The strategic decision of the government <\/b>to invest<\/b> systematically in research<\/b>, innovation <\/b>, and the knowledge economy was highlighted by Minister of Development Takis Theodorikakos<\/b>.<\/p>\n
Mr. Theodorikakos<\/b>, during his speech at the 171st Meeting of the Presidents<\/b> of the country\u2019s Research Centers and Technology Institutions, announced a very important initiative for the funding of Greek research, noting that \u201cwe are proceeding with the extension of the loan agreement with the European Investment Bank to finance the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (ELIDEK-2), in full cooperation with the Ministry of National Economy and Finance. This is a strategic move, as total resources are being allocated that<\/b>, together with the national contribution, amount to 286 million euros for the period through 2028.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addressing the presidents of research centers and members of the scientific and research community, he emphasized that in a particularly volatile international environment marked by geopolitical challenges, the true power of nations is built on knowledge, research, and innovation. \u201cWe are not merely observing developments; we are helping to shape them,\u201d he noted, adding that Greece has entered a new era for research and its technological standing internationally<\/b>.<\/p>\n
Mr. Theodorikakos<\/b> also noted that \u201cour homeland has been transformed from a country of promise, into a mature, institutionally robust<\/b> and exceptionally dynamic hub of cutting-edge technology in Southeast Europe<\/b>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Special mention was made of the country\u2019s recent initiatives at the European and national levels<\/b>. On May 29, 2026, at the European Union\u2019s Competitiveness Council, the Recommendation for a European Framework for Science Diplomacy was adopted, recognizing science as a tool<\/b> of foreign policy and strategic autonomy.<\/p>\n
At the same time, on April 30, 2026, the Sectoral Scientific Council for Synergies with the Greek<\/b> Scientific Diaspora and Technological Diplomacy was established within the framework of ESETEK.<\/p>\n
Presenting the results of government policy from 2019 to the present, the Minister of Development highlighted the historic increase in national Research and Development spending from 2.2 billion euros in 2018 to 3.65 billion euros in 2024, marking a 68% increase and reaching<\/b> 1.54% of GDP<\/b>.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe boost to research was accompanied by strong tax incentives for businesses, with the research expense super-deduction<\/b> reaching up to 315% for green transition initiatives and collaborative schemes<\/b>,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n
The most significant outcome of this policy was the creation of 20,000 new<\/b> highly skilled jobs over the past six years, which has significantly helped reverse the brain drain.<\/p>\n
Referring to issues concerning research centers, Mr. Theodorikakos<\/b> outlined four key priorities: simplifying the management framework for co-funded projects, ensuring the smooth implementation of the Recovery Fund, enhancing flexibility in staffing research projects with fixed-term contracts, while simultaneously safeguarding legality and audit adequacy, as well as arranging for the payment of the balance of the 2025 regular grant<\/b>.<\/p>\n
Emphasis was also placed on the transparency of the research infrastructure evaluation process, with a commitment to clear timelines<\/b> for final approvals and appeals<\/b>.<\/p>\n
In closing his remarks, the minister underscored the government\u2019s commitment to engage in ongoing dialogue with the research<\/b> community<\/b> on critical institutional and labor issues.<\/p>\n
The Meeting of the Presidents of Research Centers and Technology Organizations was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Development, Stavros Kalafatis, and the Secretary General for Research and Innovation, Dimitris Terzis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The minister highlighted the government\u2019s strategic decision to systematically invest in research, innovation, and the knowledge economy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11535,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}