Greek Community of Alexandria

Category: ECONOMY

News about economy

  • Crete becomes the Silicon-Island of high technology R&D

    Crete becomes the Silicon-Island of high technology R&D

    ΓενικάOn the 30th of June 2016, KALEAO Ltd, a high-tech start-up company based in Cambridge, UK, inaugurated their new development centre within the FORTH – Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas research centre in Crete.

    FORTH (in Greek: ITE) is one of the largest research centers in Greece with modern facilities, highly qualified personnel, and a reputation as a top-level research foundation worldwide. KALEAO helps FORTH to grow as a key European research centre and attraction pole for high-tech corporate development. KALEAO designs and manufactures advanced computer systems and delivers solutions based on its innovative approach to web-scale computing.  Last week, KALEAO unveiled KMAX, their new commercial product, offering a true converged rack mountable hardware platform and software computing appliance.

    The inauguration officially sealed the FORTH – KALEAO collaboration towards a joint research lab on low power computing and shows a clear indication of the growing international high-tech involvement in Crete, Greece. FORTH started collaborating with the founders of KALEAO in EuroServer, a research project part of the EU’s FP7 programme.   FORTH, as a partner of the project, designed various hardware prototypes of key importance for the project, including significant operating system software components.

    Professor Constantine Stephanidis, Director of FORTH’s Institute of Computer Science (ICS-FORTH), stated: “At ICS-FORTH, we strongly believe that one of the key factors for the future growth of the Greek economy is innovation in the high technology sectors and we have been working diligently for more than three decades for the advancement of science and technology in the ICT field, placing equal emphasis in basic and applied research, and aiming to bring the research results into the real economy of Greece – and Europe.  FORTH plays a central role in the science and technology ecosystem of Crete. The island is the home of several academic and research institutions of the highest international standing, and is the host of high-tech developments that are based on three pillars: outstanding academic performance, capacity for excellent research, and propensity for industrial innovation.  ICS-FORTH has always been working within the boundaries of this triangle, and I am personally very proud, as its Director, for the outcome of our unwithering contributions and active support in establishing, at international level, licensing agreements with industry, the transfer to industry of the intellectual property rights – thus monetizing research results, and the startup of a number of high tech companies that have their research and engineering basis operating in Crete – with this latest and most prominent addition of KALEAO. Our systematic approach in this direction has created several visible positive effects on the local Research and Technological Development ecosystem and is also contributing towards preventing, and ultimately reversing, the ‘brain drain’ trend in our field”.

    To the declaration of FORTH, Professor John Goodacre, co-founder and CSO of KALEAO, added: “We are very happy with our development centre in Crete and with our collaboration with FORTH, since these yielded the design of key components of our flagship solution KMAX.  With the increasing research agenda of the Computer Architecture and VLSI Systems (CARV) Laboratory at FORTH and the new KALEAO development centre in the Science and Technology Park of Crete (STEP-C), we expect to see an increasing collaboration between FORTH and industry, collaboration that creates new exciting academic and job opportunities in silicon high-technology in this beautiful Greek island – The new “Silicon-Island’’.

    (www.greeknewsagenda.gr)

  • Egypt Government Approves Five Oil And Gas Exploration Deals

    Egypt Government Approves Five Oil And Gas Exploration Deals

    ΑίγυπτοςEgypt’s government has approved five oil and gas drilling and exploration agreements with foreign companies, Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla said on Wednesday.

    Once an energy exporter, Egypt has turned into a net importer because of declining oil and gas production and increasing consumption. It is trying to speed up production at recent discoveries to fill its energy gap as soon as possible.

    Four of the deals are offshore Mediterranean gas exploration and drilling agreements between Egypt’s state gas board EGAS and BP, Eni, Total, and Edison.

    The fifth deal, which is an oil drilling deal in the Gulf of Suez, is between state petroleum board EGPC and local company Trident Petroleum.

    Egypt currently produces about 3.9 billion cubic feet of gas per day and imports another 1-1.1 billion cubic feet per day.

    (www.rigzone.com)

  • Greece is the fourth largest European investor in Egypt: Greek ambassador

    Greece is the fourth largest European investor in Egypt: Greek ambassador

    Ε.Κ.Α.Greek ambassador to Egypt Christodoulos Lazaris is ending his mission to Egypt after serving a six-year term.

