Minister of Development Takis Theodorikakos Visits Athena
16-02-2025
On Friday, February 14, 2025, the Minister of Development, Mr. Takis Theodorikakos, visited Athena. He was welcomed by the President and General Director of Athena, Professor Giannis Emiris. During his visit, Mr. Theodorikakos had the opportunity to see innovative applications presented by researchers, including robotic systems for precision agriculture, a robotic telesurgery system, big data applications in brain medicine, an automated robotic loading system, and the Large Language Model for the Greek language.
The Minister was then led to the Archimedes Auditorium, where Mr. Emiris gave a brief presentation on the center, its mission, and the significant growth that Athena has experienced in recent years.
Following this, representatives of Athena’s tech spin-offs—Dr. Thanasis Gentimis, General Director of Symbiolabs; Professor Lena Tsipouri, Co-founder of OPIX; Dr. Alexandros Gilas, representative of Avisense; and Dr. Nasos Katsamanis, representative of Kyklos—presented their companies’ activities to the Minister. A notable presentation was also given by Ms. Natalia Manola, Director of OpenAIRE, a pan-European electronic infrastructure supporting open 
science in Europe.
science in Europe.Dr. Timos Sellis, Director of the Archimedes Unit at Athena, spoke about the vision of Archimedes, which is interdisciplinary collaboration in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, connecting the international scientific community. Through partnerships with universities and research centers in Greece and abroad, Athena creates a dynamic environment for high-level research, offering opportunities for researchers and doctoral students to participate in research projects, ge
nerate pioneering knowledge, and contribute to the advancement of science and research outcomes.
Finally, Professor Petros Maragos, Director of the Robotics Institute and Scientific Director of Heron, the first Center of Excellence in Robotics, outlined the three key research directions of Heron: Security and Rescue Robotics (aerial, ground, and underwater), Field Robotics, and Healthcare Robotics. He highlighted the experienced and highly qualified team that will initially staff the Center of Excellence. Professor Maragos emphasized that "Robotic technologies and labs need dedicated spaces, so we hope to soon be housed in Athena’s new building, for which we rely on the support of the Greek government."
At the end of the presentations and Mr. Theodorikakos’ visit, Professor Emiris, President of Athena, stated:
"Today, I had the pleasure and honor of welcoming Minister of Development Mr. Theodorikakos to Athena. He showed genuine interest, taking the time to explore a range of innovative technologies and applications we are developing at the Research Center. He engaged in warm discussions with our researchers, students, collaborating professors, and staff, recognizing the internationally pioneering work being carried out at Athena’s Institutes and Units. We are the only Research Center in Greece exclusively focused on digital sciences and technologies, spanning areas from Artificial Intelligence and Robotics to Big Data management and the development of secure computing systems. The respective teams presented to the Minister two research projects funded by the Recovery Fund, as well as the co-financed project for establishing a Center of Excellence in Robotics. We showcased our achievements in applied research, where we provide concrete solutions in critical sectors such as healthcare, Industry 4.0, culture, and sustainability. Athena prioritizes technology transfer through strong industry collaborations, business incubation, and support for spin-offs, which had the opportunity to present their activities to the Minister. Thanks to a €55 million project under the Recovery Fund, we are expanding and modernizing our facilities and laboratories, with sub-projects being tendered, contracted, and implemented in Athens, Patras, and Xanthi."
"Today, I had the pleasure and honor of welcoming Minister of Development Mr. Theodorikakos to Athena. He showed genuine interest, taking the time to explore a range of innovative technologies and applications we are developing at the Research Center. He engaged in warm discussions with our researchers, students, collaborating professors, and staff, recognizing the internationally pioneering work being carried out at Athena’s Institutes and Units. We are the only Research Center in Greece exclusively focused on digital sciences and technologies, spanning areas from Artificial Intelligence and Robotics to Big Data management and the development of secure computing systems. The respective teams presented to the Minister two research projects funded by the Recovery Fund, as well as the co-financed project for establishing a Center of Excellence in Robotics. We showcased our achievements in applied research, where we provide concrete solutions in critical sectors such as healthcare, Industry 4.0, culture, and sustainability. Athena prioritizes technology transfer through strong industry collaborations, business incubation, and support for spin-offs, which had the opportunity to present their activities to the Minister. Thanks to a €55 million project under the Recovery Fund, we are expanding and modernizing our facilities and laboratories, with sub-projects being tendered, contracted, and implemented in Athens, Patras, and Xanthi."
Mr. Theodorikakos stated:
"We must combine pioneering research and innovation with the ambition for young Greek men and women to build their future here, to realize their visions and aspirations in our country." He stressed that "we can develop agricultural production through new technologies," and highlighted that "Greece must become more productive, strengthen research and innovation to make businesses more competitive, with better products that can be exported. This is the only Greece that can be safe and stand strong, by strengthening our regions and borders to curb the migration flow toward the capital.
"We must combine pioneering research and innovation with the ambition for young Greek men and women to build their future here, to realize their visions and aspirations in our country." He stressed that "we can develop agricultural production through new technologies," and highlighted that "Greece must become more productive, strengthen research and innovation to make businesses more competitive, with better products that can be exported. This is the only Greece that can be safe and stand strong, by strengthening our regions and borders to curb the migration flow toward the capital.
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