional, and amateur—during April and May. These months are crucial for the reproduction of commercially important fish species. This self-imposed economic blow, suspending fishing in the middle of the breeding season, highlights the fishers' dedication to the natural environment.

2. Coastal Clean-up Actions: During these two months of fishing prohibition, the fishers repurpose their vessels to address the pressing issue of marine pollution. They use their boats and local knowledge to clean inaccessible northern beaches, which accumulate tonnes of plastic rubbish. From 2021 to 2022 alone, 38 waste collection actions were carried out, with fishers collecting over 1,200 large bags of trash and sending more than 15 tonnes of plastic for recycling. Approximately 60-65% of the recovered plastic is recycled, along with 3 tonnes of nets and ropes.

3. Transition to Environmentally Friendly Fishing Gear: Amorgorama promotes and facilitates the adoption of more sustainable fishing practices. This includes replacing traditional gear with more environmentally friendly options, such as nets with larger mesh and hooks. The goal is to avoid capturing small, young fish, allowing them to grow and reproduce. Recyclable nets have also been introduced.

4. Creation of Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs): Perhaps the most critical and challenging pillar involved the establishment of no-take FRAs, meaning specific zones where fishing is permanently prohibited to enhance fish reproduction and biodiversity. These areas are designed to provide undisturbed havens for fish reproduction, which has been shown in other regions to dramatically increase fish populations. Initially, the plan was to permanently halt fishing for five consecutive years in three of the island's most important fishing grounds: Nikouria, Katapola bay, and the area between the islets of Gramvoussa and Kalotaritissa. These zones will serve as sanctuaries for fish to reproduce and recover, acting as "banks" for fish stocks. The fishers themselves developed a management plan to reverse overfishing, understanding that they "had to sacrifice; they had to change, because otherwise they had to quit".

Key Partnerships and Government Endorsement

Amorgorama's success is deeply rooted in strong collaborative partnerships. From its inception, the initiative received practical support from the Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF), which provided funding, capacity, networking, and visibility. Soon after, the Blue Marine Foundation (BMF) joined forces, further bolstering the project.

A crucial scientific partner has been the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA). Following guidelines from the Greek Ministry of Rural Development & Food, the AUA conducted a vital fisheries study for Amorgos to identify and demarcate fundamental habitats and ideal sites for the Fisheries Restricted Areas. This study also proposed alternative management and protection measures for sustainable coastal fisheries. The study was privately funded Cyclades Reservation Fund and Blue Marine Foundation, underscoring the importance of these collaborative efforts.

The initiative's community-led nature and scientific backing gained significant attention, leading to formal recognition from the Greek government. In September 2022, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between Amorgorama and the Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food. This was a pivotal moment, signaling official support for Amorgorama's goals.

 In April 2024, at the Our Ocean Conference in Athens, the Minister of Rural Development and Food publicly announced the Greek government's approval for the proposed new FRAs around Amorgos. This commitment was also reiterated at the same conference by the Greek Prime Minister, who pledged to expand Greece's marine protected area network and ban bottom trawling in all MPAs by 2030, and to establish the FRAs around Amorgos that the fishers requested.  The study's approval is a significant step, as the establishment of these FRAs is expected to contribute to Greece's commitment to establishing more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and FRAs by 2030 (known as the "30-30" target).

Following the positive recommendation from the Fisheries Council of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food in December 2024, a draft Presidential Decree (PD) for the institutionalization of the FRAs around Amorgos was submitted to the Council of State (ΣτΕ) in February 2025 for consultation.

The issuance of the Presidential Decree will make the Amorgorama one of a kind initiative in the world, and it’s no coincidence that the attention of both the Greek and global fishing communities is focused on Amorgos. “If it succeeds here, it will succeed elsewhere too,” emphasizes Mr. Krosman in an interview with Gastronomos magazine. “That’s why we say that during this five-year period, state support is needed. Without compensation, no fisherman will be able to survive.”

Furthermore, at the 3rd UN Oceans Conference in Nice in June 2025, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, highlighted Amorgorama as a model initiative, emphasizing Greece's commitment to expanding its marine protected area network from 20% to 30% and banning bottom trawling in all MPAs by 2030. The Prime Minister specifically cited Amorgorama as an example of "local fishing communities…establishing specific no-fishing zones around the island as safe havens for marine life".

A Global Model and Future Outlook

It has obvious that Amorgorama’s bold actions and collaborative spirit have garnered international acclaim and its success might prove crucial for the future The initiative has also fostered peer-to-peer learning; Michalis Krosman connected with the president of the Gökova Fishers Association in Rome, whose successful marine protection efforts in Gökova Bay had originally inspired Amorgos fishers. They now meet annually to exchange insights.

While government support is critical, particularly regarding compensation for fishers during the no-fishing periods, the Amorgorama partners are committed to ensuring the long-term success of the Fishing Restricted Areas (FRAs), including matters of funding, scientific monitoring, and enforcement. The effective control and supervision of these restricted areas is a prerequisite for the success of the entire endeavor.

Today, Amorgorama stands as a beacon of inspiration and optimism not only for Amorgos but for other fishing and small communities across the Aegean Sea and beyond. What began as a desperate struggle by a handful of fishers has transformed into a globally recognized model for how local communities can lead the charge in protecting our oceans and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.

I.L., with information from Amorgorama; Cyclades Preservation Fund; Revive our Ocean; Gastronomos; Κυκλαδική΄΄΄; Innovationinpolitics.eu

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Eirini Karamouzi is Professor of Contemporary History at The American College of Greece and Associate Dean of Research and Innovation at the School of Liberal Arts and Science. She is also a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield. She is the author of Greece, the EEC and the Cold War: The Second Enlargement (2014), co-editor of The Balkans in the Cold War (2017) and Beyond the Euromissile Crisis: The Global histories of anti-nuclear activism (2024). Professor Karamouzi is also the principal investigator of the curating team for "Imagining Greece," an evolving research-based exhibition that explores how social, political, and cultural forces have shaped Greece's image as a tourist destination. Along with lead researchers and scientific and artistic Curators for Imagining Greece, Dr Stavros Alifragkis and Dr Emilia Athanasiou, professor Karamouzi spoke to Greek News Agenda* on the aspects of the Greek experience that "Imagining Greece" highlights for potential or past travelers, on the forces have shaped the global perception and image of Greece as an ideal place to visit, the major turning points in the modern history of Greek tourism and finally, on what the present and future holds for Greek tourism and on what constitutes a Southern European identity.

What is the central focus of the "Imagining Greece" project?  Why is the period between the end of World War II and the end of the Cold War significant for tourism?

‘Imagining Greece' is an evolving research-based exhibition that explores how social, political, and cultural forces have shaped Greece's image as a tourist destination. The exhibition brings together a rich diversity of archival materials on Greek tourism alongside first-hand accounts, presenting them on a single platform for the first time. It reveals the complex interplay of vision, ambitions, and expectations of those who established Greece as one of the world's most beloved destinations and shaped the image of the idyllic Greek summer. Over the course of these five decades, the conditions for the development of the Greek tourism industry were shaped through state policies and private initiatives, which at times functioned complementarily and at others antagonistically. In the early postwar decades, the state assumed a dominant role through the newly established Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO, 1951), which implemented a remarkably broad and multidimensional programme of tourism reconstruction. This included the formation of the institutional framework for regulating the market, the promotion of the country’s image abroad, the renovation of existing and the construction of new leisure infrastructure and facilities, the upgrading of archaeological sites, the modernisation and densification of transport networks, the establishment of festivals, cultural events, and local celebrations, and the broader cultivation of tourism awareness as a tool for revitalising the Greek periphery.

Spearheaded by the ‘XENIA’ programme, the GNTO embarked on an unprecedented, large-scale, and innovative —considering the capacities of the time— production of mostly in-house and self-managed projects, such as hotels, motels, tourist pavilions, roadside stations, car camps, border posts, organized beaches, marinas, and more, alongside the regulation of excursion frameworks and the cruise market. The objective was to establish modern standards for tourism infrastructure and services, which private actors —who entered the field relatively early— would adopt, though without necessarily being bound by the guidelines set forth by the state.

By the end of the period under examination, the GNTO had effectively concluded this phase of its activity with an equally ambitious programme aimed at showcasing Greece’s vernacular architecture through the retrofitting of traditional mansions to guesthouses, thereby transitioning into a more strategic and managerial role. Our exhibition celebrates the cherished legacy of these formative decades, during which the founding mythology of the Greek summer first began to take shape through early efforts at strategic planning.

What aspects of the Greek experience does "Imagining Greece" highlight for potential or past travelers? Can you tell us more on the underlying concept of the "voyage immobile par excellence”?

The exhibition emulates a visitor’s journey from fantasizing about Greece, then travelling and discovering the country to remembering what is left of the Greek holiday. How do these visitors perceive Greece? What pictures and expectations inspire their journey? How does their presence influence Greek society? In what ways do they transition from mere tourists to catalysts of modernity, shaping the local economy and culture? As they travel across the islands and mainland, what do they discover? How does the country’s ancient heritage resonate with the spirit of the times? And what do they remember of their adventures? Is it the keepsakes they collect, the breathtaking landscapes etched in their memories, or the people they meet along the way? ‘Imagining Greece’ explores these questions and more, bringing the traveler’s experience to life through a captivating photographic and audiovisual collection spanning five decades.

The expansion of tourism has long been intertwined with the proliferation of travel literature and, from the 1960s onward, the rise of the travel documentary. These narrative forms extend beyond guiding prospective travelers in planning or navigating their journeys. Instead, they also contribute to the enduring and increasingly popular tradition of armchair travel — a form of imaginative escape from the routines of everyday life, mediated through text, photography, and moving images.

In recent years, technological advancements and the growth of the digital humanities have transformed armchair tourism into a distinct and dynamic field, both as an entrepreneurial venture and a mode of artistic expression. Freed from the constraints of physical mobility — whether economic, logistical, or temporal — this type of tourism offers the pleasures of discovery and immersion without the necessity of travel.

Our exhibition draws upon this idea of the quasi-journey to Greece — not only as a tangible geographical space but also as a site of memory, imagination, and cultural projection. Through a curated selection of digital exhibits spanning approximately five decades, we chart the evolution of tourism and its visual and experiential narratives.

What political, social, and cultural forces have shaped the global perception and image of Greece as an ideal place to visit? What would you say were the major turning points in the modern history of Greek tourism?

