Greece Boosts ELIDEK Funding by €286 million

Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos announced a €286 million increase in financing for the Greek Research and Innovation Foundation (ELIDEK) for the period up to 2028. The boost is linked to an extension of the loan agreement with the European Investment Bank and is presented as a core element of Greece’s knowledge‑economy strategy.

The funding accompanies a rise in national R&D spending from €2.2 billion in 2018 to €3.65 billion in 2024 – 1.54 % of GDP – and includes tax incentives of up to 315 % for green‑transition projects. The government expects the programme to create about 20,000 new high‑skill positions and to curb brain‑drain. It also emphasizes scientific diplomacy, citing the recent adoption of a European framework for scientific diplomacy and the creation of a sectoral scientific council to coordinate with the Greek scientific diaspora.

The minister said, “We are not just watching developments, we are co‑shaping them,” underscoring the administration’s focus on turning Greece into a mature, institutionally robust technology hub in Southeast Europe.