DAEDALUS, the computing core of the AI Factory Pharos, is the new supercomputer expected to transform Greece’s research and innovation landscape. It is now entering the final phase of its implementation: the entire system has already been assembled at HPE’s factory in the Czech Republic and is undergoing full technical inspection before being transferred to its final installation site at the Lavrion Technological and Cultural Park of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) (cover photo: Preparation of the Lavrion facilities).

The first photographs of the new DAEDALUS supercomputer have already been released, generating waves of anticipation among those awaiting the start of its operation at the Lavrion facilities. As shown in the photographic material, the facilities are currently being prepared to host it later this summer. This is a highly complex construction consisting of specialized cabinets with direct liquid cooling and high power specifications, integrating more than 2,000 powerful NVIDIA Grace Hopper (GH200) superchips, specifically designed for large-scale artificial intelligence applications. At HPE’s laboratories, extensive operational testing of the individual units and their interaction as a unified system is currently underway, ensuring that before its transfer and installation in Lavrion, its stability and performance under real workload conditions have been fully validated.

Based on measurements already carried out, DAEDALUS is expected to reach a computing power exceeding 89 quadrillion arithmetic operations per second (89 × 10¹⁵ FLOPS in double precision). Compared to home computers and typical professional systems, this corresponds to performance levels millions of times faster, enabling it to solve computational problems in hours or days that would require weeks or months on conventional machines. The installation of DAEDALUS in Greece marks the first time such a powerful system is hosted in the country and is expected to position the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and Lavrion among Europe’s leading computational infrastructures, serving as a regional hub in Southeastern Europe.

The Greek Artificial Intelligence “Factory” PHAROS is becoming a regional AI hub in Southeastern Europe, as it will be connected with four AI Factory Antennas in Cyprus, Malta, North Macedonia, and Serbia (Source: www.ekt.gr/en )

Pharos, the Greek AI Factory

The Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, speaking to the Athens–Macedonian News Agency, stressed that “DAEDALUS is not just another technical project. It is a strategic investment of national importance that places our country at the core of Europe’s computing and technological power. At a time when Artificial Intelligence and data determine economic and geopolitical influence, Greece cannot remain merely a consumer of technology. DAEDALUS gives us the ability to produce knowledge, innovation, and high value-added applications here, in our own country”.

The Minister of Digital Governance continued: “As the computing core of the AI Factory Pharos, it will provide startups, universities, and public institutions with access to advanced infrastructure that until now was the privilege of only a few countries. From healthcare and sustainable development to the Greek language and culture, we are creating the conditions for Greece to shape developments — not merely follow them. With DAEDALUS, we are building a new pillar of digital sovereignty. We are putting into practice our choice for an economy of knowledge, technology, and extroversion, with a meaningful and active role in the European Artificial Intelligence ecosystem.”

The organization and operation of the system are not limited to the “machine” itself. It constitutes an integrated infrastructure in which the supercomputer will serve as the core of Pharos, an AI Factory that will provide the service layer: access rules, support, tools, data management, and human expertise. Pharos aims to make supercomputing power accessible to research centers, universities, startups, and the public sector by offering services and technical assistance so users can leverage high-performance computing safely, compliantly, and efficiently. Technical matters such as sensitive data management, anonymization, preparation of AI-ready datasets, and the implementation of proper access policies will be handled through the Pharos service ecosystem, reducing barriers for businesses and researchers.

The practical significance of the infrastructure is immediate and multi-layered. For Greek startups and SMEs, DAEDALUS and Pharos mean access to computing power and technical support that until now were available only through costly commercial cloud services or with significant delays when accessing international centers. This can reduce development costs and accelerate AI model training and optimization cycles, enabling a faster transition from proof-of-concept to functional prototypes and pilot applications in sectors such as healthcare, public services, energy, and the environment. Universities and research institutions gain access to infrastructure for complex simulations and large-scale experiments, reducing the need to send workloads to foreign platforms and strengthening opportunities for collaboration with industry.

In the healthcare sector, for example, a Greek startup will be able to rapidly train large models that prioritize images from emergency cases—such as X-rays or CT scans—and integrate anonymization and secure data management tools in order to test and validate clinical applications much faster than has been practically feasible until now. In the public sector, access to computing power at a national scale opens up possibilities for improved data analysis, faster crisis response, optimization of energy grids, and applications for environmental protection and natural resource management.

PHAROS AI Factory, Greece’s national ecosystem for accelerating Artificial Intelligence innovation, participated in Athens Digital Health Week 2026, held on 16-20 February 2026 in Athens

The installation and full operation process follows a specific timeline: DAEDALUS will be installed in Lavrion in the summer of 2026, while full operation and the provision of services to the country’s innovation ecosystem through Pharos are expected in the autumn of 2026. The project is being implemented under the auspices of the National Infrastructures for Research and Technology Network (EDYTE S.A. – GRNET), with scientific and administrative oversight from leading figures in the field, including distinguished professors and representatives in European programs such as EuroHPC, as well as from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). The close collaboration among academic, technical, and administrative bodies, along with the involvement of EU funding instruments and the Greek public administration, aims to ensure that the investment will generate multiplier benefits for the economy and research.

(Source: www.amna.gr : “DAEDALUS – “Building” the Heart of Pharos: From Assembly to Installation in Summer 2026”, Photos: Ministry of Digital Governance)

DAEDALUS supercomputer of GRNET at the Lavrion Technological Cultural Park of the NTUA (animation)

Read also:

Daedalus Supercomputer to elevate Greek research to new heights

Greece’s “Pharos”: A landmark proposal for Europe’s AI Factory Initiative and for the creation of a Greek Large Language Model

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A warm welcome was extended in Brussels to the forthcoming branch of the International Hellenic University (IHU – Thessaloniki, Serres, Katerini, Kilkis) by the Greek Commissioner to the European Union, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, and members of the local Greek Community, who received the Rector of the University, Professor Stamatios Angelopoulos, and the university delegation.

The Brussels branch will offer an undergraduate programme in European Institutions and Organisations Management, as well as a postgraduate programme in European Programme Management. “We believe that, in its initial phase, the Branch will operate successfully with these two programmes, while also serving as a hub for the coordination and management of European programmes through the University’s Research Committee. At the same time, the Brussels Branch of the International Hellenic University will function as a communication and promotion hub for all English-taught postgraduate programmes, as well as for the University’s other postgraduate offerings,” noted the Rector of the IHU.