Since the end of the Second World war, it's possible to observe the establishment of an integral part of Greece’s distinctive tourism ‘brand’- cultural tourism grounded in a widely shared appreciation of Greece’s ancient past and its myriad cultural legacies. The strength of these associations would play a major role in sustaining the remarkable growth of the Greek tourism industry for the remainder of the twentieth century and beyond. Innovations in air travel, package holidays and the popular use of the car however  revolutionised the market ushering in a period of mass tourism, with Greece marketing itself as a land of ‘sun, sea and sand’ to foreign audiences. All of these were happening as the country was modernizing its infrastructure, upgrading the road network and, more broadly, creating new opportunities to experience Greece’s unspoiled landscapes and historical sites through newly established leisure facilities that adhered to international standards while highlighting local architectural features. 

Aside from the GNTO, international tour operators were instrumental in introducing Greece to the wider world and attracting more visitors. Their contribution remains largely undocumented in recent scholarship. We hope that, as our exhibition evolves, further information on this subject will become available to the general public. Equally important, though less well known, was the critical role played by various clubs and organizations, such as the Hellenic Touring Club and the Automobile and Touring Club of Greece, which supported the GNTO in the micro-management of various aspects of tourism development. These ranged from the organization of festivals and local feasts, to the promotion of water sports, the operation of campsites, the publication of travel guidebooks and updated maps, and the maintenance of road and directional signage. Their micro-histories are closely interwoven with the evolution of tourism in Greece, particularly the rise of domestic tourism during the 1960s and 1970s. Another milestone, albeit not in a strictly chronological sense, was the involvement of the private sector —particularly banks— in the tourism industry. This led to a significant increase in serious stakeholders within the sector, marked by the arrival of international hotel chains in Greece and the emergence of domestic hotel groups, some of which remain active to this day.

How did the growth of tourism influence Greek society and its economy during the post-war and Cold War eras? It is often said that tourism is Greece’s ‘heavy industry’. Do you agree with that take and what are its implications?

Tourism has constantly been upward trending in the last decades. It started in 1950 with 33,000 visitors, skyrocketed to 5.271.000 in 1980 to reach 36 million tourists in 2024. Until 1990, Greece’s development in the tourism sector was the fastest in Europe. Tourism has become the country’s heavy industry with a contribution of almost 25 percent to GDP and employing more than 400.000 Greeks.Even in 1948 in the midst of the Greek civil war, the American Mission had identified tourism as a major source of foreign currency and an avenue for the country’s economic reconstruction. The implications of an over reliance on the Greek tourism product, is Greece’s vulnerability to the massive influx of tourists and how that affects the quality of life of the local population, and threatens the country’s landscape and traditions.

Greece’s destination branding has been based on “Sun, Sea & Sand” triptych as well on ancient sites and the country as the “Cradle of Western Civilization”. Do you see any other branding options opening up in the future? 

In an efforts to grow their country’s tourism sector, Greek stakeholders have grappled with the same conceptual schism between an imagined Hellas (a ‘romanticized spectre of a lost civilization’ built on ‘the desired relics of material culture’) that had become deeply embedded in the foreign imagination during the 19^th century, and a modern Greece, at once a ‘geographical space that hosted the material remnants of Hellas’ while being ‘inferior to it’ and a desirable destination for sun-worshipping travelers seeking respite from modernity. The demand for the ‘Greek summer’ remains unabated. Extending the tourist season has been a long-standing goal for the Greek tourist industry and since the 1970s Greece had branded itself as the land of all seasons but only recently has managed to achieve that. In a pursuit for a more sustainable tourism, there are calls for diversification of the tourist product, with alternative activities beyond the usual ‘sun and sea that will make Greece an all-year round European destination. 

Your current research project deals with the role of tourism and mobility in the construction of a Southern European identity. What are the components of a Southern European Identity, and how do tourism and mobility interplay with other factors that shape it?

The countries of Southern Europe are, for the most part, also Mediterranean countries, and this characteristic has significantly shaped their identities for centuries. Around the life-giving waters of this enclosed sea —Mare Nostrum, as the Romans called it— national identities gradually took shape, united by a common thread: the sea as an open route for trade, a bridge for cultural exchange, and, at times, a means of conquest through brute force. Southern European identity, as an intellectual construct, is by its very nature inextricably linked to the rich and densely layered cultural geography of the Mediterranean sunbelt, whose origins are lost in the depths of historical time. Enduring elements of the mythology of the Mediterranean have consistently included antiquities, the sun, and the coastlines —sometimes gentle, at other times dramatic— that have been immortalized in every form of art.

For the modern Greek state, the formation of its national identity is likewise inextricably linked to the emergence of modernity in the 19th and 20th centuries, as expressed through touring (e.g., the Grand Tour) and, later, tourism respectively. The geographical and cultural mobility of cosmopolitan Europeans and Americans  —bourgeois merchants, scientists, and artists from the elites of the 19th century and the interwar period, who, through their travels, paid homage to the ancestral civilization of ancient Greece— played a significant role in shaping the conditions and terms under which Greeks were reconstituted as a nation, a people, a country, and an idea(l). This same phenomenon also influenced the image of the West itself, whose model the Greeks continuously measured themselves against — while always casting a sidelong glance towards the alluring East.

In the postwar period, the Greek version of Southern European identity was significantly reshaped by tourism, a dynamic phenomenon that fueled social, economic, and cultural transformations in both urban centres and the periphery. The vast mobility generated by the massification of tourism established holidays as a democratic right to leisure time — not only for Northern Europeans, whose ‘exodus’ to the sun-drenched South and the Greek archipelago was experienced as restorative, but also for Greeks themselves, for whom contact with the traveler's ‘otherness’ became a form of education. In the case of Greece, as in other southern countries, the redefinition of national identity through tourism was filtered via the process of modernization. More specifically, the Greek state was restructured institutionally, politically, economically, socially, and culturally, with the aim of aligning the Greek standard ever more closely with that of Europe. Greece reinvents itself in order to promote its image both abroad and at home — a process broadly analogous to that of the 19th century, when the Western gaze largely shaped the way in which modern Greeks wished to view themselves and their future.

*Interview to: Ioulia Livaditi

The post Eirini Karamouzi on ‘Imagining Greece’, the digital exhibition on Greece as a tourist destination: “Greece is always reinventing itself” appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Dr. Anezina Solomonidou works at the space agency of Greece, the Hellenic Space Center, as the Scientific Officer of Space Science and Space Exploration. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Greece from the Department of Geology of the University of Patras, specializing in Volcanology. She then expanded her knowledge with a master’s degree in Planetary Geology at the University College London (UCL) in London, where she focused on modeling the cryovolcanoes of the icy moons of the outer solar system. She received her PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the Observatory of Paris in France, in a collaboration agreement with the University of Athens. In 2014, she started working at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Los Angeles, California as a researcher of the Cassini space mission, while since the beginning of 2018 in parallel work with NASA, she worked at the European Space Agency (ESA) in Madrid in Spain on the preparation of the new space mission to the outer solar system named JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE), as well as NASA's mission to the Jupiter system, Europa Clipper. Starting in mid-2022, she works at the space agency of Greece, the Hellenic Space Center, as the Scientific Officer of Space Science and Space Exploration. Dr. Solomonidou and her research team have proposed a series of planetary experiments adapted to the exotic environment of the icy moons of the giant planets and has contributed to the design of future space missions, Finally, she is President and Vice-Chair in European and International planetary science committees and unions, while she participates in outreach activities in Greece and abroad.

Dr Solomonidou spoke to Greek News Agenda* on the role of the Hellenic Space Center** and the position of Greece in space exploration describing how space developments have a meaning for the general public. As a Greek Diaspora scientist excelling abroad Dr Solomonidou outlines how she decided to return to Greece and how the country itself can encourage distinguished Greek scientists abroad to contribute to Greece’s development, particularly in the fields of science and technology. Dr Solomonidou is also sharing with us her thoughts about the future of space research illustrating how “science and exploration are inextricably linked to nature, philosophy, art, and to everything that gives quality and true meaning to our lives”.

Mars, Photo by NASA on Unsplash

You have worked for many years in remarkable space institutions abroad. Why did you decide to return to Greece and work for the Hellenic Space Center (HSC) and what are your main duties there?

After working for more than a decade at both NASA and ESA and gaining experience from these two large space agencies, I found it very intriguing and good in timing to return to Greece, which is now considered to be an emerging space nation. Greece, until recently was one of the few ESA member-states lacking a national coordinating institution. Therefore, the foundation of a space agency was a necessity more than ever, and that is why the Hellenic Space Center (HSC) which is the Greek Space Agency was founded. The HSC, as the nation’s space agency, is here to promote, disseminate, implement, and exploit the national space strategy of Greece. In this framework, within my duties, I am responsible for the planning, coordination, and implementation of programs related to research and development in the fields of Space Science and Space Exploration, in collaboration with public and private entities active in these fields in Greece and abroad.

You are one of the Greek Diaspora scientists excelling abroad. In what ways do you think the Greek Diaspora can contribute to Greece’s development, particularly in the fields of science and technology, and how can the country itself encourage them in this?

I consider it particularly important for the development of a researcher to gain experience from different countries, different laboratories and institutes, in countries and organizations that offer variety in the space and research 'culture'. And this is precisely the culture Greece needs to build that, in a sense, lack so far due to the limited access to resources and national plan, and what the return of a scientist from abroad to Greece can offer. Beyond the personal need for development and exploration that may have driven a scientist to emigrate abroad in the past decades, the very situation in research and education in Greece is marginally prohibitive for a stable and evolving career with elements of progress and the aim to create a pathway of ‘exchange’ between the scientific community and the society and vice versa. The governments will need to radically change their beliefs towards the scientific community and the way science is conducted in Greece in order to support the current scientists and engineers, which are the backbone of scientific and technological development in Greece, encourage the return of Greek scientists back to the country, but also for an equally important factor: to attract scientists from all over the world; people who will bring their knowledge and scientific culture to the country.

Photo courtesy of Dr Anezina Solomonidou

Last July Greece hosted the 44th Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Scientific Assembly, the most prestigious space research event worldwide. What is the position of a small country such as Greece in what we call space exploration? What are the objectives and the role of the Hellenic Space Center regarding the development of the Greek space strategy and what are this strategy’s benefits for the country?

Greece is a member-state of one of the largest space agencies in the world, the European Space Agency (ESA). So far, as a country, we realize our endeavors in space primarily through this membership. The Hellenic Space Center is the Greek space agency and has the mandate to advise and support the government in all matters of space and to represent Greece at relevant international organizations – such as the International Astronautical Federation for example. A space agency is the ‘mothership’ and the main responsible entity of each country’s space program as well as aeronautics and space research. Indeed, COSPAR is a very prestigious international space research event and our presence as hosts and as the nation’s agency for the first time gave us the opportunity to show that Greece’s space sector even though is relatively new, yet is rapidly developing, and our agency is here to work on this development. Having been given the opportunity of COSPAR held in Athens, HSC officers got the chance to hold important meetings with delegates of NASA and its various centers such as JPL and Ames, and representatives from other space agencies.

