The country's strategy to transform Greece into a strong international educational and research destination was highlighted by the event on "Internationalization and Extroversion: Greece as an Academic Node of the Future", held at the Amphitheatre of the National Gallery - Alexander Soutsos Museum on Wednesday, June 17th, gathering representatives of the government, the academic community, international organizations and leading universities.

“Our friendliness is every young man, from anywhere in the world, who can say “I chose Greece to study”” said the Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Sophia Zachraki, from the platform.

At the heart of the interventions were the upgrading of higher education, the strengthening of the international presence of Greek universities, the exploitation of European financial instruments, and the adaptation of the academic system to the challenges of artificial intelligence and the new digital age.

Opening the debate on the future of higher education, Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sport Sophia Zachakis stressed that the government's aim is to make Greece a destination that young people will choose internationally for their studies.

As he said, the country is working systematically to become a regional academic centre with international appeal, capable of attracting students from abroad and at the same time strengthening the trust of Greeks in domestic universities. "The goal is," he said, "the creation of a more open, outgoing, competitive and international university that will produce knowledge, participate actively in European research networks and contribute substantially to the economic and social development of the country.".

Presenting an account of the interventions implemented through the Recovery and Durability Fund, the Minister said that 70m euros have been committed to the internationalisation of Greek AEIs, 106.5m euros for the "University of Excellence", 88.3m euros for research excellence partnerships, 18.2m euros for the development of digital research infrastructures and 13.5m euros for the Digital Student Programme and the modernisation of the administrative functions of the institutions.

Special emphasis was also placed on the development of new foreign-language curricula, common and double master's degrees, as well as the strengthening of international academic partnerships.

At the same time, he referred to student infrastructure, noting that through Public and Private Sector Partnership projects 8,600 new beds are planned in student homes within the next five years, mainly in the district. In addition, interventions of EUR 224 million have already been launched for the renovation and energy upgrading of 17 student dormitories.

The American perspective: Greece at the top educational destinations
U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Gilfoyle, stood in the country's potential to develop into an international centre for education and exchange of knowledge. He noted that Greece's geostrategic position, combined with its high-level academic potential, constitute significant comparative advantages.

As he said, Greece is already ranked eighth in the world among the educational destinations chosen by American students, while he stressed that strengthening the educational links between Greece and the US creates new opportunities for mobility, exchange and cooperation between the universities of the two countries, strengthening the interconnection of academic institutions and mobility between the two countries.

Kostis Hatzidakis: Universities as levers for development and innovation
The central message of the intervention of the Deputy Prime Minister, Kostis Hatzidakis, was that higher education can no longer be treated solely as a teaching area, but as a key pillar of innovation, competitiveness and economic development.

The Deputy Prime Minister presented the prospects for Greece through the new European Competitiveness Fund of 2028-2034, totalling 420 billion euros. As he explained, it is a completely different financial instrument than in the previous decades, as it will support research, technology and cooperation actions in enterprises, universities and research centres.

On the basis of population data, it estimated that Greece could claim between 8 and 10 billion euros from the new fund, amounting to about half the current Recovery Fund. However, he clarified that the allocation would not be made by national quotas but by reference to the quality and competitiveness of the proposals to be submitted.

In this context, he stressed the need to change attitudes both in the academic and in the business community, stressing that future universities – state and non-state – will function as hubs for knowledge, innovation and added value for local communities and the national economy.

Mr. Hatzidakis also rejected the estimates of a financial gap following the completion of the Recovery Fund, pointing out that, according to the European negotiations so far, Greece is expected to have at its disposal €49.5 billion in the next programming period, in addition to the loan instruments and resources that will result from the new Competitiveness Fund.

Referring to the reforms of the last period, he described the evaluation of universities as particularly important through the National Higher Education Authority, as well as the coexistence of state and non-state universities, which, he argued, strengthens competition and creates new prospects for the academic system.

He also made particular mention of the institution of industrial PhDs, which link university research to the needs of production, and left open the possibility of developing corresponding industrial postgraduate programmes.

