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ARISTOTLEUNIVERSITY OFTHESSALONIKI

Enhancing entrepreneurship among university graduates

when the economy is in distressPericles A. Mitkas

RectorAristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)

European ParliamentNovember 9, 2016

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Greece: A Country in Distress

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CREATING JOBS FOR YOUTH IN GREECE

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Some repercussions of 7 years of austeritya. High unemployment rates, especially among

young people.b. Severe divestment in medium and large

companies.c. Dramatic drop in foreign investment and public

spending.d. Deep budget cuts at all levels of education,

especially higher.e. Massive exodus from the country of young

people with a college degree.

Greece: A Country in Distress

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Brain Drain

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No shortage of human capital in Greece

5Pericles A. Mitkas

TOP 5 MISMATCH PRIORITY OCCUPATIONS: SHORTAGES, EU-28

Source:CEDEFOPNov. 2016 ISSN 1831-2411

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Greek Youth

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studentsprofessorsstaffFacultiesSchools

78.6941.846

9651141

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

HELLAS

The oldest E.U. member state in S.E Europe

THE REGION2 continents7 countries7 capitals

THESSALONIKI

The city is a center among centers of decision making

SKOPJESOFIA

ATHENS

ISTANBUL

(CONSTANTINOPLE)TIRANA

BELGRADE BUCHAREST

THESSALONIKI

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The largest university in SE Europe

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The largest Research Institution in Greece

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2010 – 2015 (31/8)Overall Research Funding 238 Μ€

Government33,3 M€ (14%)

NSRF76,6 M€ (32%)

European Union41,0 M€ (17%)

Other Sources34,6 M€ (15%)

Private Sector52,2 M€ (22%)

Current Research Projects

• 2,149 active R&D projects• 750 international collaborations• 1,305 academic & research

personnel• 3,183 external partners• 35.3 M€ total budget

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AMANDA - School of Electrical & Computer Engineering1st Place World Citizenship“2016 Imagine Cup”, Microsoft

PANDORA - School of Electrical & Computer Engineering2nd Place Robocup Rescue 2015 Best of class in autonomy

ARISTURTLE - School of Electrical & Computer Engineering3rd Place Overall Formula Student UK 2015

PROGNOSIS - School of Electrical & Computer Engineering3rd Place World Citizenship“2015 Imagine Cup”, Microsoft

International Distinctions of our studentsAcademic Year 2015-2016

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2016-17: ECE and CS Freshmen at Universities and Technological Institutes in Northern Greece

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Faculties and Schools•Electrical and Computer

Engineering•Applied Technology

•Informatics•Computer Science and Information Technology

2016-2017Universities:

1860 studentsTEI: 1255 students

Information Technologies Institute (www.iti.gr)11

Center for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH)

Founded in 2000, one of the leading research centers in Greece

Includes five institutes:

1. Chemical Process & Energy Resources Institute (CPERI)

2. Information Technologies Institute (ITI)

3. Hellenic Institute of Transport (HIT)

4. Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB)

5. Institute for Research &Technology of Thessaly (IRETETH)

> 700 employees

> 1200 research projects

> 1100 international partners

Annual financing ~ € 25M:

Listed among TOP-20 E.U. institutions with the highest participation in competitive research grants

30% industrial research contracts 60% research projects 10% government institutional funding

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The Triple Helix is gaining momentum

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Thessaloniki Innovation Friendly Destination

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New brand name representing a metropolitan area of 4 Higher Education Institutions, 9 Research Institutions, 150.000 undergraduate students, 20.000 postgraduate students and 4 incubators/accelerators:

• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki• Alexander Technological Educational Institute• Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH)• Municipality of Thessaloniki• Region of Central Macedonia• Thessaloniki Innovation Zone• Technopolis Thessaloniki ICT Business Park• Association of Information Technology Companies of Northern Greece

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OK!Thess An Initiative of the City Actors

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OK!THESS provides a co-working space and support services to teams of people with

innovative ideas, helping them mature towards their integration with the business world

The teams are supported:

to develop a business model to access the market for their ideas

overcoming the so called “death valley”and

to seek seed funding or risk capital.