In HSC, we are working towards the development of a space strategy proposal and a dynamically rolling action plan for the national space strategy. This is being built in collaboration with the academic and research community, the public and private sector that identifies targets, areas of cooperation and processes for achieving goals. Briefly, we are forming the country’s agenda in space matters and advising the government on satellite services and space matters in general. Greece and its citizen are benefited from the development of the Greek space strategy in many aspects. A nation’s involvement in the space ‘market’ offers significant benefits to its citizens starting from the very important involvement and contribution to education and the development of environmental and scientific consciousness, i.e., the motivation of people towards the care of the natural world and the use of renewable resources, and then to the highly growing space economy, which is now marking one of the fastest rates of growth in international markets.

Views, photo by NASA on Unsplash

Does the study of space affect our perceptions about our planet, and if so, in what ways is this happening? What are the fundamental space discoveries altering the way we perceive our world?

With our ‘eyes’ and our personal beliefs open, the perception we have for our planet and everything that surrounds it, can change day by day. Science and exploration offer a state of realism to a society that can be consumed in a 'bubble' of repetition and false reality. Science and exploration are inextricably linked to nature, to philosophy, to art, and to everything that gives quality and true meaning to our lives. So, being in contact with science, making it actual part of our lives, keeping up with the ‘extraterrestrial’ news and understanding our cosmic roots (i.e., where we are, what surrounds us, how we are part of the whole), lead us to create a comprehensive life, inclusive to all beings, in sync with the natural world, with the option to experience life at its fullest. Through space exploration we discovered that our species has the means to survive on a celestial object other than Earth (the Moon!), we took a photo of our planet from afar, we placed artificial satellites in Earth’s orbit to help our terrestrial lives, we sent a spacecraft so far that it crossed the boundaries of our solar system (Voyager), we took the first and only photo of an outer solar system surface of a place that looks a lot like Earth (Huygens – Titan), and so many more that completely changed our perception of time, space, and existence itself.

Captured in infrared light by NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth. Photo credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

There has been significant progress recently in the field of space research, such as the construction of the powerful James Webb Space Telescope that can take high-resolution pictures of the Universe. What should we anticipate in the near future regarding space exploration? Do you think that these developments have a meaning for the general public and that space science can be popularized?

The more we grow as society, the more we realize things about our existence, the more we passionately want to explore space. There is a direct link between our existence and the need for discovery and exploration. And what’s more mysterious, more exciting, and more related to us than space? Our planet’s and our species’ future will continue to be a story of exploration, technology, and science. In the last decade alone, we experienced tremendous growth in space exploration with the Webb Telescope, the landing of the Perseverance rover on Mars, the very recent Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission which performs a method of planetary defense against near-Earth objects (in a nutshell: how to avoid experiencing the Armageddon movie in real life). Same with the low-Earth orbit ecosystem, where the International Space Station (ISS) is offering a wealth of information on a great number of issues and the plethora of small satellites in orbit around us has upgraded the human experience tremendously in terms of safety, communication, transportation, and more.

For the near future, we expect a number of planned missions to be launched such as ESA’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), which will help us determine more about the nature and location of black holes and help us test Einstein’s theories on the matter, the JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE), which will be the first spacecraft in orbit around a satellite (Ganymede), the Dragonfly mission to Titan which will study its astrobiological potential, and the closest approach to the Sun of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which is the fastest man-made object ever made.

Now, what is truly amazing about these missions, which only represent a portion of the fleet planned for planetary and space exploration in the near future, is that through these missions many innovations that help our terrestrial experience are being made ranging from medicine to engineering and most importantly targeting the environmental and planetary protection. Essentially, in what is called the ‘modern Space Race’, soon our species will go back to the Moon in order to learn more about what it will take to support human exploration in targets beyond our ‘neighborhood’ and eventually as a common goal to answer the question with proof of whether we are alone in the Universe. All these show why and how space developments have a meaning for the general public and why it is a necessity for space science to be popularized. We, at the Hellenic Space Center, are devoted to the development of Greece as a strong international player in space science and space exploration; furthermore, we collaborate with relevant agencies and services to continuously train students, young researchers, and public officials in Space issues, as well as design and participate in actions to understand space activities and applications and engage the public with them.

* Interview by Ioulia Elmatzoglou

** The Hellenic Space Center, founded in 2019, formulates the elements of the national strategy and the definition of an action plan in the domain of space. In the framework of this responsibility, HSC collaborates with the scientific community, and the public and private sector, to define targets and fields of collaboration. The Hellenic Space Center coordinates public entities and manages national programs in all space sectors, including scientific research and technology, telecommunications, security, environment, agricultural development, etc.

Intro photo courtesy of Dr Anezina Solomonidou

I.E. 

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We Need Books is an NGO that functions as a library and, more broadly, a multicultural space in Kypseli, a vibrant and culturally diverse neighbourhood in the centre of Athens. The library features 14,000 books in over 30 languages and at least 6 alphabets, and also includes a children's library. Its aim is to treat all languages equally, and to provide a meaningful service addressed to everyone.

As stated in the vision behind the creation of the library, cultural and linguistic diversity can contribute to innovation, creativity and peaceful coexistence. Multicultural books and spaces also strengthen the Greek community by making it more inclusive. They also help immigrants and refugees to to familiarise themselves with Western lifestyle, thus promoting mutual understanding.

In the words of Emma Raibaut, the French librarian of We Need Books:

"The library offers a certain "empowerment" to its users, because it is an open and free space where one can evolve autonomously, but also because by valuing books, one values languages and their speakers, as well as their place in Greece and in Athens."

Our sister publication, GrèceHebdo, interviewed with the founder of We Need Books, Ioanna Nissiriou, about all that the unique library does, the challenges the project faces as well as the impact the library has on the community.

Do the users of the library follow a particular profile or are do they come from many different backgrounds?

The We Need Books library was created to bring together, through a common love of books and the need for personal interaction, people who live in the city of Athens but who would otherwise never meet. It is the only library in the Kypseli district and the only multilingual library in the capital.

The library is there to serve the community, as is the case with modern public libraries in Europe and the USA. It is therefore a sign of its success that it does not attract users of a specific profile, given that neither the residents of Kypseli, nor the citizens of Athens in general, fall into a particular category. We welcome children who come by after school, neighbours who come to talk about their news, people who come here to work on their laptop, read in the garden, borrow books, attend our activities and language courses or simply enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee in a multicultural environment. Our visitors are men and women from a wide range of backgrounds and origins. However, from the moment they enter the premises, all visitors enjoy the same level of respect and have equal access to all our services. And it is precisely these discussions that give rise to our initiatives: our remedial courses were a result of the anxiety of the parents whose children missed most of the distance learning courses last year; our workshops are owed to the lack of creative activities for children in the neighbourhood; our Greek language courses are prompted by the need for social integration and the improvement of the living conditions of immigrants and refugees; and the multicultural programmes for children and adults originate from our own lack of knowledge about the others. Our library is proof that people from different backgrounds can coexist harmoniously and creatively.

Has the neighbourhood become aware of its own multicultural character? Can you see a transformative impact of the project on the community?

The international press recently declared Kypseli one of the most multicultural districts in Europe. What was for years a source of embarrassment for the older residents of the area is now a magnet for tourists, artists and start-ups. Yes, the residents are aware that the character of their district is multicultural. The older residents have learned to live with the newcomers. Sunday gospel services and ethical grocery shops are now part of their lives. Those who have children in school are well aware that the demographic profile of central Athens has changed. Society is changing, evolving and expanding. Our initiative confirms and highlights the multiculturalism of our city and promotes it as something positive, beautiful and promising. Yet, even if people from different backgrounds share the same buildings, the same buses and use the same public services, they do not form relationships with each other. There is still a shyness that builds invisible walls between citizens. The library is a meeting place and offers a jovial and friendly atmosphere, which encourages interaction between people who, if they were in another place - say at the baker's or at the parents' association meeting - would probably not exchange a word. In this sense, the library does not transform but it helps or, perhaps, accelerates, in so far as possible, an anticipated social evolution.

Emma Raibaut, librarian of We Need Books

What are the greatest challenges you face? Could you share any lessons you have learnt or examples of good practice from your experience so far?

All over the world, public libraries are state funded, as their social role is widely recognised. Many of them are underfunded; but if this public funding - which is combined with donations from institutions etc. - were to disappear, public libraries would cease to exist, due to the high cost of operating them and to the fact that they do not charge for their services so as not to exclude large social groups. We Need Books is the only library of its kind in Athens, and perhaps in the whole country, and one of the few in Europe and the United States that serves the community even though it is not public, in the sense that its operation is not funded by the state. Yet the public character is written into the DNA of our library in that it is there to serve society.

The biggest challenge is covering operating costs, i.e. rent and bills, given that the assessment of applications by the institutions is carried out in such a way that the costs of non-profit organisations are excluded from eligible expenses.

A good practice is that we talk directly with the people and we design our activities together so that they correspond to the real needs of the people in the neighbourhood. Also worth mentioning is the quality of our relations with other organisations. We are open to listen, share, cooperate and help where possible. We are a small and efficient team; we make quick decisions and, in addition, we are extremely careful with the organisation's financial management, as we struggle to find funds on our own.

But most importantly, I would say, we dare to do things that have never been done in Greece before, from the very creation of the library to the CHARMMS (Challenging Refugee and Migrant Media Stereotypes) programme that we are implementing and which is funded by the financial mechanism of the European Economic Area (EEA) with the aim of raising awareness and mobilising professional or amateur content creators on diversity issues.

Nadir Noori and Ioanna Nissiriou, founders of We Need Books

How can one get involved in the project?

Our library has recently started to offer a book lending service. About 17% of the books are already available for loan and many more are added to our catalogues every week. You can become a member of the library to borrow books and support its work, and you can also participate as a volunteer in cataloguing, teaching a language, implementing an action, etc. In addition, you can participate in social network actions, such as our workshops on stereotypes. In cooperation with us, you can offer books together and help us to enrich our collection on human rights and climate change. And above all, you can visit the library and then talk about it in your social circle to raise awareness about Kypseli as the home of the multilingual library of Athens, a beautiful and inclusive place that always has something to offer to its visitors.

Read also via Greek News Agenda: HELIOS project for the integration of refugees in Greece and the EU; Rethinking Greece | Alexander Kitroeff: "Greek Diaspora has affected the history of host countries around the world"

Translated into English by N.M.

