Nektarios Tavernarakis, Professor of the Medical School of the University of Crete and Chair of the Foundation for Research and Technology- Hellas (FORTH), was unanimously elected President of the European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC), for a four-year term starting in January 2025. He is the first Greek to hold this position, having been the country’s scientific representative at the EMBC since 2022. In this capacity, he contributed to Greece joining, in 2023, the Installation Grants program of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), which provides funding for young scientists, who wish to settle in the country.

Prof. Vassilis Charmandaris, Director of the Institute of Astrophysics at the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas and at the Skinakas Observatory, and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Crete, was unanimously elected on Sunday, 26-1-2025, Director of the Central Administration and President of FORTH, by a 7-member Evaluation Committee consisted of highly recognized Greek and foreign scientists, headed by Prof. Elisa Konofagou (Columbia University).
His official appointment is expected in the next few weeks.

Mr. Vassilis Charmandaris, Professor of Astrophysics at the Dep. of Physics of the University of Crete and Director of the Institute of Astrophysics-FORTH and the Skinakas Observatory has been selected as a member of the Space Science Advisory Committee of the European Space Agency (ESA) for a period of three years starting on January 2025.

Prof. Charmandaris is the first Greek scientist to have ever been appointed to this advisory body.

The new research project ResTick, aiming to study and address ticks as vectors of pathogens that pose a threat to public health and livestock, will be implemented by the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), with a budget of 6 million euros, funded by the European Commission.

The Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas in Greece (IMBB-FORTH) announced the initiation of a three-year research project to be carried out at IMBB-FORTH, funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The project aims to develop innovative insecticides for the control of malaria mosquitoes and will be carried out by John Vontas, Director of IMBB-FORTH and Professor at the Agricultural University of Athens, and his team.

Prof. Athanasios Nenes, Affiliated Researcher at ICEHT/FORTH and Professor of Atmospheric Processes at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, has been invited as an expert for the Scoping meeting of the 7th Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that will define the chapters and the content of this critical assessment. Nenes is one of the 230 experts to participate in this event (that takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 9-13 December) whο altogether cover all activities of the report that will be put together over the next 5 years. Nenes will be acting as an expert in Working Group I: The Physical Science Basis, which examines the physical science underpinning past, present, and future climate change.

Τhe Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee (GEAD) of FORTH is organizing an event entitled "Women Researchers in Positions of Responsibility". The event will take place on Monday, December 9 at 11:00-14:00 in the "Georgios Lianis" Auditorium, Central Building of FORTH, in Heraklion.

A new Center of Excellence (DxHub) for the promotion of innovative solutions for the detection of infectious diseases will start at the Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH), from January 1, 2025, under the coordination of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB-FORTH).

Mr. Panagiotis Deloukas, Professor of Cardiovascular Genomics and Director of the William Harvey Research Institute at the Queen Mary University London, was unanimously elected Director of the Greek Institute of Human Genomics (GIHG), on June 4, 2024.

The Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas - Institute of Computer Science achieved again great distinctions at the Healthcare Business Awards 2024, the institution that highlights and awards best practices and innovative actions across the spectrum of Healthcare.For its overall performance, the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas – Institute of Computer Science received the "Top Research Center" prize.