The International Hellenic University (IHU) is a public university of Greece with a strong international orientation and a growing presence in Europe. Established with the mission to promote academic excellence, innovation, and outward-looking engagement, IHU offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across diverse scientific fields, many of which are delivered in English and designed to meet contemporary international standards. With campuses across Northern Greece, the University plays a key role in higher education and research in Southeastern Europe, combining high-quality teaching with applied research and strong links to society, industry, and public institutions. IHU actively participates in European and international academic networks and places particular emphasis on cooperation with EU institutions, universities, and research centres.

An in-depth discussion was held with Commissioner Tzitzikostas regarding the specific plans and prospects of the new initiative, for the implementation of which his assistance and support have been unwavering from the outset. In particular, the Rector of the IHU briefed Commissioner Tzitzikostas on the stages and procedures that will be followed for the establishment of a University branch in Brussels—an especially demanding project, yet one of great significance for the future development of the International Hellenic University. Plans were also discussed for further activities of the IHU Brussels branch, as well as potential areas of cooperation between the University and the European Commission.

The Rector, Professor Stamatios Angelopoulos, also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Greek Community of Brussels, which is providing the premises that will house the University’s branch. The Memorandum was signed on behalf of the Community by its President, Filippos Kotsaridis. The premises are located in the building that hosts the Greek Community of Brussels, at Rue de Suède 37, where the sign of the International Hellenic University has already been installed. The Greek Community of Brussels is a historic community, having been founded on 3 October 1943.

“This is a moment of great joy and honour for our University and for me personally, as today we begin a dynamic effort with the support and assistance of both the Greek Commissioner to the European Union and the President of the Greek Community. We are bringing to fruition a vision of the International Hellenic University to expand and develop in an emblematic way at the heart of Europe,” noted the Rector of the IHU, Mr Angelopoulos. He also announced that the International Hellenic University intends to offer two scholarships to the Greek Community, for young people to enroll in the University’s postgraduate programmes. “For the first time, a Greek university is spreading its wings at the seat of Europe,” the Rector of the IHU concluded.

Mr Tzitzikostas, after referring to the history of the overall initiative, congratulated both the Rector of the IHU and the Greek Community and its President. “This collaboration demonstrates two things. First, that Greek communities abroad truly function as embassies of Greece in foreign countries. Second, that the International Hellenic University is among the largest, highest-quality universities in Southeastern Europe, distinguished by the breadth of its schools and the opportunities it offers,” noted the Greek Commissioner. He concluded by describing the establishment of the Brussels Branch as a major opportunity: “What is opening in the welcoming building of the Greek Community is a gateway for promoting our country and our educational system.”

On behalf of the Greek Community, its President Filippos Kotsaridis, in his address, spoke of “a historic day for the Greek Community of Brussels, where 50,000 Greeks now live.” “Our aim is to support as many young people, students, and researchers as possible,” he noted. Mr Kotsaridis symbolically handed over the key to the building to Rector Angelopoulos.

The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Cooperation was also attended by, and included addresses from, the former Ambassador of Greece to Belgium, Dionysis Kalavrezos, the Coordinator of the Education Office of the Greek Embassy in Belgium, Amalia Kapsala, as well as many representatives of educational associations and the Greek Diaspora, who welcomed the establishment of the IHU Brussels Branch with very warm remarks.

IHU is a Greek public university with 5 campuses in Northern Greece

The University Center of International Programmes of Studies (UCIPS) of the IHU (Thermi Campus), consists of the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Economics and the School of Science and Technology and offers programmes that are taught exclusively in English. A wide range of international postgraduate programs is offered (Source: Study in Greece, masters.minedu.gov.gr).

Read more: https://studyingreece.edu.gr/universities/ihu/

I.A.

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The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Thessaly is pioneering modern robotics technologies with a strong focus on environmental protection.

The University of Thessaly is at the forefront of agricultural innovation, developing next-generation solutions for smart farming and climate change adaptation. Through its Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the university is integrating IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), 5G networks, and robotics to reshape the future of agriculture.

This initiative—led by Professor Athanasios Korakis—will be presented at this year’s Thessaloniki International Fair (6-14 September 2025) highlighting how advanced agritech can transform both productivity and sustainability in farming.

“This year, the University of Thessaly makes a strong appearance at the Thessaloniki International Fair with five pavilions full of innovation, research, and creativity. We want people to see up close what it means to be a modern, open, and outward-looking university: from cutting-edge technologies and research achievements to initiatives that transform everyday life in local communities. TIF is our main stage to showcase that the University of Thessaly is here—with proposals, solutions, and a vision for the future,” said Professor Chrysi Laspidou, Vice Rector for Innovation, Internationalization, Partnerships, and Digital Governance.

Smart Crop Monitoring with IoT, AI and 5G

The first pillar of the project introduces a digital platform for precision agriculture and resource management. A nationwide IoT (Internet of Things) network of hundreds of connected devices collects and transmits real-time agricultural data across Greece—from the southern region of Laconia to the northernmost area of Nevrokopi.

By combining IoT, AI, 5G and cloud computing, the platform provides farmers and agronomists with valuable insights into soil quality, crop health, water usage, and environmental conditions. These tools support sustainable farming practices, improve crop yields, and help producers adapt to climate change challenges.

At TIF, visitors will interact with an agritech dashboard displaying live data and IoT node locations, as well as explore innovative devices such as weather stations, smart insect traps, and fruit-ripening monitoring systems.

Additionally, web and mobile applications will be presented, offering real-time advice and guidance to farmers, agronomists, industry professionals, and environmental agencies.

Autonomous Robotics for Precision Weed Control

The second pillar focuses on robotics in agriculture, showcasing autonomous vehicles for precision weed management.

Equipped with 5G connectivity, AI-powered image recognition, and robotic arms, these vehicles navigate farmland independently, identifying weeds and applying targeted pesticide spraying only where needed. This method drastically reduces chemical use, safeguards crops, and lowers both environmental and economic costs—using minimal amounts of pesticides..

At the Fair, a prototype robotic vehicle was demonstrated. Visitors will use VR headsets to view live video streams from the vehicle’s camera, remotely guide it, and simulate precision spraying in real time. This innovation highlights how robotic farming solutions can enhance efficiency while protecting workers and ecosystems.

Virtual Reality Training for Farmers and Students

The third pillar emphasizes digital education in agriculture. Using VR and cloud-based tools, the University of Thessaly has designed an interactive platform for hands-on training in sustainable farming practices.

High school students, agricultural students, and professionals can experiment with different scenarios—adjusting variables such as soil type, water quality, and weather conditions—to see how they affect crop growth.

At TIF, visitors tested the VR system, to make farming decisions, and instantly visualize the impact on virtual farmlands. This immersive training tool is designed to promote knowledge transfer, innovation, and sustainable agriculture for future generations.

