Spin - offs

FORTH has developed a unique expertise and participates in developing start-up / spin-off companies and joint ventures with industrial partners. Characteristic activities include FORTHnet, FORTH Photonics, The Science and Technology Park of Crete (STEP-C), the Innovation Relay Centre HELP – FORWARD (PRAXI).

• FORTHnet SA
  FORTHnet SA is a spin-off company of the Institute of Computer Science of FORTH established in 1995. FORTHnet SA was listed on the main market of the Athens Stock Exchange in the year 2000. FORTHnet is one of the most dynamically developing Greek companies in the Telecommunications and Internet sector.
  
  FORTHnet was the first company to introduce the Internet in Greece and currently has a large portfolio of Internet services. Also, FORTHnet was the first company to offer customers the possibility to choose telecommunications provider by offering a complete fixed telephony services package known as FORTHnet Telephony.

• FORTH-Photonics
  FORTH-Photonics (FP) was established in late 2002 as a spin-off from the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), Greece. FORTH-Photonics is a medical technology company active in the fields of Biophotonics and Spectral Imaging and its developments are based on the pioneering research work of Prof. Costas Balas. The FORTH Photonics group comprises two companies: FORTH Photonics Ltd (FP Ltd), the holding company, registered in London, UK, and FORTH Photonics Hellas SA (FPH SA) based in Athens, Greece.
  

• StepC
  The managing company of the Science and Technology Park – Crete, StepC (EDAP SA) was established in 1993 by FORTH, mainly focusing on three objectives: (a) to provide the significant research activities of the Foundation’s Institutes with a reliable interface to the outside world, (b) to assume a significant and specific role in the development of the region, and (c) enable companies-members of STEP-C to exploit the technology opportunities offered by the Research Institutes and become key vehicles in the technology transfer process.

• HELP – FORWARD (PRAXI)
  HELP-FORWARD Network (Hellenic Project for Wider Application of R&D - PRAXI in Greek) was created to provide a bridge between Research and Industry in Greece. Since 1991 HELP-FORWARD offers Technology Transfer brokerage services to Greek companies and Research Institutions and provides information, mediation and advisory services to all stages of Technology Transfer and Exploitation of Research Results. HELP-FORWARD operates as a non-profit organisation under the auspices of the Federation of Greek Industries (FGI), the Federation of Industries of Northern Greece (FING) and the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH). Since 1995 is one of 68 Innovation Relay Centres of the European Union.