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• An initiative of the Association of IT Companies in Northern Greece

• Goals To establish the first high technology Business Park in

Greece Strength in numbers Create a grid of modern infrastructure and investment

opportunities• TODAY: 30 companies• €357 million total annual turnover• Profits of €12.5 million• Εxports to more than 25 countries in all continents

Technopolis ClusterIndustry Led Software Development Cluster of Thessaloniki

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Financing Software Development

Partnership in European Projects (FP-7, Horizon 2020)

Venture Capitalists’ Seeding/Funding Schemas

Subcontracts with large European Enterprises

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• Set up a task force (including the Ministry of Education and other ministerial departments: Economy; Employment; Science and Research) to determine how entrepreneurship can be integrated into primary, secondary, and higher education

• Adopt legislation supporting relations between private business and universities, including allowing professors to work part-time with business

• Help develop an accreditation system to validate non-formal learning and practical activities that favourentrepreneurship development

• Establish awards for entrepreneurial universities, teachers and students, and promote positive examples of academic spin-offs.

Public Authorities could/should:

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• Set up a strategy and an action plan for teaching and research in entrepreneurship, embedding practice-based activities, and for new venture start-ups and spin-offs.

• Create an entrepreneurship education department, which would serve as an entrepreneurial hub within the institution and spread the teaching of entrepreneurship across all other departments

• Offer an introduction to entrepreneurship and self-employment to all undergraduate students during their first year. In addition, give all students the opportunity to attend seminars and lectures in this subject.

• Set up incentive systems to motivate and reward faculty staff in supporting students interested in entrepreneurship, and acknowledge the academic value of research and activities in the entrepreneurial field

• Develop clear institutional rules about intellectual property• Award academic credits for practical work on enterprise projects

outside the established courses.

Universities could/should:

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• Business associations could help to get their members more involved in teaching entrepreneurship at educational establishments.

• The European Commission could support programmes to train entrepreneurship teachers on a European scale, and back the creation of networks and cross-border exchange programmesfor educators.

Other agents

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Growing Tech Scene In Thessaloniki

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MAJOR EVENTS in 2016

Apr - TEDx ThessalonikiMai – DEVIT conference

Oct – VOXXED DaysOct – Among the Gods

ACCESS TO TALENTAristotle University:

75,000 studentsA growing pool of

~200,000 college educated young people

More than 18 active communities & groups

CO-WORKING

SPACESFUNDING

INNOVATION a TECHNOLOGY COMPETITION

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A Social Learning Network; an online Corporate Training Academy

World leader on Learning Management Systems

Headquartered in Austin, TX

40 Information Scientists and Engineers

Location: Port area, Thessaloniki

A training platform to help peopleimprove their career

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OPPORTUNITIESNatural-Born Entrepreneurs

Strong Scientific Research OutputHistorically Resourceful

Problem Solving/Analytical SkillsStrong Engineering & Scientific

Skills

NEEDS Mentoring & CoachingGlobal Visibility & NetworkingCommercialization of ResearchTech Sector Business ExperienceDedicated Domestic Resources

RESEARCH MARKET

Bridging the Gap & Unlocking the Potential of the Greek Tech Community

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Researchers

Intellectual property

Contracts and Licensing

Intra-University Research

Networks -Thematic Clusters

Exploitation of research

results

Smart funding

Industry

Dissemination

Events, info-days or

seminars

Technology Transfer Office

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• A2B - Academia to Business Universities Technological Education Institutes Research CentersExhibit their research results to industry for possible uptake

• Research Fair 2017May 2017 in the ThessalonikiInternational Expo

Showcase

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Roadshow

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Product/Service In

formation

“Window to Greece”A Technology and Innovation Event

Thursday October 20th, 2016 5:00-8:00 P.M.

Presented by:the

General Consulate ofGreece in Boston

and theMassachusetts Office

for International Trade and Investment

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The Power of the Greek Diaspora

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Fact:• University professors and researchers are mainly

interested in and evaluated on publications and research funding. H-index rules!

Antidote:• Establish a transitive ‘entrepreneurship’ index to

measure entrepreneurial activity and productivity (patents, spin-offs, products, etc)

• Use this index, in addition to others, to evaluate professors and researchers.

Unleashing the power of researchers

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ARISTOTLEUNIVERSITY OFTHESSALONIKI

Thank youPericles A. Mitkas

Email: rector@auth.grUrl: www.auth.gr

2016:Aristotle Year by UNESCOCelebrating 2400 years since the birth of the Great Philosopher