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“Innovative Greeks” is a newly established initiative, a network launched by SEV, the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises and largest business network in Greece and Endeavor Greece a non-profit organization that supports high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets to fuel economic growth. The aim of the network is to bring together Greek entrepreneurs, investors, managers and researchers across the globe with fast growing Greek startups. Through this open community of knowledge Greek startups will have the opportunity to cooperate with leading companies, exchange know-how, explore new markets and grow.

SEV and Endeavor joined forces to create a community of innovative Greeks that will benefit Greece’s economic prospects, create growth and jobs, and increase the resilience of the Greek economy. The initiative has already gained the support of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, the Hellenic Initiative, the Hellenic Innovation Network, the ARGO – Brussels Hellenic Network, Greektech, the Consulates General of Greece in New York, Boston and San Francisco and the Global Shapers Athens Hub by World Economic Forum.

Greece’s innovation ecosystem is maturing. Apart from the talented young people and the institutional framework recently established in the country concerning the registration and support of startups, important funding opportunities have also arisen. EU funding such as the Equifund initiative of the European Investment Fund, government support initiatives but also foreign investment possibilities are offering Greek ecosystem great growth opportunities. Networking with investors, entrepreneurs and researchers and the option of mentorships from successful ventures are critical to the development of the innovation community. Innovative Greeks aims to contribute to this needed networking effort enhancing the potential of the dynamic Greek ecosystem.

Greece has become an attractive destination for foreign investment. Due to its geographical position in proximity to major markets but also due to local talent, the Greek ecosystem provides attractive employment opportunities for international talent as well. The small size of the Greek market has made entrepreneurs look into more outward orientation searching for international expansion and taking fundraising seriously. Greek diaspora is also an invaluable pool of talent, role models and ideas which can crucially aid Greece’s efforts to scale up its innovation ecosystem for growth, jobs and prosperity.

According to a SEV report the Greek innovation ecosystem is estimated to attract 10 billion euros creating 50,000 new jobs by 2025. Digital transformation and green economy that are rapidly evolving in Greece will certainly raise the demand for startups. Creating partnerships and attracting investments as well as specialized human capital are crucial factors toward the development of the Greek ecosystem.

The initiative “Innovative Greeks” aims to become a digital community with the participation of creative Greeks all over the world willing to transmit their knowledge, connections, and funding to fast growing Greek startups. During the last decade, many qualified Greeks have left the country in order to work in international technology and innovation businesses. At the same time, an important number of startups have been created in the country making a remarkable progress while some of these startups have been merged with tech giants such as Microsoft, Applied Materials etc.

Read also via GNA 

Big technology investments to improve Greece’s innovation and digital footprint
“Politeia” Innovation Center to promote R&D ecosystem in Greece
The Digital Transformation “bible” of Greece (2020-2025)

I.E.

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Being the local chapter of a renowned global organization with a significant experience in technology-driven entrepreneurship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Enterprise Forum (MITEF) Greece is actively engaged, since 2013, in informing, connecting, coaching and accelerating technology entrepreneurs, enabling them to rapidly transfer their ideas into world-changing companies. Recognizing the huge potential of the country in this sector, MITEF Greece, a non-profit and self-funded organization, is taking full advantage of the MIT’s Alumni and network organizing workshops, community and pitching events, international conferences and competitions aiming to become a real gamechanger for the Greek technology ecosystem. To this end, the team behind MITEF Greece is working with enthusiasm and commitment in close cooperation with the MIT Alumni but also with foreign end Greek experts, research centers, companies and organizations.

With the aid of the Hellenic Innovation Network (HIN), an outgrowth of MITEF Greece that started almost five years ago, the Organization provides Greek and Cypriot startups with a bridge to the U.S. through pitching and networking opportunities. Based in Boston and with the support of the Greek Consulate, HIN aims to facilitate cross-border collaboration as well as access to potential investors, partners, customers, mentors, advisors and board members. This year’s seminars and workshops had to go online because of the pandemic and many webcasts were organized on fields such as covid-19 research, cyber-security challenges, Blockchain, mobility etc.

MITEF Greece is also organizing an annual Startup Competition, an accelerating program through which local technology entrepreneurs compete for prizes and global recognition to advance their business goals. This flagship program of MITEF Greece running already its 6th cycle, accepted many participations for the Energy and Maritime specialty tracks in addition to the General track that usually attracts a diverse array of technology driven innovation ventures. This week, on July 15 & 16, the third and final round of the Competition will take place in Athens comprising the final judging of the 15 finalists and the Awards Ceremony which this year will go live.

Greek News Agenda* had the opportunity to speak with the Vice Chairman of the MITEF Greece Vassilis Papakonstantinou about the goals and the activities of the organization as well as about the Greek startup ecosystem and its potential particularly when it comes to the technology transfer from research labs to world-class technology companies.

MITEF Greece puts a great emphasis on the connection between the academic research community and business or, as it is usually described, on the “technology transfer from lab to market”. How are you trying to achieve this “osmosis” in MITEF Greece and why is this important in your opinion?

MITEF is the global ambassador of MIT’s great tradition in technology transfer driven entrepreneurship. MIT Alumni around the world have created companies with $2 trillion annual revenues. If they were put together they would represent the 10th largest economy in the world. MITEF was started 40 years ago by the MIT Alumni association to facilitate technology transfer, so, as you can imagine, it is implicitly the organization’s “raison d'être”.

Technology transfer represents the cornerstone of the organization’s vision “to build a better world by accelerating the creation and growth of world-class technology companies”. Basic research is very important, but it is not conducted in the void. Research labs exist within our society and usually, they get funded, directly or indirectly, by society. We believe that research should provide direct benefits back to society as soon as possible and, although there are other ways, we believe that technology entrepreneurship is among the most fulfilling alternatives for the researchers themselves. Therefore, we are laser-focused on encouraging and supporting deep-tech driven entrepreneurship based on technology transfer from lab to market.

We brought the MITEF network to Greece back in 2013, exactly because we believe that the technology transfer driven entrepreneurship has a huge potential in our country. You can picture the situation like this. You can think of the research community in our country as the root system of the tree and the technology-driven entrepreneurship community as its branches. The root system has grown strong over the years, fueled by national and European funding. Yet, the branches are weak, and only recently started to show some growth. If we could accelerate this growth, then we can create a new powerful and sustainable engine for our economy that can measure up to the traditional ones, like shipping and tourism.

Thanks to the MIT brand and long-standing credentials of the global MIT community, MITEF Greece can provide the local research community with the necessary support. The community understands our value and commitment and as a result, it is much easier for us to “ignite the osmosis” between the Greek research labs and the global market. To achieve this osmosis and produce results, we have designed a series of high quality, carefully curated programs. First, we organize workshops for the local research community to understand the challenges and opportunities of technology transfer. Second, we organize community events and high-end international conferences on market verticals, to enable the local community to better comprehend the challenges and opportunities in the global market, to be inspired and activated. Third, we organize an annual acceleration program, the MITEF Greece Startup Competition. This is our flagship program that already runs its 6th cycle and supports 25 technology ventures every year, many of whom have managed to raise more than €30 million in venture funding. Finally, we are currently designing a new program, tentatively named “Tech Insiders Club”, which will focus on the investors and business executives side, providing them with insights to understand the various aspects of technology and eventually helping them to make more educated decisions related to technology investments.

We believe that this holistic approach to supporting technology-driven entrepreneurship, which includes a very strong brand name, high-end content, and global networking opportunities, can be a gamechanger for the Greek technology ecosystem.

A significant number of organizations and activities such as clusters, incubators, accelerators, competitions, hackathons etc. already exist in Greece supporting the startup ecosystem in the country. What differentiates MITEF Greece from these initiatives and what are their common characteristics?

Over the past 10 years, the country’s startup ecosystem has gone through various phases; from being a cult for a few to being overhyped, to almost losing steam, before entering its current state which can be characterized as of growing maturity. Today there are numerous players active with different goals and agendas, spanning different age groups, venture stages, and market verticals.

In this evolving environment, MITEF Greece has maintained its focus on (1) supporting technology-driven ventures, especially those coming out of research labs, and (2) growing the ecosystem’s international footprint by leveraging our own global network. These two points, together with the MIT brand, have helped MITEF Greece to attract specific, technology-minded followership, that includes researchers, entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and business executives. Many of the 150 ventures that have entered our acceleration program over the past 6 years, consider their participation a life-changing experience. Entering the finals or winning our competition became a seal of high quality that made their next steps much easier.

Despite the different approaches, all organizations have one thing in common; value entrepreneurship as a process of creating wealth for the country’s economy. In this respect, there’s a lot of cooperation between all the key players and thus our effort at MITEF Greece, to boost the ecosystem’s international footprint through our unique global network, becomes even more important vis-à-vis this common goal.

In what areas do the Greek startups that cooperate with MITEF Greece mainly focus on and what kind of support are they usually requesting?

As mentioned, MITEF Greece focuses on technology-driven ventures; the deeper the technology the better. It is part of the organization’s DNA.

In particular, for the MITEF Greece Startup Competition, we are looking for ventures that are beyond the idea stage, have an early prototype of a product or service for a specific market, and certainly have a team. We decided to add these additional requirements, the need for early prototype, and the team, for specific reasons. At the idea stage, there are numerous other organizations in Greece that are doing a great job. In addition, a venture that is at the idea stage would not be able to take advantage of the next opportunities that relate to exposure to our global network. This network is looking for investment opportunities and the more mature the companies are when they graduate from our acceleration program, the better. Entrepreneurship is a very demanding endeavor and going through it alone makes it even more difficult. Furthermore, a team can have complementary skill sets, and especially at early stages, when funding is limited, can add value. Plus, there’s another important aspect to having a team: for most early-stage entrepreneurs, getting a co-founder is a pivotal moment because that’s essentially their first deal which empowers and increases their success rate.

Technology-driven ventures aspire to join the MITEF Greece programs, especially the Startup Competition, for 3 reasons: (1) to acquire hands-on know-how on improving their value proposition and growing their venture, (2) to gain affiliation with the brand, and (3) to access the global network of MITEF which opens the doors to funding and international partnerships.

MITEF Greece is closely cooperating with the Greek Consulate in Boston as regards the Hellenic Innovation Network for connecting Greek startups with the US. Is your organization cooperating with other public or private entities in Greece that are active in promoting, supporting or funding startups?

The Hellenic Innovation Network (HIN) is an outgrowth of MIT Enterprise Forum Greece. It was created to provide startups from Greece and Cyprus with a bridge to the U.S. through pitching and networking opportunities. Unofficially, the effort started in April 2015 with a goal to build bridges between the Greek startup ecosystem and the Boston based technology and investment community. Over the course of the years, it grew and eventually became an independent US-based charity (501c3 organization) in late 2018, under the leadership of Marina Hatsopoulos. The Consulate General of Greece in Boston played a very important role in the process and in particular Stratos Efthymiou, with whom we are working closely, has been very supportive over the past three years.

