FORTH’s Friends Association held its first event of the year, within the framework of its established cultural and scientific activities, entitled "Biotechnology in a Critical Era."

The event took place on Friday, April 25, 2025, at 8:00 p.m., at the Heraklion Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Highlights of the evening included:

A welcome address by Professor Vassilis Charmandaris, President of FORTH.

The ceremony commenced with the declaration of Mr. Titos Patrikios, one of Greece’s foremost poets, writers, and intellectuals of the post-war generation, as an honorary member of the Association and was followed by a speech titled: "Biotechnology in the Fight Against Insects for the Protection of Public Health and Crops in the Era of Climate Change", by Professor Ioannis Vontas, Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB-FORTH).

The 3000€ prize of the Heraklion Chamber was awarded to Nikolaos Smartzis, Postdoctoral researcher jointly affiliated with the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and the Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (FORTH/ICE-HT).

The event was moderated by Katerina Zografistou.

Admission was free and open to the public.