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Innovat ion per formance in Greece has progressed
significantly in the last few years, but stills remains below
the EU average, as reflected in the recently published
"European Innovation Scoreboard 2006". The EIS is the
instrument developed by the European Commission, under
the Li sbon St rategy, to evaluate and compare the
innovation performance of the EU Member States.
The lesser developed innovation groups are Intellectual
property, broadband penetrat ion, l i felong learning,
business R&D expenditures and early stage venture capital.
However, there are some indicators slightly above the EU
average, namely youth education attainment level, public
funding for innovation and organizational innovation. The
country shows a positive trend in the innovation groups for
Entrepreneurship and Applications, where most of the
indicators have a positive.
In addition, the Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation
has recently published a report about the increasing
number of patents in Greece, over the past year. The
applications for Greek patents have increased by 12.4% and
their grant by 9.5%. For the European patents destined to
Greece, the applications have increased by 13.7% and their
grant by 18%.
Innovation boost in Greece
The Center in Microelectronics, the first technological cluster in
Greece, was inaugurated on 17 January 2007, in Athens. The
Centre brings together 15 fast developing companies, from
Greece and abroad, which develop innovative products and
frontier technologies in the areas ofmicroelectronic chip design
and embedded systems. These companies already produce
exploitable results of high quality, which are exported to the
global market, since 80% of their clients are established abroad.
The Centre includes 12 Greek companies (4Plus, Alma
Technologies, Analogies, BlueDev, Diaplous, GDT, Globetech,
Helic, inAccess Networks, Sciencis, Theon and Theta) and 3
subsidiaries of multinational companies in the US (Atmel,
Bytemobile and Photronics). These companies have been
developed through their own capital as well as through
investments fromGreece and abroad.
A new Innovation Center
in Microelectronics
inaugurated in Athens
H I G H L I G H T S
The EU is leading international efforts to combat climate
change and the greenhouse effect. This was underlined by
the Commissioner for Environment, Stavros Dimas, in an
interview given to our magazine. The Commissioner referred
to the recent European Council that placed climate change
at the centre of European pol i t ics, as wel l as to the
commitment for reducing the emission of greenhouse gases
by 2020. European citizens are becoming aware of the
global environmental challenges and demand radical
measures by their governments.
As far as Greece is concerned, the Commissioner stresses
that there are great opportunities for the utilisation of
Renewable Energy Sources, but, until now, only wind energy
has been exploited.
Climate change constitutes one of the most important
environmental, social and economic challenges facing
mankind. According to the recent repor t of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, if no additional
measures are taken for reducing the greenhouse gas
emission, the average global temperature will increase from
1.8ÆC to 4ÆC by 2010. This will inevitably lead to heatwaves,
droughts, floods, typhoons, ice melting and an increase in
the sea level. The prevention of these irreversible effects
requires new efficient measures at international level.
The "Innovation, Research and Technology" magazine
presents the new EU policy for energy and the climate and,
more specifically, the main environmental challenges, the
measures proposed by the Commission, as well as a very
interesting Eurobarometer report which reveals the attitude
of European citizens towards future energy needs.
The role of Research and Technology in the development of
environmental policies is also stressed, with particular
emphasis on two Greek innovative technologies for "clean
energy". One is the HYDROSOL project (recently awarded
the EU Descartes Prize for scientific excellence) which
concerns the production of hydrogen through water, steam
and solar energy. Prof. A. Konstandopoulos, in charge of the
HYDROSOL project, gives an interesting interview regarding
this innovative technology. The other project has been
implemented on the Aegean islands and concerns the first
floating unit for desalination by means of a wind generator.
Interview with Stavros
Dimas, Commissioner for
Environment
Energy and Climate change:
European initiatives -
Greek innovations
Commissioner for Environment, Stavros Dimas
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/dimas/index_el.htm
∂uropean Commission, DG Environment
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/index_enl.htm
∂uropean Commission, DG Energy
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/index_en.html
Descartes Prizes
http://ec.europa.eu/research/descartes/research_en.htm
Chemical Process Engineering Research Institute / CERTH
http://www.cperi.certh.gr/en/cperi.htm
Hellenic Technology Clusters Initiative
http://www.htci.gr
European Innovation Scoreboard 2006
http://www.proinno-europe.eu/
Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation
http://www.obi.gr/
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INNO
VATION
RESEARCH
TECHNOLOGY
&
JANUARY-FEBRUARY
2007
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