GREECE
This information on national public-health research structures has been gained from (country key informants)
and internet searches for STEPS (Strengthening Engagement in Public Health Research www.steps-ph.eu),
a project funded by the European Commission Seventh Framework Research Programme. It builds on the
country profiles and reports from Ministries of Health and Ministries of Science that were created previously
for SPHERE (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/public-health/sphere/sphereprofiles.htm).
The organogram shows the structure for managing and providing public-health research from the perspective
of financial flows.
The main organisations are also briefly described, with their URLs, and other relevant national documents
and information on public-health research.
Note: 'Public-health research' includes all health research at population, organisation and system level
broadly relevant to health and health-care policy and practice. It excludes clinical and laboratory (biomedical)
research.
Organogram
Funding PHR
1.
National
Government
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Education
Providing PHR
Secretariat for
Research and
Technology
Universities
and
Technological
Education
Institutes
PHR: Public Health research;
National
School of
Public
Health
•The Centre for Disease Control and
Prevention
•The Institute of Child Health
•The Institute for Research in Respiratory
Diseases & Occupational Health and Safety
•The Hellenic Pasteur Institute
•The National Centre for Research, Prevention
and Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus and its
Complications
The Biomedical
Sciences
Research Centre
"Alexander
Fleming"
Biomedical
Research
Foundation of
the Academy of
Athens
funding negotiated between government and agency/organization; includes direct commissioning
funding competitive process where rules are more or less explicit and known in advance
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2.
Research Commissioners
The basic characteristic of the Greek national research and development system is the
dominance of the public sector in its funding. Additional sources of funding are the EU FP7
and DG-SANCO programmes. Many of the funds that appear to be national funds are in
essence co-funded (by about 75%) by the EU Structural Fund (Community Support
Programme).
2.1 Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity (http://www.yyka.gov.gr/) does not have a
research policy and research funds, although it commissions specific research from the
National School of Public Health.
2.2. Ministry of Science
The main government agency that funds research is the General Secretariat for Research
and Technology (http://www.gsrt.gr/default.asp?V_LANG_ID=2), now under the Ministry of
Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious affairs (http://www.ypepth.gr/en_ec_home.htm)
but until October 2009 under the Ministry of Industry and Development.
2.3. Other ministries
2.4. Regions
2.5. Foundations
3.
Research Performers
The main research providers are the Universities (Medical, Dental and Nursing Schools
and their affiliated structures), the Technological Educational Institutes and the National
School of Public Health. There are also a few public institutions that carry out research and
some non-governmental organisations.
3.1. State Institutes
3.1.1. The National School of Public Health (ESDY, http://www.nsph.gr/default.aspx?
page=home).
This is a teaching and research institute that is supervised and funded by the Ministry of
Health and Social Solidarity. Its main objective is to train Public Health Physicians and
Hospital Managers, and it also carries out related research, sometimes specifically
commissioned by the Ministry of Health.
3.1.2. The Ministry of Health has created some centres with the objective of providing
specific services, and these may carry out some related research.
• The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (KEEL-PNO,
http://www.keelpno.gr/home/)
• The Institute of Child Health (http://www.ich.gr/)
• The Institute for Research in Respiratory Diseases & Occupational Health and
Safety
• The Hellenic Pasteur Institute (http://www.pasteur.gr/205/index.aspx)
• The National Centre for Research, Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus
and its Complications (E.KE.DI., http://www.hndc.gr/info/Main.htm)
3.2. Mixed organizations
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3.3. Universities
There are 22 Universities in Greece, that are self-governed institutions, supervised by the
Ministry of Education. In these Universities, there are 7 Medical Schools, 2 Dental Schools
and 2 Nursing Schools. All these have a department of Public Health, although the
terminology differs (public health, social medicine, hygiene and epidemiology, etc.). The
Technological Educational Institutes (TEI) provide post university education and are also
under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religion, but they
do not have the same degree of autonomy as Universities. There are five Schools of
Nursing, two School of Midwifery and one School of Visiting (community) Nursing.
3.4. Health Services
3.5. Independent organizations
3.5.1. The Biomedical Sciences Research Centre "Alexander Fleming"
(http://www.fleming.gr/en/overview.html)
Although the activities of this institute are mostly in the area of basic biomedical and
clinical research, it may develop activities related to Public Health. It is supervised and
funded by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology.
3.5.2. Biomedical Research Foundation (BRF) of the Academy of Athens
http://www.bioacademy.gr/index.php
Again, most of its research is in the area of biomedical science, but it has a “Center of
Preventive Medicine, Neurosciences, & Social Psychiatry”
4.
Research Strategies
4.1. Strategic Development Plan for Research, Technology and Innovation under the
2007-13 National Strategic Reference Programme
(Avaliable at: http://cordis.europa.eu/erawatch/index.cfm?fuseaction=policy.document&UUID=B42556A2E711-C6B7-E619B5E79CC86BAC&hwd, assessed in June 2010)
This document addresses all relevant issues of the research and innovation policy in
Greece. In terms of technological priorities three key technologies and their convergence
have been targeted. These include Biotechnology, with emphasis on applications for
health, agriculture, health and the environment.
4.2. The only body that has a research strategy is the General Secretariat for Research
and Technology. However, the Secretariat does not have a specific strategy for Public
Health.
5.
Programmes and calls
Calls for proposals by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology have been
very late in coming out. The new administration has proclaimed its intention to update the
strategy and establish regular calls for proposal, but the results are slow in appearing.
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STEPS: Strengthening Engagement in Public Health Research. Country profiles
http://www.steps-ph.eu
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6.
European contacts
6.1.National FP7Contact point (Health area) 1
6.1.1. Eva Kiousi, BIONOVA, http://www.bionova.gr/
6.1.2. Theodore Pananos, BIONOVA
6.2. National DGSANCO Contact point2
6.2.1. Theodoros Papadimitriou, Hellenic Centre for Infectious Diseases Control,
director@keelpno.gr
6.2.2. Chrisoula Botsi, Hellenic Centre for Infectious Diseases Control, botsi@keelpno.gr
6.2.3. Konstantinos Kampourakis, Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity,
k.kampourakis@yyka.gov.gr
1
2
Source: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ncp_en.html, assessed in February 2010
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/health/programme/policy/index_en.htm assessed in February 2010
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STEPS: Strengthening Engagement in Public Health Research. Country profiles
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