The Robotics Institute (I.RO.) was formally established in 2023 as a constituent entity of the Athena Research Center (Athena RC) under the legislative framework of N.5019/2023, representing the fourth institute within the Center and the first institute in Greece dedicated to the advancement of robotics science and technology. Its founding was the result of a strategic proposal formulated by a committee of professors from the National Technical University of Athens, specifically Professors Petros Maragos, Evangelos Papadopoulos, and Konstantinos Kyriakopoulos, which received initial institutional support from Athena RC and underwent a comprehensive approval cycle involving the National Council for Research, Technology and Innovation, the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation, and ultimately the Ministry of Development. The conceptual foundation for the institute was influenced by a report from the Hellenic Institute of Advanced Studies. Upon its formal integration into Athena RC, I.RO. incorporated the pre-existing Robot Perception and Interaction Unit, which, under the leadership of Professor Petros Maragos, had maintained a distinguished record of research excellence for a decade.