Circle of Hellenic Academics in Boston «The Emerging Start-Up Ecosystem in Greece: Challenges and Opportunities».

  • We do not yet have a strategy for innovation.
  • Greece ranks in the middle range within the EU on research issues and at the bottom on innovation. A study by ICC (related table attached) places us in the global early stage category.
  • There is no lack of resources for startups (SS), but these resources are allocated according to the European strategy without adapting to the country’s needs. As a result, technological clusters with critical mass are not created. In fact, some VCs believe, «Do not support SS at very early stages. Let them fail, and we will focus on those that progress.»
  • There is no special funding plan for deeptech investments. However, this could be done through the new development law (Ministry of Development).
  • There is fragmentation in the research and innovation ecosystem at the government level (ministries of Education, Development, Digital Governance, Interior, Growthfund, Defense, Maritime Affars, Family Affairs).
  • We have highly skilled personnel.
  • In 2024, funding for startups at the initial stage was lower than for those at the next stage. In simple terms, if we continue this way, in a few years we will not have any startups to support, so that some of them can scale up and even become unicorns.
  • There are not many OPEN INNOVATION programs and actions that continuously connect entrepreneurship, mainly industry, with the research community. Generally, the linkage between the research ecosystem and the market, as well as the private investment community, is insufficient.
  • There is a lack of centralized management and a coherent strategy for the technology transfer offices (TTOs) of Universities and Research Centers. Theyoperatedecentralized and withdifferentmodels.
  • There are suffocating bureaucratic and fiscal constraints on research and innovation, at a time when Germany, for example, has completely abolished these for HORIZON programs. Our researchers in universities, for a 10€ expense, must provide three quotes.
  • There is a significant inability of startups (SS) to participate in public sector tenders.
  • There is no registry of intellectual properties (IPs) so the ecosystem is unaware of who is doing what, preventing the creation of collaborations.

Proposals

Priority should be given to research and innovation sectors in artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, medicine, and agrotechnology.

  • Establishment of an organization (INNOVATION AGENCY) for the central management of all TTOs (Technology Transfer Offices) of research centers. In the initial phase, the TTOs of universities will be unified under a framework similar to INNOVATION GREECE but under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. In the second phase, I believe these should also be incorporated into INNOVATION GREECE.

This way, we will achieve: a) Unification of the strategy. b) Central management and commercial exploitation of intellectual property (IP) at the national level. c) Staffing with market professionals and under private sector working terms. d) Creation and development of a National IP Registry, which will include data available to businesses and investors. e) Establishment of an Innovation Development Fund without fiscal constraints on its management. f) Supervision of spin-offs. g) Central management of the advisory (not the managerial) tasks of the Research and Technology Funding Committees (ELKE). h) Creation of continuous OPEN INNOVATION activities.

An Open Innovation program involves calls made by companies that can come from any sector of the economy and address challenges they primarily face in new technological fields or areas of significant change and knowledge base (e.g., adoption of AI, Industry 4.0, IoT, etc.), for which they do not find ready-made solutions from their usual suppliers.

The calls to address these challenges can be directed to startups (e.g., from ELEVATE GREECE) and teams from universities and research centers in the country. Their descriptions should be specific and substantiated, indicating a specific challenge owner, i.e., the person responsible for it within the company, the problem, the inadequate competitive solutions available on the market, and indicative, non-binding elements of the timeline and budget.

In this way, researchers and startups are invited to find innovative solutions to problems faced by industries and companies. This opens up a communication channel with researchers and startups seeking solutions.

The open innovation model is adopted by many companies abroad in order to accelerate the development of technologies and innovations.

  1. h) Creation of standard contracts for the establishment of spin-offs and regulation of rights, etc.
  • The INNOVATION AGENCY (IA) will absorb and integrate:
  1. a) Industrial Property Organization from the General Secretariat for Industry. IPO has been struggling for years to establish the IA.
  2. b) Elevate Greece, which today could simply be a service of the central government, as it lacks a specific role and staff. (Alternatively, this entity could become the INNOVATION AGENCY).
  3. c) The Greek Documentation Centre from the Ministry of Digital Governance (under discussion). It is important to note that the GDC has not yet conducted an impact assessment study for research.
  4. d) The Alexander Innovation Zone (AIZ) in Thessaloniki, which is overseen by the Ministry of the Interior (I continue to propose transforming it into a Ministry of State) and still, after 20 years, lacks responsibilities. Fortunately, the Ministry of Agricultural Development has initiated the transfer of the agricultural technology hub we established to this entity, so that it can now proceed dynamically.
  5. e) The MCRTI (National Council for Research. Technology and Innovation) (although it could fall under the Ministry of State).

I should note that the resignations of its members are justified, regardless of the clumsy manner in which they were made public.