Being an outgrowth, HIN maintains very close ties with MITEF Greece and is keen on expanding its cooperation with other like-minded organizations both in the US and in Greece. There were some pilot projects in the works that were put on hold due to the pandemic but we are in the process of redesigning them to fit the new online paradigm.

What is your opinion about the startup scene in Greece? Do you think Greek startups have the potential to make the country a competitive startup hub in regional or international level contributing to the economic growth of Greece?

The startup ecosystem in Greece has grown significantly over the past few years. When we started the first acceleration program back in late 2014, we were not sure if we were going to have startups that we would be willing to showcase in our global network. Year after year, the group of semifinalists was getting better and better, with the number of technology transfer driven ventures steadily increasing and improving.

We are very optimistic about the potential, especially for technology transfer driven ventures coming out of Greek research labs. We have seen very interesting work and we are excited to see that work heading towards the global market in the form of new products and services. But that potential does not automatically translate into real ventures. There are a lot of things that are needed in order to facilitate and accelerate the process of turning potential into reality.

We need a legal framework that will tackle various issues from enabling researchers to be co-founders, to managing IP rights and dissolving failing efforts. We need to accelerate the change of mentality towards entrepreneurship. Recent success stories, especially those relating to deep tech ventures such as Innoetics, Think Silicon, and others, are encouraging members of the community to break stereotypes, but still, we need to grow our pipeline. We need the local investors and businesses to invest more both financially and in the form of business partnerships that will provide the startups with their early deals. We need more global technology companies establishing a presence in Greece, following the recent examples of Pfizer and Cisco. These companies are providing invaluable, hands-on training to local university graduates, helping them grow their business skills and understanding of the global market. But, most importantly, these companies can provide the local community with insights about global problems they can solve by applying their technology, and their know-how, and hone their entrepreneurial skills.

The recent pandemic, despite the hardships, and thanks to the successful management by the Greek State, created additional opportunities for the Greek ecosystem. Greece can become an appealing destination for people able to work from anywhere and not be confined by a physical office, the so-called “digital nomads”. By doing so, the country can create additional revenues to temporarily offset the lost tourism income but, most importantly, it can leverage the global experience and network of these highly skilled and connected people to cross-pollinate the local technology ecosystem and accelerate its growth.

During our launch event in 2013, we stated that we aimed to turn Greece into a global tech hub by 2021. We may have stretched our ambitions at that time but we certainly feel that today we are much closer to that goal than we ever hoped to be. We are really excited about the potential of the community and we will continue serving it with more and better-designed programs until the goal of turning Greece into a global tech hub is achieved.

* Interview by Ioulia Elmatzoglou

Read more via GNA: Strategic Initiatives supporting the Greek startup ecosystem | “Politeia” Innovation Center to promote R&D ecosystem in Greece | “New Agriculture for a New Generation” aims to boost the Agrifood sector In Greece

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Dr. Achillefs Kapanidis is Professor of Biological Physics at the Department of Physics of the University of Oxford. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Kapanidis has become known to the wider public, because his team has introduced a new method for coronavirus detection which only takes a few minutes, with a validation accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of more than 90 percent; efforts are now being made for this to be developed into a rapid diagnostic test to detect the coronavirus in respiratory samples.

Born in Thessaloniki, where he also completed his first degree, Achillefs Kapanidis continued his studies abroad and went on to hold research scientist positions at major institutions, eventually becoming a Senior Lecturer (2005) and then Professor (2003) at Oxford University, where he has been leading a group, known as the "Gene Machines" group, which studies machines of gene expression by observing single molecules of gene-expression machinery.

Dr. Kapanidis was interviewed by the Press & Communications Office at the Embassy of Greece in London regarding his team’s groundbreaking advancements in virus detection and his outlook on the Covid-19 pandemic, but also about his experiences living and working abroad and the role Greece still plays in his life.

Could you please introduce yourself to our readers? Tell us please about your studies, your academic and professional trajectory and how you have come to work in the University of Oxford, leading a team that conducts research on Covid-19.

I have been born and raised in Thessaloniki, where I also completed my first degree in Chemistry at the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki. After completing a Master’s in Food Chemistry at Rutgers University (USA), I received my PhD in Biological Chemistry for work I completed at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology, also at Rutgers. After holding research scientist positions in single-molecule biological physics at Berkeley and UCLA, I became a Senior Lecturer at Oxford University in 2005, and a Professor of Biological Physics in 2013; I have also been a European Research Council (ERC) grant holder and I am currently a Wellcome Trust Investigator.

Since 2005, I have been leading a group of physical and biological scientists (which we informally call the "Gene Machines" group) which studies microbial biological machinery involved in gene expression and regulation, with a focus on gene transcription and DNA repair. Our main tool is advanced fluorescence microscopy based on the observation of single protein and DNA molecules, linked with sophisticated image/data analysis; the past few years, my group has also been working on rapid and ultrasensitive detection of antibiotic resistance and pathogenic viruses, including influenza and coronaviruses.

My work has been published in more than 100 papers and book chapters, as well as in several patent applications. My group has also been pursuing miniaturised single-molecule imaging, a project that culminated my co-founding of the Oxford Nanoimaging spin-out; for these contributions, I was co-awarded the 2019 Innovator of the Year Award from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Finally, I have been involved in the establishment of a new interdisciplinary institute at Oxford (to open in 2021) focusing on using cutting-edge physical approaches to study biological mechanisms in living cells.

How could your team’s research findings contribute to the efforts against Covid-19?

We have been working on understanding the replication mechanisms of the influenza (flu) virus since 2012, and more recently, we have been exploring ways to detect that virus rapidly. In November 2019, we published a method that uses calcium to bind small pieces of fluorescent DNA to enveloped virus particles and to fluorescently label them (Robb et al., Scientific Reports 2019); we can then observe labelled viruses on a sensitive fluorescence microscope, and assess their morphology and size. Our assay is extremely fast (takes just one minute), and works well on respiratory viruses such as influenza and RSV in clinical samples. Notably, the work on the clinical samples was a collaboration with the laboratory of Andreas Mentis at the Hellenic Pasteur Institute in Athens.

When coronavirus emerged in China, we reasoned that our assay should work with the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. We thus obtained permission to continue working despite the closure of our Department, and indeed established that our assay can detect the presence of the virus; part of this work was done in collaboration with the CEMIPAI CNRS Institute at Montpellier, who had access to SARS-CoV-2 in high containment facilities. Further, in work led by an extremely talented graduate student from Cyprus, Nicolas Shiaelis, and Royal Society fellow Dr Nicole Robb, we have introduced a new method for coronavirus detection based on applying machine learning to images of labelled viruses; this method is currently tested on clinical samples in our local hospital. The assay takes only minutes, with a validation accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of >90%. In contrast, the standard virus-detection methods (using the method RT-PCR) requires ~3 hours from the time of swab receipt to result, and for community testing, transport to these facilities adds substantially to the turnaround time.

We are now working with clinicians on turning our method into a rapid and scalable diagnostic test to detect SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory samples. Such a rapid test can have substantial impact, since widespread testing will be absolutely crucial for disease surveillance and control, even if a safe vaccine becomes available in the next 18 months.

Dr. Kapanidis at the award ceremony of the BBSRC Innovator of the year 2019 award (May 15, 2019)

Pandemics cause unprecedented, incredible and to a certain extent irreparable social, economic, family and personal disruptions. Are pandemics however welcome by scientific and medical communities, as an opportunity for scientific research, technological advancement, testing of new scientific tools and experimenting on new, cutting-edge medical solutions?

A pandemic is never a welcome development; the devastation that it can cause to societies, families and individuals, and especially to the most vulnerable, is something all scientific and medical community is extremely concerned about. Hence the great efforts of scientists to suppress epidemics and prevent them from escalating into pandemics; the successful containment of the first SARS in 2003, Ebola in 2014, and MERS in 2015 were recent examples of these efforts.

The scientific community is also aware that containment will not always work and that we are never too far away from the next pandemic, so having the scientific tools and organisational structures to address a spreading pathogen is of paramount importance. The need to face pandemics with rapid and decisive action to preserve human life focuses the minds and efforts of the scientists in deploying existing defences against the new virus, in innovating to exploit the vulnerabilities of the microscopic enemy, and in repurposing their work to provide necessary material and intellectual support to other vital activities. International cooperation has also hugely important in our efforts to understand, monitor and control the virus.  

There is a sense of duty, public service and social responsibility that drives these contributions, along with the enormous satisfaction of the basic-science researchers to actually see their efforts making a difference in the short term, as opposed to the several years or even decades that it usually takes for fundamental discoveries to translate into tangible societal impact.

Pandemics, as other major events that dramatically reshape human activity, present also opportunities to deliver change for the better. There is no doubt that many of our scientific activities will be transformed for ever after the pandemic, either due to the shifting of our priorities as citizens and scientists, or to avert another ongoing disaster, that of climate change. For example, electronic means for scientists to meet and exchange ideas will help rationalise and minimise global travel for conferences; use of pre-print servers will expand to allow further dissemination of scientific information in a free and rapid manner; and (hopefully) international cooperation and innovation will boost our chances to control climate change.

You have worked also in the USA. How would you compare working in the USA to working in the UK as regards science, scientific research, quick exploitation of the scientific findings and interaction between universities, institutes and the market?

I have spent more than 10 years in the USA in early stages of my career, and this was an experience that shaped much of my approach to science; I was also fortunate to be in the USA during a large expansion of the scientific base and technological development both in academia and industry.

There is no question that US science was and remains extremely strong, powered by large number of research universities and diverse institutes, and there are many aspects to admire and enjoy about it. First and foremost, I enjoyed the vibrant culture of robust and constant questioning and debate about scientific questions and technological challenges (I guessed it satisfied part of my Greek nature!). In such debates, what mattered was whether an idea could survive scientific scrutiny; the status of the persons putting it forward or questioning it was not important. This flattened the hierarchy of “debating societies” and made people realise that they can contribute at any stage of their career, as long as their medium is logical reasoning.

I also liked the fact that the Universities and institutes are full of driven and adventurous young people from all over the world working together; I appreciated the large investment of institutions and the government in basic and applied research, which provided considerable resources to pursue difficult but worthy goals; the opportunity of people to be involved in research from a very young age (e.g., undergraduate research is highly promoted in US research universities); the encouragement of translation of scientific findings into companies and products, that in turn provide high-quality jobs and address societal needs. The PhD was also long enough to allow substantial work to be finished and converted in seminal publications.