Professor Athanasios Korakis on the Project

Speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Professor Korakis emphasized:

“The solutions developed by our Department, integrating Robotics, IoT, AI, VR, and 5G, are driven by real market needs and aim to solve everyday problems or take advantage of emerging opportunities in agriculture and beyond.”

He added:

“That is why these solutions are offered as services or products to stakeholders across the agricultural value chain, enhancing productivity and quality. In the long term, all these applications aim to protect the environment and help agriculture adapt to climate change—ensuring the sustainability of crops, rural areas, and local communities as a whole.”

I.L. with information from Athens-Macedonian News Agency and the University of Thessaly.

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One of the most advanced imaging technologies for studying biological molecules—cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM), often described as a "revolution" in structural biology—is about to have its first specialized laboratory in Southeastern Europe. This groundbreaking facility will be located at the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF) in Athens, Greece.

At the helm of this ambitious initiative is Professor Panagiotis Kastritis, a distinguished Greek researcher with an international career, currently serving in the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at Halle-Wittenberg University in Germany.

Cryo-electron microscopy—whose developers, Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson were jointly awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry—is revolutionizing how scientists observe biological molecules. Previously, viewing proteins and their complex mechanisms at the atomic level posed significant challenges. Cryo-EM allows researchers to flash-freeze biological samples in liquid nitrogen, preserving them for high-resolution imaging using electromagnetic lenses. Advanced software then processes these images into detailed 3D molecular structures, enabling an unprecedented understanding of how cells function.

The new lab will be equipped with four state-of-the-art Cryo-EM microscopes: the Krios G4, Aquilos 2, Talos L120C (S)TEM, and Spectra 200 (S)TEM. Procurement contracts for these instruments have already been signed, and renovation of the facility space is underway. This Cryo-EM laboratory will become an integral part of the new Theranostics Center of Excellence, a research and innovation hub at the NHRF focused on cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, funded by the European Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Professor Kastritis: From Greece to Germany and back again

Professor Kastritis, recipient of EU ERA Chair funding, is leading the lab's development at the NHRF. He has already assembled a multidisciplinary team that is being trained in Cryo-EM methodologies at his lab in Germany. This team is preparing to manage the entire spectrum of sample preparation, imaging, and analysis. Beyond technical training, Kastritis is also transferring operational expertise to Greece with the goal of establishing international collaborations. “Extroversion is absolutely critical for such an expensive and valuable technology coming to Greece,” he emphasizes.

Professor Kastritis began his journey into the microscopic world of cells with a biology degree from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. It was during a Molecular Biophysics course taught by Professor Stavros Hamodrakas—a pioneer in computational biology—that he first became captivated by structural biology, a field striving to understand cellular functions through analytical methods. Ηe recalls: “It’s astonishing that we’re made up of billions of cells that communicate with each other. Biophysics helped me see how physical laws explain how cells work. This mathematical modeling of biology fascinated me.”

Until Cryo-EM's rise, the primary tools for structural biology, which looks at proteins and nucleic acids at a molecular level, were X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy. However, Cryo-EM allows scientists to observe complex biomolecules in unprecedented detail—particularly those resistant to analysis by older methods. This has opened new pathways toward understanding cellular processes at their most fundamental level.

Although known since the 1960s, Cryo-EM only recently surged in relevance. “In recent years, everything changed,” says Kastritis. “Microscopes became more stable, cameras more advanced, graphics cards and data analysis software improved drastically. Sample preparation became semi-automated. That's why the Nobel Prize was awarded in 2017 to the scientists who made this method what it is today.”

In 2018, Kastritis established the Cryo-EM lab at Halle-Wittenberg University, where he has managed multimillion-euro research funding and published studies in top-tier scientific journals. Since 2023, he has also served as a visiting researcher at the NHRF, and received a €2.5 million ERA Chair grant to bring Cryo-EM expertise to Greece. Through this project, he also hopes to strengthen the exchange between the NHRF and research groups in Halle-Wittenberg University.

Reflecting on this scientific journey, he says: “When you're a student, the cell’s complexity feels incomprehensible. Even now, I don’t fully understand its entirety. While equations and experiments help us analyze some aspects, the cell remains a profound mystery. But now we can systematically approach this complexity more than ever before. Cryo-EM has truly transformed our understanding of biological macromolecules and their behavior.”

So what is the ultimate purpose of this expanding understanding? “Cryo-EM is a completely new way of trying to understand how cells work. Through my research, I break open cells to examine their contents—to see their structures and understand what’s inside. Each image we obtain reveals new knowledge about cellular metabolism. I want to understand the architecture of life itself. And through collaboration with medical and biotech experts, we aim to answer critical questions surrounding cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases,” he concludes.

Edited and translated to English from the original APE-MPA article by Maria Kouzinopoulou.

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Dr. Stella Tsani, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Athens, has been named this year’s winner in the Woman in Energy category of the European Sustainable Energy Awards (EUSEW Awards). These awards honor exceptional individuals and projects for their innovation and commitment to energy efficiency and renewable energy. The Woman in Energy Award specifically recognizes women who lead outstanding initiatives that can accelerate the clean energy transition across Europe. It also highlights efforts to promote gender mainstreaming and advance equality and equal opportunities within the energy sector.

Dr Stella Tsani is known for her commitment to using facts to guide policy and support fair energy change. Her research connects economics and sustainability, helping governments in Europe and the Mediterranean create energy systems that meet climate goals.  Beyond her academic work, Dr Tsani is also a passionate mentor, particularly for young women in the energy field. Her advocacy shows that the clean energy transition is not only smart and strategic but also inclusive and future focused. 

Often seen as elite ivory towers, academic institutions may hold the answers to some of the key socio-political questions facing Greece and the wider European region. Can economic analysis deliver solutions to the country’s challenges around sustainable energy? As an academic, Stella Tsani is bridging research and action around energy and the environment, driven by a deep curiosity about how economies function and how economic choices impact society and the environment:

'One of our main challenges in the clean energy transition is how to align economic systems with sustainable, low-carbon energy practices,' she explains. 'My work investigates energy policies that provide incentives for sustainable investment and bring renewable energy into existing markets without disrupting economies or communities.'

Connecting scientific research with evidence-based policy making

In order to bridge theory with practice, Dr. Tsani's aim was to combine rigorous academic research in the clean energy transition and sustainable development with high-level policy engagement – including with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Dr Tsani also chose to engage in systematic work on energy transition and sustainable development as co-lead of the Sustainable Development Goals Working Group of the  Global Young Academy, an international society of young scientists selected for their scientific excellence and commitment to engage with society.

Her work has contributed to practical advances by shaping evidence-based policy recommendations, fostering multi-sector collaboration, and supporting the financial mechanisms needed to drive sustainable energy transitions. Contribution to UNEP flagship initiatives and publications, for example, “will directly influence Mediterranean countries, including Greece, to adopt more sustainable ocean and coastal management practices that intersect with energy policy”. 

