In Greece, as a regional and international academic hub, Sofia Zacharaki, at an event organized by the Ministry of Education at the National Gallery–Alexandros Soutsos Museum.
The event focused on the Ministry of Education’s initiatives to foster outward-looking engagement and facilitate the internationalization of Greek public universities, as well as the contribution of the Recovery Fund in supporting these efforts.
The event, titled “Internationalization and Openness—Greece as an Academic Hub,” was opened by the minister, Sofia Zacharaki, who placed at the center of the Ministry of Education’s policy on higher Education on making the country first a regional and then an international academic hub. “Greece can indeed become an educational destination that can attract foreign students while also retaining Greek students in Greece,” she said.
The minister presented the strategy for the “university of the future,” emphasizing that the goal is “a public university that is more open, more outward-looking, more competitive, more international, standing on equal footing in the global academic community, attracting students from all over the world, and contributing substantially to Greece’s development.” “We are building Greece as a regional and international academic hub,” she noted.
Ms. Zacharaki made special mention of Greece’s academic staff, noting that, as she put it, they are the ones who “laid the necessary groundwork so that today we can talk about European university alliances, new academic and research services, and the internationalization and excellence that go hand in hand.”
According to data presented by the Minister of Education, the following amounts have been allocated from the Recovery Fund:
– For internationalization: 70.1 million euros (for joint master’s programs, foreign-language study programs, international academic collaborations, and attracting international students)
– For Universities of Excellence: 106.5 million euros
– For Research Excellence Partnerships: 88.3 million euros
-For digital research infrastructure: 19.2 million euros
-For the Digital Student Registry: 13.5 million euros.
As she noted, the result is “stronger public universities, greater internationalization, cutting-edge research, digital transformation, and greater international competitiveness.”
Ms. Zacharaki also made special mention of student housing, noting that 737.5 million euros have been allocated for 8,600 new beds (through PPPs) and 224 million euros for the renovation and energy retrofitting of 17 student residence buildings (through the Social Climate Fund).