On the more negative side, I felt that the overabundance of resources made individuals more wasteful and less focused in their efforts; the time spent in a PhD degree was often way too long, potentially leading to exploitation of some researchers. For academics, the prospect of not achieving tenure (i.e., the ability to stay in their position after very rigorous review) was very stressful and led to loss of work-life balance.

Do you think that Greece is currently in a position -as regards the research infrastructure, the scientific expertise and the human resources- to conduct significant research projects in general, as well as in this specific occasion?

Being away from Greece for a very long time, I can only offer an impression biased from my interactions with colleagues during visits to participate in conferences, from occasional collaboration and participations in reviewing bodies, and from visits to see scientist friends I met in the US and UK.

My impression is that Greece is definitely punching above its weight if you consider the perennial lack of funding and underinvestment in science and technology, and the structural constraints that limit the conduct and administration of science. The country has institutions of excellence such as the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) in Crete and the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, where ground-breaking and pioneering advances have been made the past few years, showing that it is possible to perform research at the highest level in Greece, even during enormously challenging times such as the ones brought by the financial crisis of the past decade. However, there is a huge need to support science and technology much further to expand the network of excellent institutions and raise the profile of research in all institutions. Funding should be more extensive and regular, and should complement European funding; returning scientists should be given the resources to start successful labs that attract external funding; entrepreneurship should be encouraged and supported to drive the formation of dynamic spin-out companies in areas where Greece should be leading in innovation. Some of the funding should be strategic and long-term and should not be just the agenda of a single government, but should rise over politics: where can we build on existing strength? Where can we develop local solutions to local problems? Where can we develop our resources in a sustainable way respectful of our environment?

I also take heart from the herculean efforts of the Greek scientific and medical community during the Covid-19 crisis, which had shown that the country can rise to meet this enormous challenge by working in a methodical and committed fashion.

Dr. Achillefs Kapanidis with a collaborating postdoctoral fellow (Photo by Jun Fan)

What are your personal estimations on the developments for the Covid-19 pandemic? Do you expect a safe vaccine to be produced soon? Do you believe that this virus may trigger other diseases or open new medical and health challenges? Or do you expect that it will soon become another chapter in humanity’s medical history, like for ex. measles, chickenpox and mumps?

As most scientists, I am an optimist, weighing of course the facts and figures in any “guestimate”. Regarding the availability of a safe vaccine, I am optimistic that at least one (and possibly more) will become widely available by the end of 2021, and possibly significantly sooner. For example, the Oxford-led vaccine that is currently in clinical trials is supported by an excellent track record (including the production for vaccines for previous coronaviruses), and there are plans to produce it in billions of doses (even before it is proven to work) to ensure wide availability should the trials prove successful. There are also efforts that use radically new approaches, which may result in pleasant surprises – the important matter here is the diversity of routes to ensure that a few of them will eventually work.

The scale of medical and health challenges associated with the new coronavirus is immense, and uncertainty always forms part of the picture. Since this is a new virus, we don’t know what are the long-term effects of having had the virus and of experiencing a different spectrum of symptoms; we don’t know the effects of the various treatments, as well as any side-effects (long-term or otherwise) that the eventual vaccine will have, and of course we do not know how long any immunity (exposure-induced or vaccine-driven) will last. We will also have to deal with the effect of minimal (or no) health care for non-COVID conditions for an extended period of time, as well as the mental health effects of the lockdown and the “social-distant” world.

This is a traumatic episode in the story of human existence, much as the pandemic of Spanish flu in 1918 and the World Wars – but as with those painful episodes, we will adapt and bounce back, hopefully having have learnt lessons that improve ourselves, our societies, and crucially, our natural environment.

You have lived for many years abroad. What do you miss most about Greece? Is there anything that remains unchanged to a Greek living, even for a long period, abroad?

There are many wonderful things that I miss about Greece, but the most important is family and friends, feeling the warmth of being close to loved ones, experiencing together the joyful moments and being able to help in the difficult moments. Travelling to Greece (when it was straight-forward!) and conferencing technology surely helped keep in touch but there is no substitute for a hug and a relaxed chat over coffee!

What makes more palatable for me living away from Greece is the sizeable and vibrant Greek community at Oxford, which provides some "home" comforts locally. As examples, consider our singing group "Nostos" where for 7 years we sing traditional songs with a modern twist, and our theatre group "Praxis" that has staged 6 plays in modern Greek in the Oxford over the past few years; both efforts are linked with the Oxford University Greek Society. These efforts are in addition to the wonderful and well-attended social and cultural events organised by the Modern Greek Studies Programme of the University, the Greek student communities of both Oxford Universities, and the local Orthodox Church community. Sadly, everything is now on hold due to the pandemic, but we are looking forward to resuming these activities when it is safe to do so.

Living abroad clearly changes one’s attitudes, but I have never felt that my Greek "core" had changed substantially over the years. In fact, being abroad makes you much more aware of your identity and your origins; I believe that the first country you experience when moving away from Greece, is actually Greece itself, since your new home allows you to place your Greek experience in perspective - plus you have to explain to everyone else what the Greek state of mind is and what it is like living in Greece!      

Are you optimistic that, in the coming years or decades, there may be a reverse of the brain drain wave that was recorded in Greece in the past decade, or will, in your opinion, the emigration trend continue in the years to come?

I am indeed optimistic but much more needs to be done. There must be a compelling plan in place to attract back Greeks from abroad, and in fact, people who can contribute to the Greek society regardless of their origin. Greece can be a wonderful place to live, and nostalgic Greeks abroad are yearning to make the journey back "home" – but the risks of relocation need to be reduced to see reversal of the trend.

Judging from my experience at Oxford, we are seeing more people returning to Greece nowadays compared to a few years ago; this is a positive trend for Greece which I think will continue, although this may reflect Brexit-related dynamics and not a global trend. The effective and decisive response to pandemic (so far) by Greece can also be a factor, showing that the Greek state can indeed address formidable challenges. The ability of many workers in the digital economy to work remotely may mean that someone can relocate to Greece while working for companies abroad; further, there is a great opportunity to expand this sector in Greece. The government can do much more to attract talented individuals to Greece by helping the formation of new businesses, by providing more funding to attract and promote scientists to its Universities and institutes, and by encouraging the transformation of the industry sector into a more modern, diverse, and fair entity.

Read also via Greek News Agenda:Greek scientific and research community join forces to combat COVID-19; Greek initiatives at the EU vs Virus innovation hackathon to tackle COVID-19; Dr. Androula Nassiopoulou on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Greece; Meet “Demokritos” the biggest Research Centre of Greece

The post Dr. Achillefs Kapanidis: “We are working on a rapid diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2” appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Antonis Hadjikyriacou is Teaching Fellow in Ottoman history at Panteion University and Affiliated Scholar at the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA) at Stanford University. Born and raised in Nicosia, he studied Modern History and Political Science at the University of Birmingham, and was awarded his M.A. with distinction from Birkbeck College. Dr Hadjikyriacou earned his Ph.D. in History at the School of Oriental and African Studies in 2011. He was Mary Seeger O’Boyle Post-doctoral Fellow at the Seeger Center at Princeton University in 2013-2014. Between 2014-16 Antonis Hadjikyriacou was Marie Curie Intra-European Fellow at the Institute for Mediterranean Studies, Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas; this EU Marie-Curie-funded project was eventually designated a success story by the European Commission. In 2016, Dr Hadikyriacou was appointed Assistant Professor of Early Modern Ottoman and Mediterranean History at Βοğaziçi University. In 2019 he decided to relocate to Greece, where in parallel to teaching at Panteion University he has been conducting research in collaboration with Harokopion University, with funding from the Sylvia Ioannou Foundation. Dr Hadjikyriacou’s research engages with the theme of insularity, while at the same time he is particularly interested in introducing innovative methodologies in research and teaching. Greek News Agenda* had the opportunity to interview Antonis Hadjikyriacou on digital humanities, the relevance of Ottoman history and the unique challenge that the bicentenary of 1821 represents for Greek academia.

2021 marks the bicentenary of the Greek War of Independence; what are the opportunities and challenges for Modern Greek studies and Greek historiography?

Modern Greek Studies and Greek historiography have traditionally suffered from lack of exposure to and dialogue with broader fields of study. This challenge can be transformed into an opportunity with the coming anniversary of the Greek Revolution. One way of achieving this is by situating the Greek Revolution within the broader context of the Age of Revolutions. This broad historical process had global manifestations. It was part of the entangled trajectories of economies, societies and cultures that did not necessary fit, but had important overlaps with, the Western European paradigm. As historians seek more nuanced understandings of how the modern world came to be constituted, they have exposed the explanatory and analytical limitations of modernization theory – the idea that the historical trajectory towards the modern nation-state is a teleological process evaluated along the lines of the Western European model. One of the many conferences to be organized in the coming months marking the 200th anniversary of 1821 explores the global interactions and impact of the Greek Revolution, from India to Colombia and from Japan to the South of the United States.

A second important opportunity arising from the anniversary is the intensification of the dialogue between Modern Greek and Ottoman Studies. Modern Greek history cannot be separated from its Ottoman legacy, just like Ottoman history cannot be understood without its Greek component. The relevance of the Ottoman world extends to both before and after the establishment of the Greek state. On either side of the 1821-1829 period, Ottoman influences have not been adequately explored. Phokion Kotzagiorgis, for example, has emphasized how the dialectical use of Ottoman and Greek sources remains a desideratum. I had the opportunity to appreciate the value of such an Ottoman-Greek dialogue in a recent book chapter co-authored with Michalis Sotiropoulos where we demonstrated how Ottoman concepts, terms and practices informed notions of representation and political participation during the Greek revolution and the early decades of the Greek state.

Within such an exchange, Ottoman Studies has a lot to offer to Modern Greek Studies, and vice versa. Building upon the foundational work of scholars like the late Elizabeth Zachariadou or John Alexander, Greek Ottomanists have established themselves at the top of the field internationally. By way of example, two highly competitive and prestigious European Research Council grants in Ottoman history have been awarded to the Institute for Mediterranean Studies in Rethymno. From a broader perspective, Ottomanist historiography is at present extremely dynamic and distinctively interdisciplinary, employing the latest methods and approaches, for instance, in environmental history, digital humanities, or gender studies. There is, therefore, ample room for an exchange of resources and experiences with scholars from Modern Greek Studies. On a different level, given how many countries share an Ottoman legacy, Ottomanist historiography is composed of many scholarly traditions and has an extensive international scope and outlook. Engaging with this field allows historians of Modern Greece to reach out to new audiences; it also provides the opportunity to infuse Ottomanist historiographical discussions with Greek sources. In this sense, the current conjuncture is an excellent opportunity to explore the historiographical lacuna of the overlaps between the Greek and the Ottoman world.