'Additionally, my work in clean energy policies and energy scenarios in Greece, Europe and beyond, provides countries with actionable guidelines to improve their clean energy strategies, ensuring both economic growth and environmental protection.'

Generations of sustainability leaders

In a traditionally male-dominated sector, Dr Tsani empowers her female students and is thrilled to see them  thrive when they are given the opportunity to set up networks and identify solutions for sustainable energy: 'What I find most inspiring are qualities such as resilience, intellectual courage, empathy, imagination and the ability to communicate complex ideas in ways that can mobilise action.'

She is passionate about education: 'Empowering the new generation is at the heart of my work. They are the future leaders, innovators, and decision-makers who will carry forward the challenges and opportunities of the clean energy transition… By providing guidance, I aim to inspire the next wave of female scientists, policy leaders, and entrepreneurs in the clean energy sector,' she says.

Dr Tsani believes her work on youth empowerment is highly replicable across different European regions, driving the EU’s climate ambitions: 'By empowering communities, fostering innovation, and promoting the incentives that ensure sustainable energy investments, we can drive the EU closer to its ambitious energy and climate goals.'

Stella Tsani's academic and professional profile

Stella Tsani is Associate Professor of Economics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, with expertise in sustainable development, energy, natural resource management, and economic policy. Her work operates at the critical intersection of science and policy, where she regularly contributes to high-level international initiatives.

She is a lead author for the 7th Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), the flagship environmental assessment of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), focusing on the economic and financial transformations essential for a global sustainability transition. Dr. Tsani also serves on the Board of Directors of  the Euro-Mediterranean Forum of Institutes of Economic Sciences and is a permanent member of the MED 2050 foresight group.

Her international contributions include membership in the UNEP/Mediterranean Action Plan Working Group on Ocean Economy and Sustainable Finance, and expert involvement in shaping the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for the Water4All  partnership. She was also an expert contributor to  International Science Council delegation to the UN2023 Water Conference and its related policy brief.

Futhermore, Dr. Tsani is the lead editor of the Handbook of Sustainable Politics and Economics of Natural Resources, and she is a proud member of both the STEM Women global network and of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Dr. Tsani is investing heavily in the next generation of energy professionals, especially young women, leading the GY-Energy (Generation Youth Energy) network, an initiative hosted by the Department of Economics at the University of Athens. Established as part of the undergraduate Energy and Resource Economics course she teaches, GY-Energy promotes awareness, representation, and participation of students at all levels in energy and resource management policymaking—at national, regional, European, and global levels.

EUSEW Awards ​celebrate Europe’s best clean energy projects and leaders 

Stella Tsani was one of three finalists shortlisted for the European Sustainable Energy Awards 2025 ​(EUSEW Awards) in the Woman in Energy category. The award recognizes women who lead outstanding activities that, if replicated, help to advance the clean energy transition in Europe. Particular attention is placed on efforts to drive the gender mainstreaming agenda and support equality and equal opportunities in the energy sector. The other finalists were Sophie Loots from Belgium, and Carmen Sánchez-Guevara from Spain. Sophie Loots is a champion of grassroots energy cooperatives in Flanders. Carmen Sánchez-Guevara is driving efforts to tackle the critical issue of summer energy poverty.

The European Sustainable Energy Awards highlight achievements that contribute to the EU’s Green Deal objectives and encourage others to adopt best practices in building a sustainable energy future. The nine award finalists have been selected by a high-level jury in three categories: Innovation, Local Energy Action and Woman in Energy and are submitted  an online public vote.

The  winners were announced on June 10 at  the EUSEW Awards Ceremony, taking place during European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), the​ biggest annual event dedicated to renewables and efficient energy use in Europe, this year with  the theme of ‘Powering a fair and competitive green transition. The event brings together public authorities, industry, NGOs and consumers to promote initiatives accelerating decarbonisation through clean technologies and solutions towards a competitive, fair and just transition both for people and businesses.

I.L.

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Greece is set to join in the elite club of 15 European countries that host their own high-performance computers. By the end of 2025, a cutting-edge supercomputer named Daedalus, is set to be operational and installed at the Lavrio Technological Cultural Park. With this development, Greece will not only significantly boost its technological infrastructure and research capacities, but it will also be positioned as a significant player in Europe’s digital landscape.

Daedalus will be the most powerful supercomputer in Greece and one of the top 30 globally, with its potential entry into the prestigious TOP500 and GREEN500 lists. The project is spearheaded by the Ministry of Digital Governance as part of its Digital Transformation Plan 2020-2025, and is managed by the National Technology and Research Infrastructure Network (EDYTE S.A. – GRNET). GRNET, an arm of the Ministry of Digital Governance, has a proven track record with ARIS, Greece's current supercomputer, which has significantly supported national research efforts.

The new system’s performance will exceed 60 Petaflops, enabling it to conduct over sixty million billion floating-point operations per second. This computational prowess marks a quantum leap from ARIS, making Daedalus approximately 120 times more powerful. The implication of such power is profound, equating to the computational might of more than a million computers working simultaneously.

The total investment for Daedalus, including the infrastructural modifications of its host building, is valued at approximately €50 million. The funding comprises resources from Greece’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0,” supported by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU initiative, alongside contributions from the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU).

This initiative underlines the government's strategy to enhance Greece’s public digital infrastructure, which forms part of its broader Digital Transformation Plan for 2020-2025. The project’s completion is expected to strengthen Greece’s technological ecosystem, positioning the country as a significant player in Europe’s digital landscape.

One of Daedalus’s core objectives is to support an array of complex research activities. The supercomputer’s hybrid architecture, combining high-density CPUs and accelerator units, is optimized for diverse applications spanning artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and big data analytics. Its capabilities will facilitate advancements in natural language requests, personalized medicine, spatial planning, fire protection and disaster response as well as smart mobility and autonomous vehicle technology.

For scientists in computational fields such as chemistry, physics, and biology, the supercomputer offers unprecedented resources to expedite research cycles, simulate complex phenomena, and conduct large-scale experiments previously constrained by limited computational power.

Research and Development Opportunities

The implications of Daedalus extend beyond national borders. With a system of such magnitude, Greece is set to become a hub for international research.  Deadalus’s power of 60 Petaflots, means that it will be able to perform infinite (60 million billion) calculations per second, while a human can perform one to two operations (per second). President of GRNET, Nektarios Kozyris, noted that without such powerful supercomputers, many scientific computations would take millennia or be impossible due to resource limitations. With Daedalus, simulations that used to take weeks or months can be completed in days, dramatically accelerating research timelines and enhancing the reliability of findings.

