Greece at the Crossroads of Global Innovation and Diaspora Engagement
The Scientific Conference «NextGen Technologies: From Climate Innovation to Smart Industry & Energy – Greece at the Crossroads of Global Innovation and Diaspora Engagement» was held on Friday, May 22, 2026, at the B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music. The initiative was organized by the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech).
A key highlight of the conference was the panel dedicated to building a national Artificial Intelligence ecosystem, which was moderated by Konstantinos Anagnostopoulos, Attorney at Law and European Legal Tech Association Ambassador for Greece
Dr. Yiannis Smaragdakis, Professor at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, pointed out that the tech brain drain is largely a myth, as half of the top graduates choose to stay in Greece, supporting a growing startup ecosystem. On education, he noted that universities must focus on strong computing fundamentals so students can become smart and capable users of rapidly changing AI tools.
Dr. Denia Kanellopoulou, explained Greece's shift toward a national AI strategy aligned with European goals. She focused on the development of AI Factories, which combine data, talent, and supercomputing infrastructure. She also highlighted "branch-in-a-box" initiatives designed to help Greek talent from abroad collaborate with the local ecosystem.
Tilemachos Moraitis, Government Affairs at Microsoft Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Adriatics, shared that Greece ranks second in the EU for personal, daily AI use and is growing fast. He stressed that the main challenge now is helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) adopt AI at a professional level. He also highlighted Greece's advantage in green energy, mentioning massive renewable projects that can power future data centers.
Watch the full panel discussion and the entire conference on YouTube
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