A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of strategic importance and strong social impact was signed on Saturday, September 6, 2025, in the context of the 89th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), by the Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, Mr. Dimitris Papastergiou, and Prof. Vassilis Charmandaris, President of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH).

The application process for the first cycle of the program “Crete Business Incubator – C Nest Accelerator”, implemented in the Region of Crete, has officially begun. To present the actions of this new program, an informative session will be held on September 4, 2025, in Heraklion. The C Nest Accelerator invites interested businesses and organizations to submit their applications for participation in the program’s first cycle. The program’s services will be presented at the first open event, which will take place on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 10:30 am, in the Vasileios Dougalis meeting room of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH).

The Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) will participate in the 89th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), taking place September 6–14, 2025, with a strong and multifaceted presence that highlights its leading role in research, innovation, and technology transfer.

On Friday, August 29, 2025, at 20:00, a public outreach event will take place at the Science & Cultural Center of FORTH (Zografou & Averof, Heraklion). The event is organized within the framework of the radio astronomy educational program “RADIIO”, coordinated by the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing of the National Observatory of Athens (IAASARS/NOA), in collaboration with the Institute of Astrophysics of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (IA-FORTH).

The MAYA project, acronym of smart Mirrors supporting healthier lives of Adolescents and Young Adults after cancer, has officially held its kick-off meeting in Toledo, Spain, on 25-26 June 2025.Funded under the Horizon Europe - Research and Innovation programme, MAYA is a 4-year project coordinated by the University of Ioannina, Greece, and bringing together a consortium of 16 partners from 11 countries, including both EU countries, and the UK. The consortium represents a diverse group of stakeholders: medical & technological universities, consultancies, foundations, research centers, patient associations, manufacturers of smart mirrors technology.

The state-of-the-art telescope recently acquired by the internationally recognized Skinakas Observatory was officially named “200+” during a special ceremony held on Wednesday, July 23, co-organized by the University of Crete and the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH).
The event was held in the presence of Mrs. Gianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki, President of the “Greece 2021” Committee, who was the Guest of Honor.

The Secretary General for Research and Innovation (GSRI) of the Ministry of Development, Dr. Tasos Gaitanis, visited the premises of the Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (ICEHT) of FORTH in Patras on Monday, July 21, 2025. He was welcomed by the Deputy Director, Dr. Vasilis Burganos, and members of the Institute’s Scientific Council.

The Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) is launching a new series of open events under the title “epikoinonITE” (a Greek acronym for: Science–Society–FORTH). These series will be of great interest to the general public, aiming to disseminate the research results and to connect scientific knowledge with everyday life and the core values of society.

The program will begin with “Contact Point”, an original series of public discussions, each time featuring a FORTH scientist and a distinguished artist. “Contact Point” brings Science and Culture into a Creative Dialogue, fostering open and constructive communication of science through art.

On Friday, July 4th, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the “Phaistos” Investment Fund, the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), and Cisco — a strategic initiative that aims to strengthen the innovation ecosystem around 5G technology. The primary goal of this partnership is to enable FORTH’s Institutes and research groups to leverage 5G technology to test and evaluate innovative solutions and products.

On Wednesday, July 9, in the framework of the Onassis Lectures 2025 that took place from July 7 to 11 at the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH) in Heraklion, Crete, Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold delivered a compelling –open to the public- speech on harnessing the power of evolution to engineer enzymes and proteins with new or improved functions.

Prof. Frances Arnold is highly esteemed in Science and Technology. In addition to receiving the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, she was the first female scientist elected as a Fellow of all three National Academies of the USA (Engineering, Medicine, Science).