At the same time, he highlighted the progress recorded in attracting foreign students, noting that Greek universities have already developed partnerships with American institutions, while Chinese students choose Greece for studies in ancient Greek literature. As he argued, there is even greater scope for development through summer programmes that could be hosted at university facilities in island and tourist areas in the summer months when these remain inactive.

The Deputy Prime Minister also referred to the footprint of the Recovery Fund, noting that its benefits were not limited to large enterprises but extended to tens of thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises and critical social policy areas, such as Health and Education. In particular, he spoke of financing new health infrastructure, interactive tables in schools, modernisation projects in primary and secondary education, as well as out-turn actions and development of new postgraduate programmes at universities.

Health as an area of international educational development
For his part, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis presented the vision for the transformation of Greece into an international health training centre.

As he argued, the country can take advantage of its comparative advantages to develop into a reference point in health professionals education, with particular emphasis on nursing education. At the same time, he spoke of closer cooperation between the public and private sectors, arguing that non-governmental non-profit universities can operate complementary to the public system, strengthening competition and the quality of studies.

The Minister also stood by the prospects created by artificial intelligence and the exploitation of health data, pointing out that new technologies will transform both health services and education, but not replace the human factor.

Internationalization goes from theory to practice
The potential of Greece to develop into an international training and research hub was also mentioned by representatives of the academic community.

João Breda from the World Health Organization stressed that the country has the conditions to play a role not only at European but also at global level. The president of the Medical School of the EKPA, Nicholas Arkadopoulos, stressed that the internationalisation of Greek universities is now a tangible reality, while the vice-rector of the University of Thessaly Golden Laspidos highlighted the importance of regional universities in creating knowledge and innovation ecosystems.

Yale's professor Basil noted that collaborations between Greek and foreign universities, as well as joint postgraduate programmes, already produce measurable results at research and education level.

Artificial intelligence and new skills
Separate unity of the event was dedicated to the transformation brought about by artificial intelligence in higher education.

Undersecretary of Higher Education Nicholas Papaioannou argued that the internationalisation of universities is inextricably linked to the exploitation of new technologies. Giannis Mastrogeorgiou, Special Secretary for Long-term Planning of the Presidency of the Government, pointed out that the high level of Greek scientific potential explains the increasing interest of major international technological companies in investing in the country.

The director of the British Council for Greece and Cyprus, Anastasia Andritsou, stressed that artificial intelligence is already part of the everyday life of universities, while the dean of the University of Ioannina Anna Batistatou noted that this development fundamentally changes the way we perceive university education.

For its part, Peggy Antonaku, Regional Director-General for Southeast Europe of Google, pointed out that young people in Greece are among the most familiar users of artificial intelligence tools in Europe.

New forms of cooperation and international knowledge bridges
The debate ended with emphasis on new forms of international academic cooperation. The rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Kyriakos Anastasiades highlighted the role of microcredentials as a tool of internationalization, while Sophia Zyga from the University of Peloponnese highlighted the contribution of regional institutions to attracting international partnerships.

Matthieu Abgrall from the French Institute of Greece presented the joint Greek-French initiatives in the field of higher education, while Stefanos Gandolfo of Athens Columbia Global Center stressed that the internationalisation of Greek universities has now passed through the planning stage in implementation.

Finally, for his participation in the programme of cooperation of the CSR with the University of Cincinnati, emphasising the benefits offered by international academic experiences to young researchers, the PhD candidate for Classical Recruitment of the CRF and Educational History, Christos Argyropoulos and the student of the CIVIS Department of Philosophy and a member of the CIVIS Student Council, Penelope Michaela Natsis stressed the importance of student participation in European networks of cooperation and research.

EKPA's PhD candidate Christos Argyropoulos spoke about the benefits of young researchers from international cooperation programmes, while EKPA student and member of the CIVIS Student Council, Penelope Michaela Natsis, highlighted the importance of student participation in European research and academic cooperation networks.

Greece attempts to go to a new model of higher education, where internationalisation, research, innovation and connection to the economy are the key pillars of development. As it emerged from those who participated in the event, with strong financial support, expanded international partnerships and the use of new technologies, the country aspires to claim a leading role in the world academic map in the coming years.