During the five-year period 1994-1999, with co-funding from the European Union, the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT), successfully implemented the second Operational Programme for Research and Technology (EPET II), thus helping to direct research towards areas of popular concern, including: HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT, NUTRITION, EDUCATION, COMMUNICATIONS, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, INFORMATICS and CULTURE.

EPET II has been the driving force behind the improvement of the country's research and technological infrastructure and the development of significant research projects. The programme comprised five sub-programmes, which are briefly described below:

Sub-programme I - Enhancement of R&T activities

The "Research Communities for the Improvement of Competitiveness" programme (EKBAN- budget: 51,993 billion drs.) was the main action under sub-programme I of EPET II and aimed at focusing research and technological activities on productive areas of high economic interest for the national economy, such as:

• Environment (total budget of approximately 8 billion drs.)
• Biosciences (total budget of approximately 14 billion drs.)
• Information technologies (total budget of approximately 13 billion drs.)
• New materials (total budget of approximately 12 billion drs.)
• Culture, society and technology (total budget of approximately 2 billion drs.)

EKBAN is considered to be one of the most important programmes of EPET II, because besides producing excellent outcomes, it involved cooperation between research centres and industry and represented a good example of applied research.

A parallel programme, EKBAN-P, has also been announced to aid economic and social development of the regions. EKBAN-P is targeted on the following regions: the Aegean (islands), Epirus, Thrace and Macedonia (total budget of approximately 3 billion drs).

Sub-programme I also supported activities in the following areas: transportation, agricultural biotechnology and economic development.

Sub-programme II - Industrial research, technology transfer - Innovation

The main goal of sub-programme II (total budget of 65.5 billion drs.) was the development of activities and structures for the improvement of competitiveness in Greek industry, to bring the research and the productive sector closer together and to deal properly with the issues of technology transfer and the promotion of innovation. At the same time, it enhanced important activities and programmes concerned with a wide range of issues related to every-day life. Themes covered included:

1. Industrial research

- Industrial Research Development Programme (PAVE):

This programme was concerned with the modernisation of enterprises and the improvement of their competitiveness through the development of new or improved products and production methods. It also promoted technological innovation and the adoption of advanced technologies in traditional sectors of Greek industry. It enhanced cooperation between industrial enterprises and research centres and contributed to the employment of new personnel, especially scientists, in various businesses. It also contributed to raising awareness among industrial enterprises of research and technology issues so that they recognised the need for investment relevant activities. During the period 1994-1999, 654 industrial research and innovation projects with a total budget of 24.6 billion drs. were approved for various enterprises. The PAVE programme is one of the most popular programmes of EPET II and has attracted a lot of interest and attention in industry.

2. Applied research:

- Programme for Scholarships of Oriented Research (YPER):

The YPER programme gave young researchers the opportunity to gain first-hand industry experience and complete PhD dissertations on themes related to the solution of specific problems of industrial production units. It also contributed to the effective employment of young scientists. During 1994-1997, projects of a total budget of 3.612 billion drs. were approved. 269 scholarships for oriented research were given to industry engineers through projects relating to specific problems of the production process. The competence and qualifications of the executive personnel of the enterprises concerned was also strengthened through the completion of PhD dissertations on oriented research.

- Co financing Programme (SYN):

The SYN programme was aimed at the cooperation between research and industrial production units, bringing research centres closer to industry (both private and state enterprises) as well as to local authorities. It was concerned with the resolution of specific issues affecting, directly, both the every-day life of the Greek citizens and the national economy. In 1996, 120 projects with a budget of 4 billion drs. were approved.

3. Technology transfer - Innovation

Through sub-programme II of EPET II, the building infrastructure and equipment of GSRT-supervised national technological centres and technological parks was supported with a budget of about 4 billion drs. At the same time, Liaison Offices linking research and industrial communities were set up in universities and research centres aimed at effective utilisation of research outcomes (1.5 billion drs).

