News

On Friday, April 17, 2026, the Secretary General for Research and Innovation, Mr. Dimitris Terzis, visited the Athena Research Center to learn more about its research activities and development initiatives.

 

The Secretary General was welcomed by the Chairman of the Board and Director General of Athena, Professor Ioannis Emiris. During the visit, Mr. Terzis toured the Institute of Robotics, where he was presented with cutting-edge research directions and projects in the fields of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Autonomous systems. The Institute also hosts HERON – The Hellenic Robotics Center of Excellence, which plays a key role in advancing innovative technologies and fostering international collaborations.

 

The discussion that followed focused on prospects for strengthening research and innovation, as well as on further developing synergies at both national and international levels.

 

Mr. Terzis then visited the Center’s privately owned building, currently under renovation, in Paradisos Amarousiou, where he was briefed on the progress of the works and plans for the use of the new facilities.

 

The visit concluded at Athena’s Archimedes Unit, where its research activities in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Algorithms were presented.

 

The meeting was attended by the newly appointed Director of the Institute of Robotics, Professor Kostas Daniilidis of the University of Pennsylvania; the Director of HERON, Emeritus Professor of NTUA Petros Maragos; the Deputy Director of HERON, Emeritus Professor of NTUA Evangelos Papadopoulos; and the Executive Director of HERON, Dr. Gregory Yovanof.

 

At the end of the meeting, the Chairman of the Board and Director General of Athena, Professor Ioannis Emiris, stated:

“Artificial Intelligence and Robotics are cutting-edge technologies and at the same time, national priorities. They are therefore at the core of Athena’s mission, as the country’s only Research Center focused on digital sciences. In recent years, we have placed particular emphasis on these areas, and we are already seeing significant impact through our research and educational activities.”