At present, supercomputers exist in 15 countries in Europe, with the Greek supercomputer, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2025, estimated to be among the 500 most powerful corresponding infrastructures in the world. Research centers, universities and companies inside and outside Greece will be able to “run” their experiments on the Greek supercomputer.

That is, researchers and scientists in fields such as computational chemistry, physics, biology, biomedicine, meteorology and seismology will have the opportunity to carry out their tests on the "Daedalus", which will allow Greece to strengthen its position on the global map of scientific research.

The installation of Daedalus marks a significant step forward for Greece’s digital strategy. By hosting one of Europe’s most powerful supercomputers, the nation is poised to enhance its competitive edge in scientific research and technological development. This strategic initiative sets the stage for Greece to emerge as a leader in high-performance computing, securing its place in the rapidly evolving landscape of global technology.

Environmentally Conscious Design

Sustainability is a cornerstone of the Daedalus project. The Lavrio Technological Cultural Park, with its rich industrial heritage, has been chosen as the installation site to foster an environmentally responsible approach. The supercomputer facilities will use renewable energy systems and modern cooling technologies that leverage the local climate’s ambient temperatures and humidity, significantly reducing operational energy consumption by up to 50%.

This "green" approach aligns with broader European goals of reducing carbon footprints and promoting energy-efficient infrastructure. The innovative cooling solutions integrated into the design are expected to set a benchmark for future HPC (high-performance computing) facilities worldwide.

A new technological hub in the area of Lavrio

The installation of Daedalus at the Lavrio Technological Cultural Park is to contribute to the creation of a new technological hub in the area of Lavrio, with additional benefits. Specifically, it is estimated that it will be able to become a pole of attraction for important scientific conferences and other events, tourist inflows of researchers and technology enthusiasts. Also, according to the Ministry of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou, the greatest economic benefit may be the one that will arise in the form of investments, with the valuable resources of Daedalus being exploited for research and development, optimization of production processes, analysis and processing of big data, and other features that provide the "technological solution" for a huge number of businesses, from startups to multinational giants.

Minister Dimitris Papastergiou has often emphasized the strategic importance of this investment, framing it as pivotal for Greece’s digital modernization. He has highlighted that significant investments in computing power and data center are essential to harness the full potential modern AI offers in innovation, entrepreneurship and development of reliable citizen services. According to mr. Papastergiou, Daedalus is a strategically important investment for the digital transition of our county, and a future where Greece will be among the pioneers of technological development.  

I.L. with information from Lavrio Technological Cultural Park, Ministry of Digital Governance, EDYTE-GRNET, CNN.gr and APE-MPA

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A cooperation protocol was signed between the University of Piraeus (UoP) and the Centre for Research & Technology, Hellas (CERTH) for the joint undertaking and implementation of projects in the fields of innovation, scientific research and its exploitation in the strategic sectors of energy and digital transition, shipping, transport and logistics and tourism.

More specifically, the Cooperation Protocol between the two institutions will be based -among other things- on the creation of research and innovation-based education programs adapted to the needs of the market, the exploration of opportunities to attract resources from Greece’s or EU’s funding mechanisms, the better use of the scientific staff and infrastructure of the two institutions, as well as the joint undertaking of initiatives for the development of research infrastructures in cutting-edge sectors.

The Protocol of Cooperation was signed by the Rector of the University of Piraeus, Professor Michael Sfakianakis and the Chair of the Board of Directors of CERTH, Dr. Dimitrios Tzovaras, on September 8, 2024, within the framework of the Thessaloniki International Fair. Also present at the signing ceremony were the Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the CERTH, Dr. Evangelos Bekiaris, Research Director, Dr. Vassilios Kappatos and Professor Maria Boile.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, University of Piraeus Rector, Professor Michael Sfakianakis, stated: "The University of Piraeus applies targeted strategies of outward orientation and networking with research institutions, leading in their field, in order to establish, develop and jointly implement innovative initiatives in cutting-edge research and innovation areas and to create channels of interconnection between knowledge-producing institutions for the benefit of our students and alumni and society as a whole."

On his part, CERTH’s COB of directors Dr. Dimitrios Tzovaras said: "Focusing on the common interest of both sides to implement research and educational projects and initiatives that promote technological innovation in a wide range of fields, the signing of this Protocol of Cooperation capitalizes on the expertise of both institutions and comes to promote cutting-edge research, creating an environment that favors knowledge and scientific excellence for the benefit of society."

The University of Piraeus

The University of Piraeus was founded in 1938 under the title “School for Industrial Studies” by the Industrialists and Tradesmen Association. Today it runs ten departments in four greater fields of study: a) Economics, Business and International Studies, b) Maritime and Industrial Studies, c) Finance and Statistics and d) Information and Communication Technologies. It also offers a variety of postgraduate programs (MSc and MBA).

The University of Piraeus Research Centre (UPRC) was established in 1983 and it is a non-profit research organization. UPRC aims at providing the institutional framework which would facilitate and support the research activities that are carried out by Faculty members, in the general fields of economics, management and computing, emphasizing on the study of the Greek economy and society. The UPRC has so far effectuated over 1.000 research programs and numerous educational programs, conferences and executive seminars.

The Centre for Research & Technology

The Centre for Research and Technology Hellas was fοunded in March 2000, and is a legal entity governed by private law with non-profit status, supervised by the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI) of the Greek Ministry of Development. CERTH suggests one of the most important Research Centers in Greece with a core mission: The promotion of innovative research for the benefit of society. Dedicated to this purpose, CERTH is at the forefront of basic, applied and technological research to provide solutions to society’s modern challenges.

Clean energy, low/zero CO2 emission technologies, clean vehicle technologies, green hydrogen, climate change, artificial intelligence, advanced robotic systems, the internet of things, precision medicine, autonomous vehicles, smart cities, agro-robotics and circular economy, are among the primal fields around which CERTH’s five (5) institutes are organized. CERTH places a strong emphasis on innovation, demonstrated by establishing collaborations with the industry. The commercial exploitation of its technological findings has led to the creation of 23 spin-off companies with significant economic activity, including the attraction of financing from investment funds.

The post A cooperation between the University of Piraeus and CERTH appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

In the framework of the 88th TIF and the events that focus on this year’s honored country Germany, the Nanotechnology & Organic Electronics Ecosystem (Organic Electronic Technologies-OΕΤ, Nanotechnology Lab LTFN/COPE-Nano, Hellenic Organic & Printed Electronics Association HOPE-A, BL Nanobiomed, VKNano), Alexander Innovation Zone and the German company COATEMA Coating Machinery, co-organize on Sunday 8 September at 11.30-13:00 an Event titled:

«Building the Green Energy of Europe: Flex2Energy & COPE-Nano Flagship Projects Contribution against the Climate, Energy and Food Crisis»

In this Event, strategic partners will present and discuss the latest developments in Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, as well as the leading role of those partners based in Thessaloniki in developing and commercializing sustainable approaches and products to achieve Green Industry & Green Energy in Greece, Europe and the rest of the world.

