The special position that Attica can occupy on the new European map of innovation and entrepreneurship was highlighted by the Governor of Attica Nikos Hardalias, declaring the opening of Clusters Meet Regions 2026, a European institution being held in Greece for the first time, co-organized with the Region of Attica.
Welcoming the participants, Mr. Hardalias initially referred to the major challenge Europe is facing today in strengthening its position vis-à-vis the other international superpowers.
“Strengthening competitiveness and closing Europe’s gap compared to the US and China, with regard to Innovation, are today dominant issues on the European Economic and Social Agenda,” he noted, stressing that the response requires “partnerships and synergies,” as well as “a clear vision, a plan and above all honesty toward European citizens.”
In this context, the Governor emphasized the need for more public and private investments in cutting-edge technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, as well as for a substantial redirection of resources toward innovation.
He also referred indicatively to the field of European defense, also due to his previous term as Deputy Minister of National Defence, noting that the development of collaborative formations can strengthen European added value and reduce dependence on third-party suppliers.
Mr. Hardalias’s speech focused on Attica’s potential in these sectors, as he described the Region as the country’s largest economic and innovation hub.
As he stressed, Attica concentrates the largest part of Greece’s research capacity, with a strong presence of universities, research centers, innovative and start-up businesses, and knowledge-intensive activities.
At the same time, as he underlined, it has significant comparative advantages in digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence, in health and life sciences, in cutting-edge technologies, in shipping and supply chains, in culture and the creative economy, as well as in emerging technological sectors with a strong industrial footprint.
“Our main challenge is to connect them more effectively and transform knowledge, research and entrepreneurial momentum into products, services, investments, quality jobs and businesses that can grow and stand out in European and international markets,” Mr. Hardalias underlined.
Concluding his speech, the Governor linked this pursuit with the Smart Specialisation Strategy and the operation of the Innovation Center of the Region of Attica, setting as a central goal the creation of a comprehensive development framework.
“Our goal is to build an innovation ecosystem, based on the meaningful cooperation of the public sector, the academic and research community, businesses and civil society,” Mr. Hardalias stressed, pointing out the need to promote investments in fields where Attica can acquire a real and sustainable competitive advantage.
Stavros Kalafatis: “Clusters Meet Regions, a springboard for extroversion for the Greek Regions
“Sustainable development based on innovation is not an academic exercise. It is the social policy with the greatest substantive impact in our time,” underlined in his greeting the Deputy Minister of Development, responsible for Research and Innovation, Stavros Kalafatis, and added:
“It creates high-value jobs, resilient to crises, offers substantial prospects to our scientific workforce and turns the flight of scientists into a permanent attraction of scientific talent. It provides real solutions to specific problems. With an eye to the future, it strengthens competitiveness and creates new wealth for the benefit of society as a whole.”
Mr. Kalafatis described the event as a springboard for the outward orientation of the Greek Regions, at a historic juncture during which, as he said, “research and innovation have ceased to be theoretical concepts. They constitute fundamental pillars of our national and European strength, competitiveness and social cohesion.”
Anna Athanasopoulou: “More than half of the Greek clusters are active in Attica”
The representative of the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), Anna Athanasopoulou, stressed in her greeting that of the 22 registered clusters in Greece, more than half are active in Attica “in sectors that matter both to the Greek and the European economy.”
Ms. Athanasopoulou congratulated the Governor for hosting the event in Athens, while underlining that Europe’s competitiveness depends on the creation of suitable development ecosystems in every corner of it.
“We need to bring start-ups, large companies, public authorities, private investors, universities and research and innovation centers closer together. That is why effective policies are turning to more sustained efforts to create industrial ecosystems and integrated value chains,” she said characteristically.
The European Clusters Meet Regions event in Athens for the first time
Clusters Meet Regions is taking place on 6 and 7 October at the Athens Conservatoire and brings to Greece for the first time a European institution whose main goal is to strengthen the connection of regional ecosystems with collaborative formations and to turn cooperation into a lever for innovation, development and productive transformation.
The event is an initiative of the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (European Cluster Collaboration Platform – ECCP), on behalf of the European Commission, and is being implemented in Athens in cooperation with the Region of Attica, the Innovation Center and the Regional Development Fund of Attica.
Representatives of European and national institutions, regional authorities, collaborative formations, small and medium-sized and start-up businesses, research organizations, investors and actors of the innovation ecosystem are participating in the event’s proceedings.
The two-day program of Clusters Meet Regions 2026 includes discussions on Attica’s innovation ecosystem, the role of collaborative formations (clusters) in strengthening regional competitiveness and the transformation of research into products and services with commercial prospects.
In addition to the Deputy Minister of Development, responsible for Research and Innovation, Stavros Kalafatis, and the Director for Simplification and Networks of the European Commission’s DG GROW, Anna Athanasopoulou, the speakers on the first day include the Secretary General for Research and Innovation, Dimitris Terzis, the Deputy Regional Governor for Entrepreneurship and European Programming, Alexandra Palli, and the coordinator of the Innovation Center of the Region of Attica, Petros Podaras. At the same time, cluster presentations from Greece and Europe and targeted networking meetings between businesses, research organizations and public bodies are taking place.
The second day focuses on thematic workshops on digital technologies, artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technologies, health and life sciences, as well as the financing and internationalization of innovation ecosystems, while it includes an exchange of experiences of interregional cooperation with representatives from Crete, Central Greece, Flanders and Île-de-France.
Hosting the event in Athens offers the Region of Attica the opportunity not only to participate in the European dialogue, but also to present its own development and innovation ecosystem as a field for new collaborations, investments and international partnerships.