According to the European Commission, Greece is considered a “widening country” in research and development (R&D), meaning that its performance in that field lags behind the  European Union average. Still, many top-tier research scientists are choosing Greece as their location for new research projects.

For example, in the 2022 European Research Area (ERA) Chair Program, funded by the European Commission, Greece secured €17.5 million out of €80 million distributed, ranking first in the European Union. Seven scientists secured €2.5 million each to conduct research in cooperation with a research institute or university in Greece. However, the current legal framework does not cover their needs as set forth by the European Commission.

Deon Policy Institute analyzed the European standards for joint chairs and conducted field research to better understand the needs of these scientists. It  has submitted a proposal for legislative amendments, informed by this analysis.

Our policy recommendation was to allow joint chairs to: 

• Hold their existing positions in other institutions

• Hire their own research teams

• Apply to local research grants provided by the Greek government

• Create spinoffs, submit patents, and create intellectual property

• Submit proposals about how to improve the universities to the governing council 

In addition, the European Commission requires host universities and research institutions to create a permanent position within the first three years of the program specifically for the ERA Chairs