More specifically, the event will offer an opportunity to present the Flagship Horizon Europe Flex2Energy Project (www.flex2energy.eu), the only project funded by the European Commission to found, in the city of Thessaloniki, the first Factory in the world for the mass production of Flexible Semi-transparent Organic Photovoltaics (3rd Generation Photovoltaics).

Flex2Energy is coordinated by the high-tech company OET with the participation of 17 strategic partners and industries from all over Europe (including the leading companies Coatema and Mondragon) with a total budget of €21.2 million. The new type of Photovoltaics that will be produced in Greece will be semi-transparent, lightweight and can be adapted on any surface. Their mass production will reduce their costs, but also consolidate Europe's autonomy in the field of Green Energy. These Photovoltaics can be in buildings and cars and will fully meet the global demand for green sustainable cities. In the agricultural sector, Flexible Semi-Transparent Photovoltaics will ensure Energy autonomy in greenhouses and open crops, and achieving triple land use, thus leading to a substantial increase in agricultural production. This production line will be a game-changer, paving the way for the installation of Green & Digital Manufacturing Giga-Factories in Semi-Transparent Organic Photovoltaics, OLEDs and Biosensors in Greece, Europe and the world.

Also, the Horizon Europe Flagship Project COPE-Nano (HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ACCESS-01) will be presented; COPE-Nano will advance the Nanotechnology Lab LTFN into an Autonomous and Sustainable Center of Excellence in Organic and Printed Electronics & Nanotechnologies, with a funding of €30 million. The project will create a pioneer European Center in Applied and Industrial Research in the rapidly developing areas of Organic Electronics & Green Energy (Agrivoltaics, Energy Autonomous Buildings, Transport & Automotive, etc.), Bioelectronics & Nanomedicine, Advanced Nano-Materials and Batteries.

URL: www.ltfn.gr, https://oe-technologies.com, http://www.hope-a.com

Read more about the flagship Horizon Europe Project COPE-Nano via Greek News Agenda: ‘COPE-Nano’ launched in Thessaloniki: a 30 million Organic Electronics & Nanotechnologies Centre of Excellence

Read also via Greek News Agenda: A trip around the world with Greek 3rd generation photovoltaics; The fascinating world of Nanotechnology & the LTFN Lab of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

The post Event: Building the Green Energy of Europe appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

‘Meltemi’ is the first Greek Large Language Model (LLM),  trained by the Institute for Language and Speech Processing of the Athena Research & Innovation Center  on a corpus of high-quality Greek texts.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have revolutionized the field of AI, opening up new opportunities for research and industry applications.  It been shown that open LLMs are competitive alternatives to commercial, siloed solutions and their utilization can provide a higher level of control over the development of safe and application-optimized models.

However, due to the sheer volume of data required, most developed open LLMs have been trained on vast, mostly English, monolingual datasets (e.g., Dolma), limiting their performance in other languages. Recently, there have been efforts to extend the capabilities of open LLMs to other languages (e.g., LeoLM for German, Aguila for Spanish, etc.).

To address these challenges the Institute for Language and Speech Processing (ILSP) developed and released Meltemi, the first LLM for the Greek language. Meltemi is developed as a bilingual model; while being highly proficient in English, it has been extended to understand and generate fluent text in Modern Greek. Meltemi was built on top of the Mistral-7B language model, which is trained on a large corpus of English text, so ILSP extended it with added proficiency for the Greek language, by utilizing a large corpus consisting of approximately 40 billion tokens (i.e. words).

Out of these 40 billion tokens, 28.5 billion are Greek, derived from publicly available resources. Furthermore, to ensure that the model has bilingual capabilities, ISLP used additional sub-corpora with 10.5 billion tokens of English texts and a parallel Greek-English dataset of 600 million tokens. This corpus has been processed, filtered, and deduplicated to ensure data quality.

There two variants of Meltemi: the foundation model, and a model which can be used for chat applications.

As for the model’s name, “Meltemi is a strong, dry north wind that blows across the Aegean Sea, during the summer months, with its peak usually occurring in July and August. Its intensity can vary from gentle breezes to strong gales, making it both a vital aspect of local weather and a significant factor in the region’s climate.” The name ‘Meltemi’ was chosen to symbolize the feeling of freshness and rejuvenation this cool breeze brings.

The ILSP's Intradisciplinary History

The Institute for Language and Speech Processing (ILSP) was established in 1985 by of a small team of scientists working on the EUROTRA machine translation project. This team, composed of linguists and information technologists and led by NTUA Professor George Carayannis, gradually grew both in size and scope of activities.

In 1991, ILSP was officially recognized as a Research Institute under the auspices of the General Secretariat of Research and Technology In 2003, ILSP became part of the newly established Athena Research and Innovation Center in Information, Communication and Knowledge Technologies (Athena R.C.).

As, Nasos Katsamanis, principal researcher and deputy director at ILSP, tells it to newspaper “Kathimerini,” the team that built Meltemi came together thanks to one savage tweet:: "About a year ago, colleagues from the U.S. came here for a seminar. They were telling us that they are working on new language models, asking us we are doing here for the Greek language. This discussion coincided with a very scathing comment on Twitter from someone well-known in the field who wrote: "What are they doing at the Athena Research Center, won't they finally produce a Greek language model?" So, after all that, here we are with our Meltemi''.

With the Institute’s history of bringing together researchers from various fields -such as linguistics and informational technology- to work on language technologies, it was always a question of "If not us, then who?" However, as reported by Kathimerini’s, for such a project to take shape, four key elements were necessary:

• Linguistic data, meaning texts containing billions of words
• Machine power, in this case Amazon's cloud computing infrastructure accessed through GRNET - National Infrastructures for Research and Technology
• Algorithms
• Expertise

It is evident that without the Institute's data collection projects that have been active since the 1990s, the team would not have been able to create the first Greek Large Language Model

30 Billion Greek Words

"We collected numerous Greek texts, homogenized them, and prepared them. We removed duplicate texts and those with toxic, racist, and sexist content. The Greek words we have collected and included in a large training corpus total 30 billion, although some words are repeated. Of these, eight million were collected within 12 months," explains researcher Prokopis Prokopidis.

The undertaking was further complicated by two factors: cost and time. In this case, a three-day mistake would have cost them more than $7,000.

