Billions in investment, Artificial Intelligence, startups and new jobs are turning Greece into a regional innovation hub.

The government’s strategy for the country’s transition into the new digital and technological era was presented by Stavros Kalafatis from the podium of the Aristotle Innovation Forum in Thessaloniki, highlighting the decisive role of research, artificial intelligence and international technological partnerships in Greece’s development path. The Deputy Minister of Development referred to major investments in research infrastructure, supercomputers, AI Factories and startup ecosystems, while presenting data on the significant increase in Research and Development, the creation of thousands of new high-skilled jobs and the gradual transformation of Thessaloniki into a strong technological and innovation centre in Southeast Europe.

“We choose the Greece that dares. We choose Greece that is a pioneer“, underlined Stavros Kalafatis, Deputy Minister of Development and responsible for Research and Innovation, at the Aristotle Innovation Forum of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, held at the Emilios Riadis Hall at the Thessaloniki International Fair.

The government’s footprint

Stavros Kalafatis presented the government’s footprint in the fields of research, technology and artificial intelligence, with particular emphasis on investments, figures, new technological projects, international collaborations and the strategy of transforming Thessaloniki into a regional innovation hub of South-Eastern Europe.

The Deputy Minister of Development posed the key question for the next period, stressing that “the crucial question before us all is clear: What is Greece’s role in this new era? Will we be limited to the position of a passive consumer of imported technologies or will we claim the position of an equal co-shaper of developments?” “We want to become producers, with new ideas, products and services, internationally competitive, which produce wealth for all and social welfare,” the Deputy Minister stressed.

As he noted, total investments for Research and Development have increased from 2.2 billion euros to 2.5 billion euros. euros in 2018 to 3.65 billion euros at the end of 2024, recording a 68% increase over seven years, while related spending amounted to 1.54% of GDP, describing the development as a “historic first”.

Financial interventions

Referring to the government’s financial interventions, Kalafatis pointed out that more than 300 million euros were allocated through the Recovery Fund for the modernisation, building upgrading and laboratory equipment of the country’s research centres. At the same time, the “I Research – I Create – I Innovate” programme financed 1,105 innovation projects, with the participation of 1,200 companies, creating 8,700 new jobs, while the “I Research – I Innovate” programme of the NSRF 2021-2027 is also underway.

In the same vein, he referred to the role of the Hellenic Development Investment Bank, which operates as a national sovereign fund of funds, and the creation of EquiFund II, which he said is a new “fund of funds” for the development of the venture capital and private equity ecosystem.

He placed particular emphasis on the legislative initiative for the creation of spin-offs by universities and research institutions, as well as the strengthening of Technology Transfer Offices, with the aim of turning research knowledge into business activity, new jobs and exportable products.

About AI

In the field of artificial intelligence, Kalafatis argued that the country “is not just following the European framework but is developing infrastructure of national scope”. In this context, he referred to the new national supercomputer “Daedalus”, which is currently being implemented, as well as the artificial intelligence factory “Pharos”, which – as he stressed – is “one of the first seven approved AI Factories in the entire European continent”.

At the same time, he referred to strategic partnerships with international technology groups such as openai, google, microsoft and mistral ai, noting that these are linked to the creation of the Greek AI Startup Accelerator and the establishment of a special Golden Visa for investments exclusively in Greek startups.

Presenting the development dimension of Thessaloniki, he referred to the plan of 30 major projects for Thessaloniki 2030, presented by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. At the heart of the plan, he said, is the Thess INTEC, which “is no longer an abstract expectation”, but a project that is proceeding with secured funding and aspires to become a space for the coexistence of research teams, startups and international businesses of high added value.

He also referred to the new AI Nucleus of the National Center for Research and Technological Development, an investment that, he noted, “exceeds 2 million euros,” while he also mentioned the installation of a new supercomputer in Western Macedonia and the creation of a Mega Data Center of PPC in Kozani, which may evolve into an AI Giga Factory.

Connecting these investments with the establishment of large multinational companies in Thessaloniki, he argued that the human resources and new infrastructure were key reasons for companies such as pfizer, deloitte and accenture to choose the city to set up international centers for digital technology and analytics.

Kalafatis also linked technology with the everyday life of citizens, referring to the cooperation between the CERTH and the Institute of Transport for the management of the traffic impact of the Flyover. He said that during the recent visit of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the IMET/ECETA, an artificial intelligence system was presented “that predicts traffic with 93% accuracy and reduces traffic by 10%-15%, improving the daily lives of 600,000 citizens annually.”

At the same time, he claimed that 20,000 new highly skilled jobs have been created, linking the development to the effort to reverse the brain drain. “The most important result of this policy is profoundly human,” he said, noting that “we are achieving a great collective aspiration: the reversal of the brain drain.”

Closing his speech, the deputy minister underlined: “We are not just managing today, we are building the ecosystem of tomorrow.”