The new Science and Cultural Center of the Foundation for Research and Technology- Hellas (FORTH), housed in the historic neoclassical building of FORTH, on the corner of Averof & Zografou Street, in the city of Heraklion, Crete, will be inaugurated on Monday February 17^th, 2025 at 18:30. The consecration ceremony will be performed by his Eminence Archbishop of Crete, Eugenios.

The building will open to the public for the first time now that FORTH’s renovation work has been completed. The renovation aimed to highlight its value as a “work of art”, as it has been characterized by the Government Gazette (FEK) 427/B/25-07-1983, following a decision of the then Minister of Culture and Sciences, Melina Mercouri. The building is one of the 82 buildings which have been classified as preserved modern monuments of the city of Heraklion.

The interventions that were carried out, with the agreement of the Service of Modern Monuments and Technical Works of Crete and the approval of the Local Council of Monuments of Crete, aimed to preserve the neoclassical character of the building’s exterior, while adding modern decorative elements to its interior, aiming at a harmonious aesthetic coexistence between the past and the present of the building, which was constructed at the beginning of the 20^th century.

The building will be open to the public, thus giving them the opportunity to learn about FORTH’s research work, its history and contribution to society, from its foundation to the present day. On the ground level of the building there will be a bookstore that will host the unique, high-quality books of the Crete University Press (CUP) of scientific and general interest. An exhibition space will also be created, where modern technological achievements will be hosted and it will also function as a Museum of Technology. On the first floor, there will be a specially designed event space with a capacity of 50 people.

The acquisition of this particular building, which is an architectural and cultural jewel in the city of Heraklion, is of outstanding importance and value for FORTH, which undertook to highlight it as a point of scientific and cultural interaction, aiming to bring the citizens closer to the world of research, technology and science.

The President of FORTH, Prof. Nektarios Tavernarakis stated: “We are very excited and proud to acquire and utilize this building of unique architectural value in the center of Heraklion. It has been FORTH’s vision for years, and my personal bet, that the Foundation will have its own space in Heraklion, a space accessible to the general public, a point of connection between research and society, a center of culture and knowledge transfer. We wish to strengthen the Foundation’s interaction with the local community, to attract students of all ages but also visitors, in order to give them the opportunity to get to know FORTH’s work, its research, and its achievements. Our ambition is that FORTH’s new Science and Cultural Center will become a reference point for the exchange of new ideas and the cultivation of the desire for knowledge thus investing in the new generation.”