“The team had reserved the cloud computing infrastructure for a specific period, and the usage cost amounted to $100 per hour. There was a moment when we realized that a mistake would cost us dearly. In the end, we fixed it, but I will never forget how anxious I felt," recalls researcher Georgios Paraskevopoulos.

Due to the fact that the choice of training data is related to the results the user will receive, the team excluded from the beginning the huge sources of data coming from Greek social media, choosing to use data from theses, books, school textbooks, the Greek legislation and everything else that was free to use copyright.

“It's actually very difficult to make a model in a language that doesn't have as much appeal as English. Consider that a Portuguese can understand a Spanish when they speak, so you can adapt Portuguese to a Spanish model, just like Bulgarian to a Russian one. This is not the case for Greek. It is a language spoken by about 15 million people on the planet, that is less than 0.5%. So we had to do it from the scratch with great attention to getting the data right," Georgios Paraskevopoulos stresses.

Meltemi Uses

Although Meltemi is available as an open model for research and commercial purposes, the general public cannot yet try it online – like they can with ChatGPT, as the team still needs to complete some technical issues. Small and medium-sized businesses are already using customized versions of it to build specific products in the health, education, tourism and culture sectors.

Giving a concrete example of where Meltemi can be used, scientist Maria Yagou tells "Kathimerini" that the institute is currently creating a digital assistant based on Meltemi. In an educational setting, the digital assistant will be able to chat with students, solve questions on their teaching material, create exercises according to their needs, explain terms and even simplify some texts from their textbooks. In the health sector it could decode the doctor’s medial reports or even create a report upon the user´s request.

Members of the team behind Meltemi

Vasilis Katsouros: "We are here for the digital survival of the Greek language"

One of the challenges we are discussing is the timelessness of the Greek language. That is, how can a language model speak from ancient Greek, to dialects and the colloquial language. This is a complex undertaking. But we are here to support the digital survival of the Greek language.

Meltemi can be applied to anything you can imagine, from the field of economics to the field of commerce, as long as the fundamental model is adapted to specific data from the field in question.

Prokopis Prokopidis: "Our role is to support Greek with new technologies"

Building Meltemi was a challenge because Greek has a different alphabet, so it's more difficult to transfer knowledge from other languages ​​or dialects. Apart from the fact that there are few people who speak, write and produce Greek, there are also few people who are interested in the protection of the language.

I believe that the role of the Speech Processing Institute at the Athena Research Center is to support the Greek language with new technologies.

Nasos Katsamanis: "We didn't have the funding that OpenAI had"

We are talking to at least 50 different companies and organizations right now to implement Meltemi into their products or services. The techniques OpenAI followed were not unknown to the community at large, but the important thing was that they had multi-million funding. We didn't have anything similar.

Maria Yagou: Meltemi is a key tool for SMEs

We are currently working with small and medium-sized businesses to build specific products in the health, education, tourism and culture sectors.  There are also many SMEs who come to us to teach them the basics of AI, as all this change has caught them somewhat unprepared.

At the same time, we are working on the development of digital assistants in specific services that will aim to guide and inform the citizen on various issues.

Sokratis Sofianopoulos: "We want Meltemi to be accessible to everyone"

Meltemi is open source and anyone can download and use it for research purposes as well as for developing innovative applications. We aim for the data we use in the future to be free to use copyright.

Stelios Piperidis: "Language models need continuous training"

Training language models is not something you do once and you're done. ChatGPT said in its first seven months of operation that its knowledge was up to September 2021 because the training data was up to that point.

Consider that when the pandemic came our own voice systems could not recognize the word "coronavirus", "SARS-COV-2", etc. We had to train the systems to learn these words, just as we ourselves learned them.

I.L. with information from ILSP and Kathimerini

The post Meltemi: The first Greek Large Language Model appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Marinos Sariyannis has been working as a researcher at the Institute of Mediterranean Studies/FORTH since 2007, specializing in Ottoman social, cultural and intellectual history. He is deputy director of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies/FORTH and member of the Editorial Board of Archivum Ottomanicum (Wiesbaden) and of Bulletin de Correspondance hellénique moderne et contemporain (Athens – Paris). He has published more than fifty articles and chapters in journals such as Turcica, Archivum Ottomanicum, International Journal of Turkish Studies, Journal of Economic and Social History of the Orient, Turkish Historical Review, and others. His monograph entitled “A History of Ottoman Political Thought up to the Early Nineteenth Century” was published in 2019.

Sariyannis spoke to Rethinking Greece* about the shift in the perception and study of the Ottoman past in Greek historiography and the emergence of a new generation of Greek Ottomanist scholars, whose ease with both Greek and Ottoman sources allows them to examine Ottoman realities in the Greek lands in a multifaceted way; on the main fields of Ottoman Studies research in Greece (urban history, agricultural realities, the peculiarities of islands, the commercial and maritime activity, monasteries); on the project GHOST, an effort to explore the meaning and content of what the Ottomans meant by “marvelous”, “strange” or “extraordinary”, and whether the Weberian notion of “disenchantment” can be applied in an Ottoman context; and finally, on his monograph "A History of Ottoman Political Thought up to the Early Nineteenth Century,” claiming that "the Ottomans had their own share in the 'Age of Revolutions,' although a very sui generis one."

Up until the 1980s-1990s, the Ottoman period (termed Tourkokratia or ‘Turkish rule’) was seen generally by Greek scholars as a period not worth studying. Why do you think this perception had remained prevalent for so long in Greek historiography? What was the shift that caused this perception to change?

Undoubtedly, this perception was primarily a result of the prevalent nationalist foundations of Greek historiography. Greek historians felt their duty was to study the development of the ‘Greek nation’ throughout the centuries; the Ottoman period was considered a lacuna of sorts, a dark space of yoke and repression between two brilliant periods of independent glory (the Byzantine Empire considered a predominantly Greek formation). Being a pillar of the ideological foundations of the Greek state, this concept remained prevalent for more than one hundred and fifty years. The Ottoman period was seen as a foreign rule, an occupation that lasted centuries and prevented any kind of intellectual and social development, during which nothing mattered but the efforts of the Greeks to revolt.

By the end of the 1970s, however, after the fall of the nationalist military junta, a new generation of historians had begun studying this period in its own right, focusing in its economic and social realities and trying to take into account the few translated Ottoman sources. It was in this context that the first generations of Ottomanist scholars, trained in the UK, the USA, Austria or France, begun exploring and publishing Ottoman archives on the history of the Greek lands. Some of them inspired young students to pursue Ottoman studies, and with the help of some financially happy years that allowed several posts of Ottoman history to be created in universities and research centers all along Greece in the 2000s the field is now thriving.