Modern and advanced technologies not previously applied in Greece were introduced with the support of the PEPER programme (budget 4.5 billion drs). At the same time, programmes concerned with the current needs and problems of modern society were successfully developed and implemented (approximately 4.5 billion drs), such as:

• The AMEA programme that contributed to the development of support technologies for people with special needs

• The Technomathia programme (education in crafts) that promoted understanding of science, technology and Ttechnology culture among pupils and teachers in secondary education

• The Open Doors programme that succeeded in informing the general public about the activities and outcomes of the GSRT's research and technological centres

• The Linguistic Technology programme concerned with the processing and recognition of human speech through IT and the development of useful systems that can be applied in everyday life

• The improvement of the facilities of the Technical Museum of Thessalonica, the first of its kind in the Balkans (600 million drs.).

Within the framework of sub-programme II, two other significant projects further supporting the development of the information society in Greece were completed (with a funding of about 4 billion drachmas). These were the National Network for Research and Technology (EDET), which physically links the country's research and academic centres through a reliable high-speed data transfer system, and the National Information System for Science and Technology, that ensures the collection, organisation and distribution of scientific and technological information both within Greece and world-wide.

Finally, through the Programme for Bilateral Co operations on Research and Technology, young researchers cooperated with their counterparts abroad and exchanged know-how, whilst the level of participation of Greek research teams in large EU programmes was increased. As a result of this programme, research and technology cooperation with the following countries has been organised: Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Albania, Yugoslavia, Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Georgia, Rumania, Russia, China, Cyprus and Israel.

Sub-programme III - Support and restructuring of research facilities and programmes

During the past five years, important projects were implemented through the sub-programme III of EPET II for the strengthening and restructuring of Greece's research and technology facilities and programmes (buildings and equipment - budget of 42.4 billion drs) as follows:

• Both the building infrastructure and the scientific equipment of the research centres were upgraded
• Libraries of the supervised centres were restructured and their facilities greatly improved
• The infrastructure of the laboratories offering services to universities and technological education institutes was improved and their competitiveness was strengthened
• New research centres were established and new laboratories were linked to the network.

EPET II provided the opportunity for research and technology centres to acquire ultra-modern facilities (buildings and scientific equipment), to cooperate with industry and thus to develop advanced technologies, to focus their research activities on areas of high interest and to be recognized on a European and international level through their participation in major collaborative programmes.

Sub-programme IV - Human resources

Sub-programme IV on the TTraining of research and technology personnel (budget of approximately 18.712 billion drs) promoted important programmes such as:

• The Programme for the Enhancement of Research Manpower (PENED), one of the best-known programmes among the country's scientific community. This programme provided young scientists with the opportunity to use their skills in research projects, to gain further knowledge and experience and, in some cases, to obtain postgraduate degrees. The programme's main aims were to expand the number of young researchers in Greece and to involve the local research community in collaborative projects in which Greek scientists from abroad also participated. The EPET programme helped to mitigate the problem of unemployment among young graduates. During the period 1995-1999, 965 research projects with a budget of 15 billion drs. were approved, thus contributing to the training of 1500 young researchers and the creation of similar number of temporary positions in public research centres. 1300 further jobs were being created in 2000-2001.

• Human Networks for the Dissemination of R&T Knowledge: This programme aimed to reduce the isolation and dispersal of many Greek research teams through the dissemination of technical know-how throughout industry and encouragement of an inter-disciplinary approach to particular economic and social problems (budget of 900 million drs).

• The Diavlos Action: This programme's main objective was to inform participating students about the form and content of the range of research and technology activities carried out by businesses, public bodies and other organisations (budget of 60 million drs).

• The Programme for Career Opportunities for Foreign Greek-speaking Researchers: This important programme provided for temporary involvement in Greek projects of Greek-speaking researchers from abroad and for the creation of opportunities for their return to Greece (budget of 2.5 billion drachmas).

Sub-programme V: Administration EPET II

The fifth sub-programme concerned the administration and management of EPET II, the carrying out of studies required for the planning and implementation of the country's research and technology policy and other related measures (budget of 4 billion drachmas).

The total budget of EPET II was 183 billion drs. and accounted for approximately 2% of the Community Support Framework (CSF) for the five-year period 1995-2000. The programme is currently reaching its completion. Despite some difficulties, EPET II was associated with a high level of absorption of funds (exceeding the originally-estimated funding level by 8%), making it one of the most successful structural programmes not only in the EU.

Complete text (in Greek) -
http://www.gsrt.gr/site.asp?cat=78&id=46&lang=1

Selected projects (in Greek) -
http://www.gsrt.gr/site.asp?cat=55&id=74&lang=1