Prof. Electra Gizeli from IMBB-Biosensors lab (http://biosensorslab- forth.gr) is recipient and will coordinate a new Human Frontier and Science Program (HFSP) grant entitled “Self-organization and biomechanical properties of the endosomal membrane”.

Researchers of FORTH / ICE-HT in Patras headed by Prof. Costas Galiotis of Chemical Engineering Dept. of University of Patras published in the high-impact scientific journal Nature Communications a scientific report for the superlubric behaviour (approximately zero friction) between two randomly packed graphene monolayers.

The Award of Excellence in Natural Sciences of the Academy of Athens for the year 2020 was given to Dr. Costas Galiotis, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras and Collaborating Faculty Member of the Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences of the Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (FORTH/ICE-HT).

The Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH) participates in the Global Talent Mentoring initiative, http://gtm.iacm.forth.gr/. The Global Talent Mentoring is an innovative online platform, launched in 2020, with the purpose of networking exceptional new talents in the fields of sciences - STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine) with acclaimed scientists around the world, who will provide them online, free mentoring with the goal of growing their talent.

Το Ίδρυμα Τεχνολογίας και Έρευνας με βαθύτατη θλίψη αναγγέλλει το θάνατο του Δημήτρη Καφετζόπουλου, ερευνητή στο Ινστιτούτο Μοριακής Βιολογίας και Βιοτεχνολογίας, που έφυγε από τη ζωή στις 14 Μαρτίου 2020, έπειτα από γενναία μάχη με τον καρκίνο.

The European Astronomical Society has announced the award of the 2020 MERAC Prize for Best PhD Thesis in Theoretical Astrophysics to Dr. Aris Tritsis (https://eas.unige.ch/merac_prizes.jsp). The award represents the highest distinction of the European Astronomical Community for doctoral studies.

The 3rd four-day bootcamp “Match & Develop a Startup Heraklion 3.0”, held on 7-8 and 15-16 February 2020 at H2B HUB and at the premises of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH) at Vasilika Vouton - Heraklion, was successfully completed.

A new Spin-off company, that will leverage a patented technology developed by Prof. George Kiriakidis and Dr. Vassilis Binas, researchers at the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser (IESL, www.iesl.forth.gr), was recently founded by the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (www.forth.gr). This spin-off company, called PCN Materials, is the first of FORTH to be financed by the European Investment Fund (EIF) through the venture capital and private equity firm Big Pi Ventures (https://bigpi.vc/).

The laboratories of Drs. Peyman Golshani (golshanilab.neurology.ucla.edu/) at the University of California in Los Angeles, Tristan Shuman (http://labs.neuroscience.mssm.edu/project/shuman-lab/ ) at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and Panayiota Poirazi (dendrites.gr) at the Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (IMBB) at the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH), joined forces in order to uncover how epilepsy affects spatial navigation in epileptic mice