  • Transfer of the research work of GAO (greek agricultural organization) Dimitra to the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT).
  • The new structure of the HFRI (Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation) organization, still under formation, proposes that the body deciding on the selection of grants for doctoral and postdoctoral studies will also include institutional bodies from entrepreneurship.
  • Redesign of the «research and innovation» process so that the compulsory participation of the private sector is substantive. Currently, itisformal.
  • The state must act as a catalyst for Greek startups by providing customers and also a fast-track framework for collaboration.
    • The public sector, as an early adopter, can become a customer for startups through small pilot programs, especially in areas such as healthcare, education, and smart governance. A gradual transition from subsidy-based schemes to incentive-based schemes for their participation in public tenders.
    • Instead of traditional tenders, the government should invite startups to propose solutions. This is already successfully implemented in other countries, such as Cuk GovTech Catalyst and US SBIR.
  • Create a flexible procurement platform where startups can quickly enter without lengthy procedures (Dynamic Purchasing Systems).
  • Introduce a special fast-track mechanism for contracts up to a limit (200k-500k).
  • Examplesfromothercountries:
    • Estonia (e-Residency and Agile Procurement): The government collaborates quickly with startups without procedural details.
    • Israel (Innovation Authority and Pilots): Provides funding to startups wishing to test their solutions in the public sector.
    • Singapore (Gov Tech Sandbox): Created a regulatory sandbox where startups can test their solutions without barriers.
  • A 100% funding framework for companies in Elevate Greece to participate in exhibitions in Greece and abroad (GSRT, ENTERPRISE GREECE).
  • Institutionalization of collaboration between HCDI, INNOVATION AGENCY, the General Secretariat for Industry, and the General Secretariat for Digital Governance. (HCDI becomes an intermediary body for NSRF. This too should move away from current procedures).
  • Participation of our country in other programs, such as CERN, which deals exclusively with nuclear physics. A classic example is the ESRF, a vital tool for material research, biotechnology, and life sciences (recorded 1.2 million euros).
  1. Creation of a platform similar to Barcelona’s WELCOME TALENT, which provides all the information to foreign researchers-scientists about the city’s research-innovation ecosystem as well as the relocation process.
  2. Establishment of a tech visa.
  3. Creation of an application using artificial intelligence that includes all the legislation related to the research-innovation ecosystem.
  4. A framework for large Greek companies to provide testing environments (sandbox environments) where startups can experiment in real conditions (corporate incubators and testbeds).
  5. A frameworktoensure:
  • Students can complete their internships in startups.
  • Funding for holders of doctoral degrees for a semester to carry out «proof of concept» for their research results, to evaluate their commercial value.
  • Startups can use testing environments from universities and research centers for proof-of-concept activities.
  1. The Ministry of Infrastructure should expedite the process of incorporating the European Directive on OPEN DATA into transportation organizations, thus facilitating the creation of startups in this field by Greek researchers. Additionally, a framework should be created for fines for those who do not comply. The concept of smart cities is also encompassed through this intervention.
  2. The Ministry of Family and Social Cohesion should focus on innovation and inclusion in specific startups, while today it funds social innovation through the regions and the KINSEP (Social Cooperative Enterprises). Alternatively, part of the relevant resources could be directed to the New Innovation Fund I proposed. A similar approach could be taken for the Ministry of Shipping, which funds the establishment of Clusters, while relevant startups already exist in this specific field.

 

ΥΠΟΜΝΗΜΑ ΠΡΟΤΑΣΕΩΝ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΝΑΒΑΘΜΙΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΕΡΕΥΝΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΙΝΟΤΟΜΙΑΣ ΣΤΟΝ ΚΛΑΔΟ ΤΗΣ ΒΙΟΜΗΧΑΝΙΑΣ

 

