News

The team of world-class recognized researchers in Robotics and AI who lead the Robotics Institute at the Athena Research Center, have won a competitive grant of over 30 million EUR to build the first Center of Excellence (CoE) in Robotics Technologies in the AI-era in Greece.

 

The new Hellenic Robotics CoE, named “HERON” will be led by Prof. Petros Maragos and Prof. Evangelos Papadopoulos, while Athena’s President Prof. Ioannis Emiris will act as the grant Coordinator. The proposal has been supported by the Proposal Support Office at Athena RC, led by Dr. Vasileia Filidou.

 

HERON will develop three research directions of Service Robotics critical for Greece, namely Field Robotics led by Prof. E. Papadopoulos, Health Robotics led by Prof. P. Maragos, and Safety Robotics led by Prof. K. Kyriakopoulos. The three research directions will be supported by a Makerspace in Athens and two regional Makerspaces, promoting a maker cultural shift in Greece. A number of academics from Greek Universities and Research Centers who are experts in Robotics, AI and ICT, have been contributing to the success of this endeavour: Prof. C. Tzafestas, Prof. P. Vartholomeos, Dr. A. Katsamanis, Prof. C. Bechlioulis, Prof. G. Karras.

 

HERON has already forged partnerships with leading organizations in Robotics, such as the Italian Institute of Technology and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, aiming at the enhancement of its scientific, technological, innovation, and educational capacity. HERON will initially be hosted by Athena RC and will closely collaborate with the Robotics Institute.

 

The new CoE will receive funding from the European Commission (15 million EUR) and the General Secretariat for Research & Innovation (15 million EUR) for the next six years.

 

HERON has mobilized additional funding from the national industrial ecosystem having received over 70 letters of financial and in-kind commitments with significant contributions towards its long-term sustainability. Substantial contributions are offered by the Onassis Foundation, Ernst&Young, Damma Holdings, Deeplab, Eugenides Foundation, HTR, Intracom, Kyknos, NTUA, Public Power Corp., Quest, Qualco, RoboteQ, SofMedica, Attikon Hospital, MIT, UPenn, USC, S. Aegean & W. Greece regions, and many others.

 

The foundation of a national CoE in Robotics empowered with AI and coupled with industrial innovation is of utmost national importance as it aspires to place Robotics at the centre of Greece’s economy and society, emphasizing research, innovation, and technology transfer without sacrificing research excellence.

 

HERON will be developed on Greece’s strengths, as well as on national and regional priorities. Around HERON, a robust ecosystem will be grown and orchestrated comprising both the private and public sectors.

 

A set of national reforms will be proposed and implemented to accelerate the adoption of robotics technologies at the national level.

 

HERON will create bridges with the Greek Diaspora to foster knowledge exchanges and to contribute to the urgent need for brain gain.

 

It is expected that HERON’s research, technology, and innovation thrusts will have a strong positive impact on Greece’s efforts for modernizing its economy, and for inspiring and educating the new generation for the challenges of the 21st century.

 

Petros Maragos, Professor at NTUA and HERON’s Director, stated: “The HERON Center of Excellence started as a vision and is becoming a reality. It is an emblematic endeavour with high goals in the fields of service robotics in the AI era, whose accomplishment we hope will promote the technology, economy, security, and well-being of our country. Warm thanks for the help and support for this great effort to all members from universities and the Athena RC who participated in the team of the European proposal, the GSRΙ, and the sponsors and collaborators from Greece and abroad. We believe that the successful gathering of all these forces, as well as the imminent organization and operation of HERON will inspire the scientific community and the new generation of our country providing them with multidimensional opportunities for research, collaboration, creativity and innovation”.

 

Evangelos Papadopoulos, Professor at NTUA and HERON’s Associate Director, stated: “HERON is the first Center of Excellence in Greece to focus on Robotics in the AI Era, an area urgently needed in our country. Long-term funding from the EU, Greece, and private sources made this possible. HERON relies on an excellent team of Greek experts in field, healthcare, and safety robotics, while researchers from the Greek Diaspora will contribute also. Together, we will strive to develop cutting-edge robots, systems, and research projects that will not only lead the field in Greece and globally, but also have a positive impact on our society by addressing urgent needs, training excellent researchers, and becoming a brain gain hub. With its Makerspaces, HERON will promote a maker hands-on attitude currently so needed in Greece, educating students and researchers in making, exploring, and sharing using high tech and manual tools. We are proud of HERON and hope that we will set a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts among academics, industry, and professionals working on Robotics in the AI era, fostering a modern, advanced, and inclusive Greek society”.

 

Zoe Rapti, Deputy Minister of Development for the establishment of the HERON Center of Excellence in Robotics stated: “The creation of HERON, Greece's first Center of Excellence in Robotics, marks the culmination of collaborative efforts among the Athena Research Center, leading Greek university professors, the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). This initiative aims to harness cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence to address national and European challenges in various fields, including security, agriculture, shipping, logistics, construction, and healthcare. It is a key milestone in building Greece’s Robotics System, fostering strategic partnerships between universities and industry to drive innovation across the robotics value chain. Our unwavering support for research and innovation is a core commitment of the Ministry of Development, as we develop synergies at national and international levels and leverage diverse funding sources to support our country’s new, sustainable, and resilient economic and production model".

 

Athanasios Kyriazis, Secretary General for Research and Innovation, stated “Success of the Robotics Institute of the Athena Research Center in setting up a Centre of Excellence in Robotics, through funding available under the European Horizon Program–Teaming for Excellence, with corresponding support from the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI), in the time of Artificial Intelligence, is a realization of our goals and policies. It represents the concrete implementation of our commitment to leveraging scientific excellence and innovation as a tool for social and economic development. We believe that this Center will contribute significantly to high-level research activity in fields such as robotics and artificial intelligence, as well as to foster our vision to bridge the gap existing between the academic and research community and the industry with a specific focus on innovation within the robotics sector”.

 

Ioannis Emiris, Professor of Informatics & Telecommunications at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and President of the Athena Research Center stated: “I am filled with great joy and pride at the success of the Athena Robotics Institute. The European project it won is highly competitive and significant, as it paves the way for the establishment of a Robotics Center of Excellence in the era of artificial intelligence (HERON). The European partners of HERON, the Italian Institute of Technology and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, are internationally renowned pioneers, and this is precisely the level of excellence we envision for the center. Congratulations to the entire Robotics Institute team, especially Professors Petros Maragkos and Vangelis Papadopoulos, as well as the researchers and the Athena Proposal Support Office for their vital contributions. This is a remarkable achievement that enhances robotics in our country and the wider region, being only the second such center of excellence funded by the EU in Greece. HERON opens new avenues for the field in Greece and for the entire Athena ecosystem, as the Research Center already engages in diverse activities in robotics, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence”.