EURAXESS Member Countries in Focus: Greece

Greece has a number of research institutions conducting cutting-edge basic research. Five of the Top-50 research organizations that receive funding through the EU’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020) are from Greece . The capacity of Greek research institutes to conduct excellent research is also reflected in the relatively good performance in terms of outstanding scientific publications . Greece’s performance (2015) is above the EU average for some individual indicators such as: international scientific co-publications (120% of the EU average), non R&D innovation expenditure in the private sector (127%), SMEs marketing/organisational innovations (124%) and innovative SMEs collaborating with others (120%) .

At the end of 2013 (most recent available data), Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D (GERD) was at 1.47 billion euro, increasing from 0.67% of GDP in 2011 to 0.8% of GDP in 2013 . In the context of the revision of the National Reform Programme (for the year 2014), the Greek authorities have proposed a more ambitious target of as much as 1,2 % of GDP. The Higher Education sector is the largest R&D performer accounting for 38.2 % of the total R&D expenditure in 2015. At the end of 2015, the Higher Education sector was composed of 22 public universities and 14 public Technological Education Institutes (TEI). In addition to public, there are 28 private universities of various types accredited by the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs operating in the country. There are 15 public research organisations, of varying sizes, supervised by the GENERAL SECRETARIAT FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY (GSRT).

Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

The R&I strategy for the next programming period (Revision of the implementation law (Law 4386/2016) of the National Strategy for Research, Technological Development and Innovation-ESETAK), which includes the Smart Specialisation strategy (RIS3), focuses on the following priorities:

- areas of traditional strength for the country (examples: shipping, tourism, energy)

- areas of recent successes in terms of critical mass and on-going activities (examples: IT, pharmaceuticals, engineering, energy);

- areas of high added value and able to deliver major economic benefit and employment prospects (examples: energy, nutrition – food sciences); and

- areas of national interest (examples: food production, archaeology, culture, energy, defence, biomedicine).

In total, 8 technological areas were identified matching the priorities; Biosciences, Agro-Biotechnology Nutrition, Energy and Environment, Computer Science and Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Engineering, Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities, with about 28% of the funding for the next programming period 2014-2020 allocated to Biosciences, followed by Engineering (18%) and Physical Sciences (12%) . Approximately 27% of the total funding is expected to be dedicated to societal challenges.

The New R&D&I Strategy for the Programming Period 2014-2020 aspires to strengthen the Greek research system (human capital and infrastructure), conduct research relevant to the needs of the country and thus make R&D an indispensable tool for the further development of the Greek economy. In this context, it is intended to launch programmes focusing on the development of human capital for research in a knowledge economy (including support to excellent researchers, support to mobility of researchers to work in enterprises, and support to training for innovation activities, as well as starting grants for new researchers).

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The Business Sector is the second largest R&D provider of funds and performer in Greece (31.8% and 33.3% of the total GERD respectively). Based on EU2016 Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, five Greek companies (one more than the previous year) featured among the top EU companies on R&D spending: PHARMATHEN (Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology, www.pharmathen.com), INTRALOT (Technology Hardware & Equipment, www.intralot.com/), the National Bank of Greece (Banks, www.nbg.gr), GALAXIDI Marine Farmand (fish farm, www.gmf-sa.gr) and Creta Farm (meat and deli meats, www.cretafarms.gr). A large number of SMEs and start-ups are also declaring R&I activities mainly in service and incremental innovations . According to the National Reform Programme 2016, Greek enterprises are expected to increase their Business Expenditures on Research and Development (BERD) to approximately 0.38% of the GDP in 20206. A large number of SMEs and start-ups have been undertaking R&I activities mainly in services and incremental innovations.

Brain drain has been recognized as a key challenge in the Operational Program for Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation as well as the Greek Strategy for the European Research Area – Roadmap 2015-2020 (GSRT, 2016). The recently established (2016) National Foundation for Research and Innovation (NFRI-ELIDEK) in the footsteps of the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the US, and Germany’s Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) aims to address this challenge. The Foundation, co-sponsored by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and national funds, aims to fund combined with Greek national funds. The aim is to attract and to keep highly-qualified scientists in Greece, through funds devoted both to curiosity driven research and entrepreneurship & innovation. To this end, the Greek Research and Innovation Foundation will allocate 240 million euro by 20196.

Greece has valuable assets that contribute to the transition to an innovation-driven economy:

• leading research institutions,

• medium and high-tech firms, e.g. in the IT and pharmaceutical sector, as well as a certain number of innovative startups in the information technology sector in Athens,

• a considerable diaspora in research, finance and business

Enterprise Greece is designed to promote and support Greek exports of goods & services and investments in Greece.

The government constitutes the largest R&D source of funds (in 2015, 52.7% of the GERD was funded by GOV) and the third largest R&D performer (after Higher Education Institutes and Business). The National Council for Research and Innovation (NCRI) is the supreme State advisory body for national policy for research, technology and innovation. The responsibility of funding research is shared between the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism. Funds coming from the EU Regional Operational Programmes fall typically under the competence of the Regional Authorities. The Ministry of Rural Development and Food supervises the National Agricultural Research Foundation (NAGREF), which undertakes research and technology in agricultural, forest, animal and fish production and other related areas in Greece. The Higher Education sector is the largest R&D performer accounting for 38.2 % of the total R&D expenditure in 2015. The Business Sector is the second largest R&D funder and performer in Greece (31.8% and 33.3% of the total GERD respectively) 6.

The new Law on Research Technological Development and Innovation acknowledges the pivotal role of the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT), part of the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs, in the design of R&D programmes and the allocation of funding.