Investing in young people

Since our Foundation’s inception, we have supported the University of Athens through grants aiming to empower as many young people in the country as possible in gaining equal access to quality education, each grant a testament to our belief in their potential.

Our first grant to the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens dates back to 1997, and our support since then, totaling over €16 million, has covered a wide range of areas and departments, from the sciences and humanities to the health sciences. Our support actively continues today through our Global Health Initiative (GHI), the Foundation’s largest-ever initiative, which seeks to increase access to quality health care for all while empowering frontline health care professionals.

Our support over the years has been multidimensional. Apart from supporting NKUA’s directly educational work, we have also supported renovation and equipment projects, as well as mental health programs. The benefits of many of these grants extend far the faculty, staff, and students at the University of Athens to the general public.

Our grants to NKUA cover a wide range of educational and research efforts. Examples include grants to support 19 research fellowships for doctoral candidates at NKUA Centers of Excellence in the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Pharmacy as part of our long-term Recharging the Youth grant initiative during the socioeconomic crisis in Greece, as well as the implementation of educational programs in the nursing schools at NKUA as part of our GHI. We have also supported research into pediatric diseases as well as the identification of best practices in treatment with the establishment of a Clinical Epidemiology and Outcomes Research Center through a collaboration, under the auspices of NKUA, between the pediatric clinics at Agia Sofia and Panagiotis & Aglaia Kyriakou Hospitals. Another program we supported aimed to promote democratic culture and values at schools in Greece through nationwide teacher training and the development of social education modules for curricular use at NKUA.

Well over a dozen grants have supported infrastructure and equipment projects. One early grant supported renovations, equipment, and maintenance for the Kostis Palamas building, a historical structure which serves as a multipurpose space for lectures and exhibitions, as well as the purchase of equipment for the new NKUA Law School library. At the same time, we have made grants supporting the purchase of medical equipment at NKUA University Hospitals, such as for the Neurology Clinic at Eginition Hospital, as well as the purchase of C-arm diagnostic equipment and a specialized lighting system for the operating room at Attikon General University Hospital. Moreover, we have supported important student initiatives, including through the purchase of equipment for the Aimopetalio Voluntary Blood Donation student group at NKUA.

Fostering sector-wide transformation in how mental health care is delivered and strengthening the infrastructure for prevention, assessment, and treatment is one of the main pillars of our overall grantmaking, but also specifically in our collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. We have supported the implementation of a pilot program using innovative new therapeutic models to treat eating disorders in adolescents and young adults while producing informational and educational materials and organizing open discussions. Youth mental health remains at the heart of our work, and our ongoing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Initiative includes the establishment of a Referral Network with hubs in Alexandroupoli, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Crete, and Athens, this last operating within the framework of the Pediatric Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Athens at Agia Sofia Children’s Hospital. At the same time, we have supported the University of Athens Aeginitio Hospital Psychiatric Clinic in expanding its tele-psychogeriatric unit program to reach more people around Greece while promoting non-pharmaceutical treatments, educating generalist physicians in treating depression and dementia, and conducting research into telepsychiatry.

We remain committed to encouraging young people to develop their potential, and our support for the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens reflects our unshakable belief in that potential. Together, we will continue to contribute to a brighter future for all, always focusing on empowering each and every human being.