09/11/2007

Recently, the Hellenic Technology Clusters Initiative ( HTCI ) organised and conducted events in the USA on the subject "Re-discover Greece: Technology - Innovation - Business". The events, which were held in Boston and New York from 17 to 20 October, form part of the "US University and Business Roadshow " programme put together and coordinated by the HTCI .

The goal of the events was to raise awareness of the favourable technological and business conditions currently developing in Greece , so as to attract US university graduates, researchers and professors from cutting-edge technology sectors, as well as entrepreneurs and private capital. The events were supported by the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and were organised in collaboration with the relevant bodies in Greece and the USA , and the Hellenic Students' Associations of Columbia University and ΜΙΤ . High-level Greek-American dignitaries took part.

According to Professor Vasilis Makios , Director of the HTCI , it is necessary to continuously and consistently promote the opportunities available in the country and to provide real incentives in order to achieve the goals of this HTCI initiative. 'The HTCI ', he declares, 'will continue this initiative over the long term, and our vision is to be present when Greece has consolidated its position in the high technology sector'.

The events attracted many visitors, laying new foundations for communication with the US academic community. On the fringes of the events, the Greek delegation held meetings with high-level figures from the business and science worlds. In addition, HTCI employees visited the Northeastern University in Boston , where they met administrative staff, Greek university professors and others.

The Hellenic Technology Clusters Initiative ( HTCI ) is an activity supported by the Greek Ministry of Development with the aim of creating and developing competitive technology clusters in export-oriented and knowledge-intensive sectors of industry. The selected clusters are mainly made up of SMEs and have been established in sectors where Greece has the capacity to attain, in the near future, an international competitive advantage, while the cluster members can increase their market shares and, in the long term, become global players in their respective industrial sectors. The first technology cluster to be developed as part of the HTCI initiative is the Microelectronics Innovation Centre. This is a technology cluster that brings together, under the same roof, 15 high-tech developing Greek and foreign companies active in the microelectronics sector of chip design and embedded systems.

Source: HTCI