The National Observatory of Athens (NOA) and the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence (Eratosthenes CoE), based in Limassol, Cyprus, signed on Wednesday in Athens a Memorandum of Understanding.
A press release by Eratosthenes CoE says that this agreement serves as the natural culmination of a long-standing and successful collaboration within the framework of the European EXCELSIOR H2020 Teaming Project, in which NOA has actively participated as a strategic partner from Greece through the BEYOND Operational Unit of the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS).
The objective of this new phase is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project’s outcomes and to transition from capacity building towards the co-design, co-development, and co-exploitation of advanced scientific and applied solutions, it adds.
The main pillars of the cooperation include Scientific and Technical Cooperation, Co-design and Co-development, Infrastructure and Data Synergies, Capacity Building and Mobility and Joint Participation in Funded Activities.
The MoU was co-signed by the Director and President of the Board of Directors of NOA, Dr. Spyridon Vasilakos, and the Managing Director of the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence, Prof. Diofantos Hadjimitsis.
Following the signing ceremony, the President of NOA, Dr. Spyridon Vasilakos, stated that “today’s agreement solidifies a strategic bridge of scientific excellence between Greece and Cyprus. By joining forces with the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence, we strengthen the Eastern Mediterranean’s resilience against the climate crisis and lead the way in developing cutting-edge space applications.”
Prof. Diofantos Hadjimitsis said on his part that “this MoU provides the launchpad for our multi-year collaboration with the National Observatory of Athens and the BEYOND Unit to evolve into a long-term, autonomous alliance generating applied knowledge with a global impact.”
