Agricultural University of Athens
The Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) is the third oldest University in Greece. It was established in 1920, with the vision to co-create and support the development of the agrofood sector in Greece. Today, AUA’s vision is to achieve educational and research excellence in order to occupy a dynamic position in the international academic environment and to respond to the productive and development needs of the Greek economy and society.
AUA offers high level undergraduate and graduate education and pursues research in Agricultural Sciences, addressing a wide range of basic and emerging issues in crop and animal sciences, aquaculture, biotechnology, agricultural engineering, resource management, food science and nutrition, environmental ecology and agricultural economics. In continuous contact with stakeholders, the AUA academic community provides solutions to problems that arise within the agrofood sector.
American Farm School
The American Farm School of Thessaloniki, Greece, is an independent, nonprofit educational institution founded in 1904 to serve the needs of Greece and the surrounding Balkan areas.
Today, AFS and the Perrotis College of Agriculture, Environment and Life Sciences cover the whole agrofood value chain with programs that range from secondary education to postgraduate studies. The School has a strong tradition in Adult Education and Extension Services. Large projects that require cross-departmental mobilization of resources are designed and implement by the Strategic Project Management Office.
The existence of the vertically integrated Educational Farm, and the Center for Agricultural Innovation & Entrepreneurship, as well as its positioning in a national network of collaborating institutions, makes AFS an ideal “Innovation Facilitator”, specialized in bringing cutting edge scientific know-how to real economy stakeholders.
Funding Partner
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is one of the world’s leading private international philanthropic organizations, making grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare. The Foundation funds organizations and projects that are expected to achieve a broad, lasting and positive impact for society at large, focusing on vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, and also exhibit strong leadership and sound management. The Foundation also seeks actively to support projects that facilitate the formation of public-private partnerships as an effective means for serving public welfare.
2016 marks the twentieth year of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s global philanthropic activity. Since 1996, the SNF has made grant commitments of $1.8 billion / €1.5 billion, through 3,534 grants to nonprofit organizations in 111 nations around the world.
Beginning in 2012, in addition to its standard grant-making activities, the Foundation embarked on a $378mil (€300 mil) grant initiative in an effort to help address the severe effects of the deepening crisis in Greece. On one hand the initiative aims to provide immediate relief support to the most vulnerable members of the Greek society. In addition, as part of the initiative, grants will be provided towards addressing the high percentage of youth unemployment, seeking to create better employment prospects and new opportunities for the young.
