HBA-USA board members and other Greek scientists who are leaders of innovation in their professions, were officially invited to participate in the “Knowledge bridges” workshop and roundtable discussion focused on creating mutually beneficial partnership networks between Greece and the United States. The HBA-USA was represented by Elisavet Serti, HBA-USA President, along with Greek professionals from the World Bank, George Washington, John Hopkins and American universities, biotech companies and law firms located in Washington DC.
The workshop was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy and Development and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece and Enterprise Greece, and was led by Mr Lois Labrianidis, secretary general of strategic and private investments along with several other representatives of the Greek government and Greek diplomats. The same event took place in several cities in the United States in order to reach as many leaders as possible, discuss with Greeks from Greece and abroad who already participate in partnership networks and spread the aim of this aspiring initiative.
The initiative seeks to effectively link Greeks abroad with those living in Greece by creating a network for the establishment of scientific, business and professional partnerships. The National Documentation Centre in co-operation with the General Secretariat for Strategic and Private Investments of the Ministry of Economy and Development are implementing the initiative. Their vision is the creation of a digital global Greek community which will strengthen the prospect of the country’s development with the ultimate aim to boost the sectors of economy and innovation in Greece. Mr Labrianidis emphasized the importance of developing knowledge economy by producing goods or providing services of greater added value and identifying pockets of excellence in the public and private sector in Greece. This policy of making targeted investments in established pockets of excellence and “healthy” businesses will promote innovation, boost business development and in the long term attract highly skilled people back in Greece along with attracting new investments. HBA-USA mentioned the excellent research happening in several research institutions in Greece and suggested that a targeted investment in the research sector would boost innovation in science and technology and attract more funding from private biotech companies as well as grants from the European Union. Overall, this workshop was a unique opportunity for the HBA-USA to take advantage of this initiative by acting as a platform of communication of bio-scientists between Greece and the US, interact with Greek officials, build ties with the Greek government and highlight the importance of our presence in the United States.
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