22-12-16 Agreement with European Investment Bank on 138 million euros for Greek universities

An agreement to fund nine Greek universities with a total sum of 138 million euros was signed today by Education, Research and Religious Affairs Minister Kostas Gavroglu and European Investment Bank President Werner Hoyer.

 This is one of three economic agreements signed in order to bolster education, the economy, innovation, entrepreneurship and growth in Greece.

The total amount of funding offered in these agreements comes to 203 million euros. Werner Hoyer, Minister Gavroglu, and Environment and Energy Minister Yorgos Stathakis were present at the signing ceremony.

Hoyer said that the core and overarching objective of the agreements is to support innovation and entrepreneurship in Greece. The new funding of over 200 million euros aims to bolster the Greek economy and expedite a return to growth, the EIB chief underlined.

Minister Gavroglou underlined that there have been great strides in promoting innovation at research centres and universities, and called for cooperation with business. “Innovation in not something created in laboratories, the benefits of which businesses can reap without having offered something in the process. Businesses must adopt a culture of utilising the innovations that will exist at our research centres and universities,” he said.

In late January or early February, there will be a visit by a team of education experts to plan the next steps.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is to announce an inter-party committee of experts to study the funding needs in education and prepare a comprehensive report.

Gavroglu said there has never been such a study, and the government will utilise the report in drafting its three-year educational reform plan.

“We hope the EIB can lend moral support to this plan and play a decisive role,” Gavroglu said.