The last decades have seen a rising interest in the study of spatial relations and geography in historiography. Could you elaborate on the importance of space in your work on Cyprus and how it meets with wider scientific debates in Mediterranean and World historiography?

Since the 1990s, historians have been highlighting the fact that geographical categories have no single, obvious attribute. For example, islands are often perceived as isolated, remote places. Yet, the very sea that separates islands from continental spaces can also connect them to the outside world through maritime links. An island can thus be both connected and isolated, as well as carry other possible meanings beyond this binary, all of which can change in time and context. Studying the spatial attributes of insularity allowed me to answer certain difficult questions regarding the society and economy of Cyprus during the early modern era. I was also able to see the material factors behind changes in perceptions of insularity.

At the same time, one of the latest analytical tools in historiography is to see key conjunctures in global history as processes of respatialization: namely how established ideas about or perceptions of space change as a result of major historical processes. In a recent volume examining the French Revolution as a moment of respatialization, I have discussed how the insularity of Cyprus had changed during the Age of Revolutions in connection to global, Mediterranean, regional and local historical processes. Thus, from a backwater province during the mid-seventeenth and most of the eighteenth century, the position of Cyprus in the Ottoman bureaucratic mind changed to that of a frontier in the aftermath of Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt. This was not simply a geo-strategic shift, but also the outcome of local economic and social transformations related to the struggle for the surplus of the island. This is just an example of how respatialization can help understand periods of transition such as that of Cyprus at the turn of the nineteenth century. Finally, I would venture to extend this mode of analysis to the Greek Revolution itself, and suggest examining this foundational event as a process of respatialization with a global dimension.

Your research on Cyprus has taken on over the years a strong comparative component, namely in relation to Crete, through the MedIns project. To what extent could we locate similarities and differences between these two insular settings during their respective Ottoman periods?

Conventional wisdom has it that Cyprus and Crete are two very similar islands. While there are good reasons for this perception – for instance, size, the common Venetian heritage – there are also important differences that are not immediately apparent. The ‘Mediterranean Insularities’ project used Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to analyze and map data extracted from Ottoman fiscal records in order to better understand the economy and environment. Looking at geography, landscape and space, one major difference immediately draws the attention of the beholder: the much more dramatic topography of Crete, as well as its much more abundant water resources compared to Cyprus. At the level of the economy, while Cretan production largely relied on the monetary revenue of export-oriented olive and wine production, cereals were much more abundant in Cyprus on account of the broad east-west Mesaoria (literally: between the mountains) plain, while the Cretan equivalent (Mesaria) covers the narrow north-south strip. The other two central commodities of Ottoman Cyprus were cotton and silk. The importance of these very different crops on each island meant that production and the economy at large had a radically different impact on society, politics, as well as culture. Here is one minor example still valid today: the scarcity of grain in Crete as a result of the preference for olive-tree and vine cultivation meant that rusk-baking became extremely widespread in order to satisfy the long-term needs in terms of carbohydrates. Hence, ‘dakos’ is a very popular Cretan dish uniquely encountered on that island throughout the Greek world. Conversely, the abundant availability of wheat and barley flour in Cyprus meant that bread-making was much more elaborate and sophisticated – and was thus praised by contemporary foreign travelers. This is just a minor glimpse of the ways in which differences between the two islands limited their reflections in culinary culture.

The historiography of the eastern Mediterranean has always been a focal point of interest in Western academia. Could we locate the latest epistemological and institutional trends in the study of the region?

It is interesting that traditional historiography treated the Eastern Mediterranean as a region more closely connected to the Middle East than with the Mediterranean as a whole, let alone other spatial contexts. Braudel’s monumental The Mediterranean and Mediterranean World, which saw the ‘inner sea’ as a united whole and argued against the Christianity/Islam division proposed by Pirenne, was followed by decades of little debate and new contributions. The recent efflorescence of Mediterranean studies is partly the result of research that sees the Islamic and/or Arab world as an integral part of the Mediterranean. If the Mediterranean is a spatial entity composed by economic, social, ideological or cultural flows of varying density and intensity depending on time and context, then dividing it into mutually exclusive sections such as east/west, Christian/Islamic, or European/Middle Eastern obscures more than it reveals for the purposes of acquiring a holistic picture. In this sense, the production of knowledge on the (post-)Ottoman, Middle Eastern, Arabic, Islamic, or African parts of the Mediterranean, to mention a few, illustrates how the Mediterranean is not only a European sea, but a geographical category in which multiple worlds overlap. In this sense, shifting attention to the ‘eastern’ aspects of the Eastern Mediterranean means that historians, humanists and social scientists in Greece or elsewhere can better understand this region, and in turn inform policy and decision-making.

Your recent research has offered an original combination of traditional archival research and digital tools, such as the use of Geographical Information System (GIS) on Ottoman cadastres. Could you expand on these advances as well as the synergies that made those possible?

My initial engagement with GIS was the result of a quest to understand quantitative aspects of the insularity of Cyprus. This led me to the Institute of Mediterranean Studies in Rethymno, where I received GIS training in the context of the above-mentioned Mediterranean Insularities project. The project examined the 1572 detailed fiscal register of Cyprus compiled by the Ottomans once they had arrived to the island, using digital humanities tools to analyze and process the data. Engaging with ‘hard’ data was rewarding in that it required attention to detail and permitted me to identify long-term trends and patterns in the economy, environment and climate that would otherwise be indiscernible.

 

This initial engagement with GIS was followed by an ongoing project on Ali pasha of Yannina, in collaboration with Associate Professor Ali Yaycioglu and hosted by the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA) of Stanford University. Entitled ‘Mapping Ottoman Epirus,’ the project enquires into the spatial logic of the relations of power established by Ali pasha at the turn of the nineteenth century in the Ottoman Balkans and in the midst of the Age of Revolutions.

Working with spatial applications in digital humanities requires digital gazetteers, i.e. geographical dictionaries. Such a resource allows the identification of a place name (that may have many historical variants) with geographic coordinates. This will in turn permit the mapping of any kind of information on that place name. Working with a small team of students from my classes at Boğaziçi (Bosporus) University in Istanbul, I was awarded a Pelagios Commons Resource Development grant to test the applicability of a particular digital humanities tool in building the foundations for a digital Ottoman gazetteer.

Another ongoing project is entitled ‘Environment, economy and landscape in the Cypriot longue durée,’ in collaboration with Professor Christos Chalkias of Harokopio University, funded by the Sylvia Ioannou Foundation. The project combines Ottoman fiscal and property surveys (1572, 1833) with the 1883 Kitchener map of Cyprus and the 1931 British census of the island. Not limited to scholarly audiences, the project will develop pedagogical programs for primary and secondary schools, and a phone and tablet app which will indicate the user’s location on the historical map and include additional information addressed to teachers, students, tourists and the general public. Digital humanities by definition is a highly collective and collaborative endeavor, for it necessitates a wide range of inter- and transdisciplinary expertise that go beyond the standard skills of historians.

Learning from the experiences, but most importantly from the mistakes of the individual or collective efforts of colleagues is an important and vital issue in digital humanities so that efforts are not duplicated and resources are not wasted. The Pelagios network is an initiative that I have participated in and from which I learned a great deal. As I mentioned, Ottoman studies has enthusiastically embraced digital humanities tools. The OpenOttoman initiative is another network I am part of, established following two workshops in 2015 and 2016 at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton. Finally, an exciting new initiative in Vienna will organize a workshop that promises to further enhance the connections between Ottomanist digital humanists.

Greek Universities have recently embarked on a strategy of global extroversion in an increasingly competitive global market. Can you outline the major strong points of Greek academic research and teaching from your recent experience?

Having had direct experience of several top-level universities and research centers in Europe and the United States, I have been impressed by the high quality, serious and grounded research conducted in Greece despite the lack of resources that institutions suffer due to the ongoing financial crisis. Comparing the availability and use of funding in some of these high-profile institutions, I would dare say that the use of resources is much more wasteful in relation to output compared to their Greek equivalents, which essentially run on a shoestring. Consider the words of eminent Ottomanist Michael Ursinus, who sang the praises of Crete as a ‘success story’ and acknowledged the prominent position of Greece on the international map of Ottoman Studies as a leader and a paradigmatic example to follow. More astonishing is the short time span in which this status has been achieved, especially compared to other European countries, such as Germany, Austria, Hungary, or Bulgaria, which have a long and illustrious tradition in Ottoman Studies.

Another strong point of Greek academia is the recent enthusiastic embracing of cutting-edge historical methodologies. This is especially the case of the younger generation of scholars, who have entered the job market in the midst of the crisis and have had to deal with continued academic and professional precarity. Greek historians working on gender, sexuality, the history of medicine, different aspects of cultural history, or intellectual history, engage in an active and energetic fashion with international networks and help shape their respective fields. The enthusiasm with new methodologies is shared by the students. In my current teaching position at the Department of Political Science and History at Panteion University, I have been pleasantly surprised by such keen interest and engagement on behalf of both undergraduate and postgraduate students. One can identify the diversion of energies to new areas of study at an institutional level, too. From my own engagement in digital humanities, I can cite for example a forthcoming conference in October to be organized by the Institute of Historical Research at the National Hellenic Research Foundation. Similarly, we will be organizing a spatial history workshop at the Research Centre for Modern History at Panteion University in June. In other words, despite the challenges Greek academia is encountering at this juncture, it can claim a prominent position in international research. Greece has the human and cultural capital as well as material basis in the form of serious and competitive research output. One can only imagine what the possibilities could be with more sustained support for the production of knowledge, which will in turn further enhance the position of Greek scholarship in international academia.

*Interview by Dimitris Gkintidis

D. G.

The post Antonis Hadjikyriacou on the Ottoman period, the Greek Revolution of 1821, and new paths in Greek historiography appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Dr. Marika Karagianni is a legal and international relations expert, specialized on European and international energy issues, focusing on Russia, the Caspian- Central Asia, East Med and MENA (Middle East- North Africa) regions. She holds a   PhD on “The institutional aspects of off-shore hydrocarbons development in the Caspian Sea” from the Democritus University of Thrace and a Post- Doc on “The EU Southern Gas Corridor as an alternative to Russian gas supplies for Europe” from the University of Peloponnese. She has served as an advisor on energy diplomacy and relations with Russia/ CIS to Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic (2000 -2006) and is currently a permanent expert on energy at the Hellenic Government Administration. She was also a lawyer in Athens (1998- 2006). She has been trained on energy security at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Energy Program, NATO SCHOOL OBERAMMERGAU and at the Baku Summer Energy School of Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy. She is also a visiting lecturer and an external research associate at the Department of Economic Studies- University of Thessaly (Volos), a research associate at IENE (Institute of Energy of South Eastern Europe) and a member of the Hellenic Society of International Law and International Relations. She is the author of the book “Hydrocarbons: the contracts for offshore field development” (Nomiki Vivliothiki, 2018) and at this stage she is finishing the second book on the role of conflicts in the energy development in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Caspian Sea.