Δεδομένα

  • Δεν διαθέτουμε ακόμα στρατηγική για την καινοτομία.
  • Η Ελλάδα κατατάσσεται στο μέσο όρο της ΕΕ σε θέματα έρευνας και στον πάτο της κατάταξης στην καινοτομία. Μελέτη του ICC (επισυνάπτεται σχετικός πίνακας) μας κατατάσσει στην παγκόσμια κατηγορία αρχικών σταδίων.
  • Δεν υπάρχει έλλειψη πόρων για τις startups (SS), αλλά οι πόροι αυτοί κατανέμονται σύμφωνα με την ευρωπαϊκή στρατηγική χωρίς προσαρμογή στις ανάγκες της χώρας. Ως αποτέλεσμα, δεν δημιουργούνται τεχνολογικά clusters με κρίσιμη μάζα. Μάλιστα, ορισμένοι VCs πιστεύουν: «Μην υποστηρίζετε τις SS στα πολύ πρώιμα στάδια. Αφήστε τις να αποτύχουν και θα εστιάσουμε σε αυτές που προοδεύουν».
  • Δεν υπάρχει ειδικό χρηματοδοτικό σχέδιο για επενδύσεις deeptech. Ωστόσο, αυτό θα μπορούσε να γίνει μέσω του νέου αναπτυξιακού νόμου (Υπουργείο Ανάπτυξης).
  • Υπάρχει κατακερματισμός του οικοσυστήματος έρευνας και καινοτομίας στο επίπεδο της κυβέρνησης (υπουργεία Παιδείας, Ανάπτυξης, Ψηφιακής Διακυβέρνησης, Εσωτερικών, Growthfund, Άμυνας, Ναυτιλίας, Οικογενειακών Υποθέσεων).
  • Διαθέτουμε εξειδικευμένο ανθρώπινο δυναμικό υψηλού επιπέδου.
  • Το 2024, η χρηματοδότηση startups στο αρχικό στάδιο ήταν χαμηλότερη από εκείνη του επόμενου σταδίου. Με απλά λόγια, αν συνεχίσουμε έτσι, σε λίγα χρόνια δεν θα υπάρχουν startups για να στηρίξουμε, ώστε κάποιες από αυτές να κλιμακωθούν και να γίνουν ακόμη και unicorns.
  • Δεν υπάρχουν πολλά ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΔΡΑΣΕΙΣ ΑΝΟΙΧΤΗΣ ΚΑΙΝΟΤΟΜΙΑΣ που να συνδέουν διαρκώς την επιχειρηματικότητα, κυρίως τη βιομηχανία, με την ερευνητική κοινότητα. Γενικά, η σύνδεση του ερευνητικού οικοσυστήματος με την αγορά, καθώς και με την κοινότητα των ιδιωτικών επενδύσεων, είναι ανεπαρκής.
  • Υπάρχει έλλειψη κεντρικής διαχείρισης και συνεκτικής στρατηγικής για τα γραφεία μεταφοράς τεχνολογίας (TTOs) των Πανεπιστημίων και των Ερευνητικών Κέντρων. Λειτουργούν αποκεντρωμένα και με διαφορετικά μοντέλα.
  • Υπάρχουν ασφυκτικοί γραφειοκρατικοί και δημοσιονομικοί περιορισμοί στην έρευνα και καινοτομία, όταν για παράδειγμα η Γερμανία έχει καταργήσει εντελώς αυτούς για τα προγράμματα HORIZON. Οι ερευνητές στα πανεπιστήμια, για ένα έξοδο 10€, πρέπει να προσκομίσουν τρεις προσφορές.
  • Υπάρχει σημαντική αδυναμία των startups (SS) να συμμετάσχουν σε δημόσιους διαγωνισμούς.
  • Δεν υπάρχει μητρώο πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας (IP), ώστε το οικοσύστημα να γνωρίζει ποιος κάνει τι, γεγονός που εμποδίζει τη δημιουργία συνεργειών.

 

Προτάσεις

Προτεραιότητα πρέπει να δοθεί στους τομείς της έρευνας και καινοτομίας σε τεχνητή νοημοσύνη, ρομποτική, βιοτεχνολογία, ιατρική και αγροτεχνολογία.

 

  1. Ίδρυση ΟΡΓΑΝΙΣΜΟΥ (INNOVATION AGENCY) για την κεντρική διαχείριση όλων των TTOs των ερευνητικών κέντρων.
  2. Ο Οργανισμός Καινοτομίας θα απορροφήσει και θα ενσωματώσει: ΟΒΙ, Elevate Greece, ΕΚΤ, ΑΖΚ, ΕΣΕΤΕΚ.
  3. Μεταφορά του ερευνητικού έργου του ΕΛΓΟ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΑ στη ΓΓΕΤ.
  4. Νέα δομή ΕΛΙΔΕΚ με συμμετοχή φορέων επιχειρηματικότητας.
  5. Ανασχεδιασμός της διαδικασίας «έρευνα και καινοτομία» με ουσιαστική συμμετοχή ιδιωτικού τομέα.
  6. Το κράτος να λειτουργήσει ως καταλύτης για τις startups με ρόλο πελάτη και fast-track συνεργασίες.
  7. Πλαίσιο χρηματοδότησης 100% για συμμετοχή σε εκθέσεις.
  8. Θεσμοθέτηση συνεργασίας HCDI, INNOVATION AGENCY, ΓΓ Βιομηχανίας & ΓΓ Ψηφιακής Διακυβέρνησης.
  9. Συμμετοχή της χώρας σε επιπλέον διεθνή ερευνητικά προγράμματα (π.χ. CERN, ESRF).
  10. Δημιουργία πλατφόρμας τύπου WELCOME TALENT για προσέλκυση ταλέντων.
  11. Θέσπιση tech visa.
  12. Εφαρμογή ΤΝ για καταγραφή όλης της σχετικής νομοθεσίας.
  13. Πλαίσιο για μεγάλες εταιρείες ώστε να προσφέρουν testbeds για startups.
  14. Πλαίσιο για:
    • Πρακτική φοιτητών σε startups.
    • Proof-of-concept για διδάκτορες.
  • Χρήση δομών πανεπιστημίων από startups.
  1. Εναρμόνιση με την Ευρωπαϊκή Οδηγία για ΑΝΟΙΚΤΑ ΔΕΔΟΜΕΝΑ στις μεταφορές.
  2. Κατεύθυνση κονδυλίων κοινωνικής καινοτομίας σε startups (υπουργεία Οικογένειας, Ναυτιλίας κλπ).