    Lazaris has contributed greatly to the development of Greek entrepreneurship and commercial bilateral relations between the two countries and worked vigorously to achieve the historic tripartite summits between Greece, Egypt, and Cyprus.

    He also worked closely with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa and with the Greek communities of both Alexandria and Cairo.

    On this occasion, the Greek Community Club and the Greek Community of Alexandria hosted a farewell cocktail and dinner in honour of the ambassador, where the president of the Greek Community of Alexandria, John Papadopoulos, as the host of the event honoured the ambassador with the commemorative silver plate of the Greek Community of Alexandria.

    The event was attended by significant figures, including the pope and patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, his Beatitude Theodoros II, the consuls of Russia, France, and Sudan, representatives of the Consulate of Palestine, representatives of the Bibliotheca Alexandria, and the Alexandria Opera House, and the presidents and representatives of the Greek associations of Alexandria and Cairo.

    To learn more about the bilateral relations between Egypt and Greece during his mission to Egypt, Daily News Egypt sat down with the ambassador. 

    What is your opinion about this event taking place here in Alexandria?

    Greece has a very strong presence in Alexandria and the Greek community here is very active. Also, we have strong ties with the Bibliotheca Alexandria.

    As your time in Egypt is coming to an end, how would you explain Egyptian-Greek relations?

    Greece is usually the voice of Egypt in the European Union. To some extent we have managed to fix the false image that exists about Egypt and have prevented the spread of such an image.    

    Both countries are very close economically and politically. We cooperate together in security issues. Egypt and Greece share the same view on fighting terrorism and have similar models when it comes to foreign and defence policies.

    We have cooperated with Egypt on a number of issues related to the crises in Syria and Libya, immigration, and refugees.

    Keep in mind that both countries are close geographically, making Alexandria a very important centre. This fact encourages and enhances our cooperation together, especially in regards to naval activities. For example, in the recent EgyptAir aeroplane crash, the first ships to arrive were Greek. They were sailing back to Greece from the Alexandria port, so, when needed, they sailed back to Egypt.

    In general, we are talking about a trilateral cooperation as it involves not only Egypt and Greece, but also Cyprus.

    How about the economic ties between Egypt and Greece? 

    Greece is the fourth largest European investor in Egypt. We have around 208 companies in Egypt.

    Our sixth trading partner worldwide is Egypt, and I think that we are going to improve this position this year.

    We are also among the first 10 trading partners for Egypt.

    Can you tell us about cultural bilateral relations?

    Over the past six years, we have been concentrating more on business relations. Yet, Greece maintains a strong cultural presence in Egypt, especially in Alexandria.

    Greek cultural centres are very active in Egypt, particularly the Greek language schools, which have a very high enrolment.

    The Greek Community of Alexandria is one of the major cultural institutions in the city.

    We are keen to have at least one cultural event per month in Egypt. But, of course, there are usually more.

    After ending your duty as the Greek ambassador to Egypt, what is the next country you will serve in?

    I will serve in Spain, which I consider a soft landing. I wished to serve more time in Egypt, but I have already been here for six years.

    (www.dailynewsegypt.com)

  • Egypt Government Approves Five Oil And Gas Exploration Deals

    Egypt Government Approves Five Oil And Gas Exploration Deals

    ΕνέργειαEgypt’s government has approved five oil and gas drilling and exploration agreements with foreign companies, Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla said on Wednesday.

    Once an energy exporter, Egypt has turned into a net importer because of declining oil and gas production and increasing consumption. It is trying to speed up production at recent discoveries to fill its energy gap as soon as possible.

    Four of the deals are offshore Mediterranean gas exploration and drilling agreements between Egypt’s state gas board EGAS and BP, Eni, Total, and Edison.

    The fifth deal, which is an oil drilling deal in the Gulf of Suez, is between state petroleum board EGPC and local company Trident Petroleum.

    Egypt currently produces about 3.9 billion cubic feet of gas per day and imports another 1-1.1 billion cubic feet per day.

    (www.rigzone.com)