Marika Karagianni spoke* to Greek News Agenda about Greece’s comparative advantages in the energy sector and the importance for Greece to move from being hydrocarbons importer to producer and possibly exporter.

1) You have recently presented your book titled: “Hydrocarbons: the contracts for the development of the offshore reserves.” What is the importance of the Caspian Sea energy market for Greece? Could Greece adopt any ‘best practices’ from these countries?

Thank you very much for your question. This book is basically an enhanced version of my phd thesis, which discussed the legal status of the Caspian Sea, the contracts for hydrocarbon exploration and extraction of the offshore fields and how those practices could be applied in our country. Published by Nomiki Bibliothiki, it is the first book on this subject that has been written in Greek, and this alone is very important for Greek bibliography.

The Caspian Sea is one of the world’s largest oil bearing and producing areas. Offshore oil fields were first discovered in 1895 in Azerbaijan’s offshore sector. We must note that during World War II, Hitler coveted Baku’s oil fields but Greek resistance and the Russian winter got in the way. His goal was to reach the Caspian Sea in order to supply his whole empire with Baku’s oil. Those countries have a long tradition and established practices in exploring and extracting hydrocarbons. They might still be considered to be developing countries and in many things we may think that they lag behind when compared to the ‘developed’ world, however, they have a comprehensive and effective legal framework that covers the energy sector in its entirety: exploration, extraction, production, refinement, transportation via pipelines and trading of oil and natural gas. This legal framework is based on Production Sharing Agreements. Notably, the model applied in Azerbaijan sets an example for the international energy market given the fact that the world’s largest companies have for 25 years been using this contracting model for their investments in Azerbaijan.

Take BP for example. BP alone has investedaround 25 billion dollars just in Azerbaijan since 1994 by using this specific legal contract. This provides a good example for European countries to follow, and Greece in particular, which has just begun serious exploration and extraction efforts. A specific legal type of contract should be adopted; in the case of Greece not necessarily the Production Sharing Agreement but the license agreement or the already adopted lease agreement. The existing lease agreement constitutes a sound legal framework, a good contract for the development of the Greek reserves; nonetheless it needs to be preserved and be a guarantee for all foreign companies wishing to invest in Greece’s energy sector.

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2) What are Greece’s comparative advantages in the energy sector?

We occupy a major geostrategic position between East and West as far as land and maritime borders are concerned. We have the capability to become not an energy hub – as they usually say – but a natural gas transportation hub. Given that Greece is a geographically small country with a small market, it is difficult to have its own energy stock market and set bid prices for natural gas, as for example does Turkey. However Greece has the potential to import natural gas from various sources and various countries and from different routes either for domestic consumption or for transit to Europe.

The fact is that at the EU level our country has achieved immense diversification of gas supply sources compared to other EU countries, such as Hungary e.g., which depends exclusively on Russian natural gas. Only 65% of our consumption is imported from Gazprom. We have had for many years long-term contracts with the Algerian state owned company Sonatrach and we import LNG, that comes in at Revithousa’s LNG terminal and covers a significant part of our country’s needs, especially in winter when demand is high. We also import limited quantities of natural gas from Phase I of the Shah Deniz project in Azerbaijan via the Greek-Turkish pipeline Karacabey – Komotini, inaugurated by the former PMs,Konstantinos Karamanlis, and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayip Ergodan, in Kipi of Evros, in 2006, and operating since 2007.

As of next year we will be receiving 1billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz Phase II via the TAP pipeline, which is part of the EU’s Southern Gas Corridor. The TAP pipeline constitutes a big economic and geostrategic upgrade for our country, given that Greece is currently the biggest natural gas transportation hub of the Southern Gas Corridor. TAP’s biggest section runs through Northern Greece, namely Western Thrace and Macedonia, before it reaches Albania. It represents the biggest foreign investment over the past 10 years in Greece, in the midst of the crisis; it has beenpolitically supported byall governmentsand it constitutes a significant investment for the country. There are prospects of importing natural gas in the future from the eastern Mediterranean, either via the East Med pipeline, if implemented, or via LNG in Revythousa. This way, Greece can become a natural gas and LNG transportation hub in the wider Mediterranean and Southeastern European region.

3) How will Greece contribute to Europe’s energy security?

As I mentioned earlier, we have diversified the routes and sources of supply. Beyond that, via the TAP pipeline and as a part of EU’s Vertical Corridor, we have the capability to export natural gas mainly through the IGB, namely the Greek – Bulgarian pipeline, to Bulgaria and potentially in the future to Romania as well. Also, we may be able export natural gas tο Northern Macedonia through the interconnector Nea Mesimvria – Gevgelija, which the current government is promoting. During the Greek PM’s recent visit to Skopje, the possibility for the construction of a new pipeline supplying Northern Macedonia with gas was discussed. We have the possibility and the prospect of constructing an FSRU in Alexandroupolis in order to receive LNG from various sources. The US has already expressed an interest and actually two companies, Tellurian and Cheniere have expressed their readiness to supply this specific FSRU Terminal with LNG. It becomes obvious that all these investments and infrastructures promote Northern Greece in economic and geostrategic terms to play an important role in the energy supply of all neighboring countries in Southeastern Europe.  

4) Both the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons require large scale investments in Greece, which, on the one hand, wishes to increase its revenues, and on the other, to attract investors by way of motives. How easy is it to maintain this balance in order to have a win-win situation for both the country and the investors? What would you suggest in Greece’s case?

This is the subject of my book that was recently presented at Nomiki Bibliothiki. What is important is to have an established legal and tax framework that would secure both the interests and revenues of the country that owns the fields, as well as those of the foreign companies that sign 20-25year contracts and carry out large scale investments. It should be noted that Greece’s offshore fields, especially south of Crete, are in a very demanding area and any future drilling and extracting will be conducted in ultra-deep waters exceeding 4000 meters, which requires advanced technology and proper equipment. To give you an idea of the cost, just one offshore drilling such as that currently conducted in Cyprus’ reserves by Exxon Mobil and ENI, with an average price of 80 dollars per barrel, costs approximately 150 million dollars. In order for company investments and expenditures to be secured, Greece needs to maintain its existing legal and tax status. Law 4001/2011, together with the Hellenic Hydrocarbon Resources Management (HHRM), secures a good framework that needs to be preserved in order for foreign companies to have proper motivation and security.  

5) What are the prospects of the drillings south of Crete? What does it mean for Greece to move from being hydrocarbons importer to producer and possibly exporter?

There have been hydrocarbon indications in the wider marine area south and southwest of Crete in the seismic surveys carried out during the 2012 open door procedure, which is why we mapped two blocks, those of South and Southwest of Crete. Exxon Mobil has expressed interest for those two offshore blocks and there has been an initialization of an agreement. The Ministry of Environment and Energy needs to continue the procedure as quickly as possible without any further delays, with more seismic surveys carried out in order to obtain more geological and geophysical data. Subsequently, we need to proceed with the legal processes for the signing of the lease agreement with Exxon Mobil or any other company interested in order for the exploration and extraction to be carried out.

As I already mentioned, the sea area south of Crete is very demanding. The company that will undertake the project will make a huge investment. Exxon Mobil has the equipment and the know-how for such drillings. The Greek side needs to proceed as quickly as possible so that Exxon Mobil and other companies do not lose interest. These two blocks are very promising for the future. However, until we have further seismic survey and a drilling we cannot talk about a confirmed field.

From the book presentation (photo courtesy of Nomiki Vivliothiki)

6) Where are Greece’s energy sources?

From the initial research carried out by Hellenic Petroleum and its precursor, Public Petroleum Corporation (DEP-EKY), we have two confirmed fields. The first one was discovered in 1981 and it is situated in Katakolo, while the second one was discovered in 1989 and is situated in Epanomi, outside of Thessaloniki. Prinos is the third confirmed extraction area whose exploitation belongs to private energy company Energean Oil and Gas. We have a small, approximately 2000 barrels per day, oil production from Prinos, while initial production by Prinos’s E field has begun yielding a further daily output of 1000 barrels.

These are the confirmed areas, while the rest are at seismic survey and initial drilling stages. Repsol together with Energean have undertaken Ioannina’s Block and are planning to conduct their first drilling in 2020. The first step is drilling and then we can see whether there is oil and if it can be extracted, meaning that an extraction area cannot be confirmed until the first drilling. Energean has also undertaken Katakolo, where drilling will begin in 2020. Thereon, it depends on the rest of the consortiums, on Hellenic Petroleum which recently signed the agreement for Block 10 at Kyparissiakos Gulf, on Repsol and Hellenic Petroleum that have undertaken two offshore blocks in the Ionian Sea, to see how this process moves on. Open door covers the whole marine area from the North Ionian to the southwest of Crete.

7) What is the process of hydrocarbon extraction?

An extraction may be successful, but it could also be fruitless when we come upon non-commercial hydrocarbon deposits, in which case the company’s investment fails, something whichispart of the investment risk. This is why the host country must provide an efficient legal framework securing foreign company rights. Thus, if there is a confirmed adequate extraction area, then the company must, in line with the signed contract, submit a work programme to the Ministry of Environment and Energy for approval, following which, the operations of the company or joint venture may commence.

By operations we mean the installation of required equipment, floating drilling platforms, the import of the extraction equipment and the signing of all employment contracts. In the first years, primary production - i.e., the so-called cost oil - covers the initial investment costs of the foreign company. In other words, besides the revenues from VAT and income taxation for the government, the rest of the earnings are directed to the company in order to cover its initial investments.

When the profit phase of the production commences, the host country, namely the country that owns the hydrocarbon fields, receives its agreed revenue share. On the basis of the agreement, the revenues for the state from exploration and extraction are quite a significant. Firstly, following the signing of the agreement, the foreign company disburses to the Greek state the so-called signature-bonus, as agreed upon in the bilateral negotiations. Those are revenues that go directly to the Greek budget. Consequently, during production, the company bears the cost of 25% VAT as per the lease agreement along with income tax. Thus the Greek government has three sources of revenues through the exploration and extraction process.  

* Interview by Christina Fiorentzi 

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