What did the Greek perspective bring to the field of Ottoman studies? And on the other hand, how has the inclusion of Ottoman studies influenced our understanding of modern Greek history?

The main advantage of Greek Ottomanists over their peers is exactly their ease with both Greek and Ottoman sources, which allows them to examine Ottoman realities in the Greek lands in a multifaceted way. Their emphasis on the hard data is dictated both by their training in the intellectual climate of modern Greek historiography and by the nature of the Ottoman sources, i.e. mainly tax registers or judicial proceedings. The combination of Ottoman administrative sources and Greek communal narratives and archives leads to an emphasis in “history from below” and has perhaps contributed to a more nuanced understanding of the coexistence of religious groups under Ottoman rule. On the other hand, the work of Greek Ottomanists showed that no history of the Greek lands can be written without studying Ottoman sources and without taking into account not only the Ottoman institutions, but also non-Greek populations. What is more, the Ottoman period is not any more seen as a static context of a dynamic Greek nation; we now understand that the institutional and social realities of the Ottoman Empire developed considerably from the fifteenth through nineteenth centuries.

What can you tell us about Ottoman Studies in Greece now? What are the principal fields of studies?

Ottoman studies are blooming in Greece: there are professors and researchers of Ottoman history in almost every university and research center, and postgraduate students often choose an Ottomanist direction. Greek Ottoman scholarship has been predominantly occupied with economic, demographic and social history: this is only too natural, given the multitude of such sources preserved in Greek archives. Urban history, agricultural realities, the peculiarities of islands, the commercial and maritime activity, monasteries – these have been the main topics that occupy Greek Ottomanists. Furthermore, some scholars have addressed wider topics that apply to the Ottoman Empire as a whole, such as revolts, centre-periphery relations or issues of cultural and intellectual history.

You teach at the Department of Ottoman History at the Institute for Mediterranean Studies/FORTH in Rethymnon. How has the history of Crete during influenced research in the Department? What are the particular sources that a specialist in Ottoman history can study οn the field?

To be more precise, I only teach in the postgraduate program which is run jointly by the Institute and the University of Crete; the Department at the Institute mainly deals with research, rather than teaching. That said, ever since its creation in the mid-1980s the Department has been focusing in Cretan history, engaging in a long-time project that aims to publish the huge Ottoman judicial archive of Iraklio/Kandiye (Candia) since 2000. All of the members have also dealt with various aspects of the history of Ottoman Crete. However, in the last ten years our research directions have moved toward other sources and topics as well, ranging from the study of other places in Ottoman Greece to the janissary networks in the Eastern Mediterranean, not to mention my own musings in cultural and intellectual history. At any rate, Crete remains a favorite object of our research, not least because of the wealth of archival sources available. These include the voluminous judicial registers, but also tax registers and other documents preserved in Istanbul.

Since 2018 you direct the project "GHOST - Geographies and Histories of the Ottoman Supernatural Tradition: Exploring Magic, the Marvelous, and the Strange in Ottoman Mentalities”. Can you tell us more about this fascinating premise and the insight it brings to Ottoman studies?

The GHOST project, which now comes toward its end, is an effort to explore the meaning and content of what the Ottomans meant by “marvelous”, “strange” or “extraordinary”, and, vice versa, the correspondent notions that covered what we now describe as “supernatural/preternatural” and “irrational”. We seek to specify the Ottoman attitudes against beliefs in such phenomena or practice of such methods, both holy (e.g. miracles of dervishes) and suspect (magic, witchcraft). Various authors might attribute such phenomena to actions by the jinn or, alternatively, to a secret interaction of the cosmic elements. A major aim of the project is to analyze the various ways changes took place from the mid-seventeenth century onwards: for instance, we tried to study whether certain phenomena were pushed from the field of “inexplicable” to the field of “marvelous”, whether we can speak of any trend to “rationalize” the image of the world, or, in other terms, whether the Weberian notion of “disenchantment” can be applied in an Ottoman context.

To this aim, we sought to trace the semantic shifts in terms denoting nature, miracles, magic and so forth, examining miracles, dreams and the various beliefs concerning the role of stars and the homologies and hierarchies of the microcosm and the macrocosm. There is also the “preternatural”, i.e. what is deemed natural (not miraculous) but inexplicable (the “paranormal” in modern terms): wonders of the world, hermetic knowledge, the jinn, and of course the shifting ways to interpret natural phenomena. Furthermore, we analyzed efforts and techniques designed in order to establish human control over such phenomena: in other words, Ottoman occult sciences, such as divination, magic, astrology, alchemy and so forth.

The results of the project can be seen in more detail in our publications: mainly, the papers published in our online, open access journal called “Aca’ib: Occasional papers on the Ottoman perceptions of the supernatural” and in a monograph I wrote,  Ottomans and the Supernatural: Nature, the Hereafter, and the Limits of Knowledge in the Ottoman Empire, which is hopefully to be published soon.

Υou are the author of the book “A History of Ottoman Political Thought up to the Early Nineteenth Century.” What are your thoughts on the existence of “Ottoman Enlightenment?” Can you identify any enduring legacies of Ottoman political thought in modern political theory or practice?

This book was the result of another research project, back in 2014-2015, which sought to trace the history of Ottoman political ideas and their relationship to social and political developments. Now, this project had no aspirations of making any connections with the present; it aimed in mapping the intellectual trends from the fourteenth to the early nineteenth centuries, seeing them in the background of previous Islamic thought, rather than modern ideas. There has been a lively discussion about “Ottoman Enlightenment”, indeed, or if you prefer an “Islamic Enlightenment” of the eighteenth century. This has less to do with political ideas than with a democratization of knowledge and a legitimization of individual thought, which in my view was linked somehow paradoxically with the influential fundamentalist movement of the seventeenth century, the Kadızadelis. Indeed, if Islamic fundamentalism is a recurrent idea in modern political realities it has its origins in the Ottoman era. But in my view it is more interesting to examine certain political developments of the eighteenth century, namely the self-legitimization of the janissary networks seeing themselves as representatives of all Muslims and thus legitimate members of the political nation (the community which could claim a share in political deliberation). It can be said that the Ottomans had their own share in the “Age of Revolutions”, although a very sui generis one, and that the internal dynamics of Ottoman society were less “despotic” than we usually tend to think.

*Interview to: Ioulia Livaditi

Read also from Greek News Agenda:

• Restoration of Ottoman monuments in Greece
• Remembering the Ottoman Past
• Antonis Hadjikyriacou on the Ottoman period, the Greek Revolution of 1821, and new paths in Greek historiography

The post Rethinking Greece | Marinos Sariyannis on the thriving field of Ottoman Studies in Greece appeared first on Greek News Agenda.