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The appointed new Deputy Minister for Development, Ms. Zoe Rapti, visited on Thursday, July 4, 2024, the Athena Research Center in Athens. The President of Athena, Professor Ioannis Emiris, and Directors and Representatives of the Institutes and Units of Athena received Deputy Minister Zoe Rapti at the entrance of the General Secretariat of Research and Technology. Some of the facilities available at Athena were shown to her, and she briefly interacted with some researchers and staff.

 

After a look around the facilities, the Deputy Minister was taken to the amphitheater of Archimedes Unit. Professor Emiris gave an extensive overview of the Athena Research Center and the research activities performed. Deputy Minister Zoe Rapti was interested in the difficulties of research activities realized at Athena. She actively engaged in questioning and commenting to learn more from the current data and prospects. Her interest was extended to the brief presentations of Athena's Institutes and Units, focusing on how research results can provide meaningful solutions within the fields.

 

Deputy Minister Zoe Rapti conveyed her support for the Initiatives from the Ministry of Development.  "On her parting, Deputy Minister Zoe Rapti said: 'Undertaking the portfolio of Research and Innovation to which the Prime Minister honored me, my target is the enhancement of cooperation between research institutes and the labor market and the linking of its results with entrepreneurship. We want to bring the research centers closer to the companies, both in Greece and abroad, and to publicize the work done by our scientists so that the Greeks know that the funds allocated are yielding results.' 

 

Professor Ioannis Emiris, President of Athena, said: 'It has been our great pleasure and honor to welcome the new Deputy Minister responsible for research and innovation, to present the many-faceted work of Athena, the challenges it faces, and the ambitions for the future of this era which is characterized by the rapid development of digital technologies, which are at the core of our research. At the same time, we could present many applications that serve the citizens and today's society's real problems, the technology transfer to the economy either through Athena spin-offs, other innovation activities, and so forth of cooperation with businesses. Last but not least, we showed the fast growth of the Center, especially during the past four years when both the staff and the financial metrics of the Center have almost doubled, while its thematic development is equally strong, as illustrated by the established Archimedes Unit, Institute of Robotics, and Women's Innovation Unit'."