News

The Hellenic​ Network of Technology Transfer Offices - HNTTO held its Annual Conference for the second consecutive year on Friday and Saturday, 21–22 November 2025, at the Electra Palace Hotel in Thessaloniki. The event was co-organized with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and supported by the Region of Central Macedonia.

 

The Conference brought together executives and representatives from HNTTO’s 36 member organizations across Greece, aiming to highlight critical issues faced by Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) in the country, such as the organization and operation of TTOs, the commercial exploitation of research through collaborations with industry, the development of spin-offs, and the funding of innovative products, with particular emphasis on Proof-of-Concept (PoC) programs.

 

Athena participated in the 7th Session titled “Proof-of-Concept: Experience, Challenges, Prospects, and Best Practices”, held on Saturday, 22 November 2025. The Research Center was represented by Christos Vaitsis, Head of the Technology Transfer Office at Athena Research Center. Together with representatives from AUEB, NKUA, and NCSR “Demokritos”, as well as officials from the Managing Authority, the session addressed the challenges encountered by TTOs in implementing PoC programs, the funding needs at the stage preceding pre-seed, and best practices for strengthening technology transfer and the exploitation of research results.

 

Throughout the two-day event, important international perspectives were showcased, including a talk by Mike Romanos, Associate Dean for Enterprise at Imperial College, who discussed leveraging academic innovation in biomedical sciences, and a presentation by Afroditi Xydi from the Deon Policy Institute on best practices in technology licensing.

 

In addition to knowledge exchange, the Conference also aimed to strengthen networking among TTO executives and reinforce the new technology transfer networks formed under the “Competitiveness 2021–2027” Program.

 

It is worth noting that as part of the Conference activities, an educational event titled “Empowering Innovation in Academia: The Strategic Value of Intellectual Assets” took place on Sunday, 23 November 2025, organized by NKUA within the framework of the Technology Bridge Network.

 

The event was open to TTO executives, researchers, and staff from other institutions, fostering collaboration and the dissemination of know-how within the ecosystem. The training was delivered by the European IP Helpdesk and the organization RISE, featuring instructors Ivana Vuka and Bruna Pausic, and speakers Professor Nikolaos Fchantidis of the University of Macedonia, Maria Moutsiou, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of INEM Technologies P.C., and Eleftheria Athanasiadou, Head of Research & Development Support and Intellectual Property Protection at Chimar Hellas S.A.

 

The event was welcomed by Professor Aristidis Samitas, Vice-Rector for Finance and Development at NKUA and Scientific Coordinator of the project. The agenda focused on the strategic exploitation of intellectual property and the pathway from laboratory research to market. The session was hosted by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The “Technology Bridge Network” project is funded by the “Competitiveness 2021–2027” Program.