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Launching of "ELEVATE GREECE Platform by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in the presence of Minister of Development & Investments Adonis Georgiadis, Deputy Ministers Christos Dimas and Giannis Tsakiris and General Secretary for Research & Technology Athanasios Kyriazis

Date:
26/10/2020
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in the presence of Minister of Development & Investments Adonis Georgiadis, Deputy Ministers Christos Dimas and Giannis Tsakiris and General Secretary for Research & Technology Athanasios Kyriazis inaugurated the “Elevate Greece” Startup Platform on October 13th, 2020.
 
This new Platform was designed to become the “digital gateway” where interested startups will register in order to be officially accredited by Greek authorities, provided that they meet the following two key criteria:
a) (innovation)
b) scalability.
 
Speeches
 
In their speeches, the Minister of Development & Investments, the Deputy Ministers and the Secretary-General made the following remarks:
 
Adonis Georgiadis:
“When we received the mandate from the Prime Minister to head the Ministry of Development & Investments and it was decided to move the General Secretariat for Research & Technology (GSRT) to our Ministry, some people may not have grasped the importance of this initiative at the time. Now, more than a year later, even the most skeptical among them must be convinced that it was a sound decision made in the public interest.
 
People would come by our office and say: ‘We are startups, we are innovation companies’. Actually, no one really knew which ones were truly startups and which were not. Mr. Dimas took the initiative for this project, and I thank him very much for that. Mr. Tsakiris helped secure European funds to make all this happen and Mr. Dimas was in charge of developing this platform that will serve as the online portal in which all innovation and research startups can register. Based on this registry, the government will be able to pursue a consistent policy and exploit the true competitive advantage of Greece: our brilliant minds. These are both the scientists and engineers who have stayed in Greece and who deserve to be offered high-quality employment, and those who decided to leave and whom we must lure back to Greece. All of this is the fruit of hard work.
 
And today will be a historic day because many companies - companies that we know nothing of today but of which we may speak with admiration in the future -, will have started out through this platform, through ELEVATE GREECE, by receiving the state support they need, support which we have a duty to provide”.
 
Christos Dimas:
“Until now, Greek authorities did not know how many startups there are in Greece, in which sectors they operate, how many people they employ or what is their turnover. ELEVATE GREECE is a much needed tool for the government in order to provide targeted support to startups through tailored incentives and benefits. I would like to personally thank the Official Partners of ELEVATE GREECE for their crucial contribution to bringing this project to fruition. Good luck!”
 
Giannis Tsakiris:
“ELEVATE GREECE is expected to significantly strengthen the Greek startup and innovation ecosystem. New financial instruments, such as the Business Angels Co-Investment Fund, the Grants to Equity programme –the details of which are to be finalized within the next few days in cooperation with the Hellenic Development Bank–, as well as the Technology Transfer Funds soon to follow. In order to meet the increased liquidity needs created by the pandemic, startups will very soon obtain a new soft financing product or, alternatively, a refundable aid programme, financing up to 50% of their annual salary costs, with a maximum amount of 100,000 Euros. Through allocation of more than 120 million Euros from NSFR funds (EPAnEK), we expect to support more than 1,200 startup companies across Greece. This call, in collaboration with the Hellenic Development Bank, should be launched by November 2020”.
 
Athanasios Kyriazis:
“This day marks the introduction of a novel productive model for Greece, driven by research, development and innovation. The GSRT is proud to promote and boost startup entrepreneurship with the creation of the National Startup Registry of ELEVATE GREECE.
 
We are launching this project with the ultimate goal of bringing together and mapping the Greek startup innovation ecosystem, providing support and networking opportunities to companies by offering incentives and facilitators, attracting investment funds and specialized scientific personnel, as well as monitoring the progress of startup companies and obtaining useful metrics. Once more, the GSRT is recognized as a key player in the field of research and innovation”.
 
Eligibility prerequisites & Deadlines
 
Interested startups may apply at elevategreece.gov.gr following the simple steps indicated. Specifically for 2020, registration will be open until the end of the year. From 2021 and onwards, applications are to be submitted in three cycles: January 1st March 30th, May 1st to July 30th and September 1st to November 30th.
 
In order to be eligible for registering with the “Elevate Greece” Registry, startups must meet the following prerequisites:
Legal form: PC, LLC or SA (single-person PCs and LLC not eligible)
They do not exceed 8 years of full operation since their establishment.
They employ fewer than 250 employees Full Time Equivalent during last year of operation.
Their annual turnover should not exceed the amount of 50 million Euros during last fiscal year.
 
Related files
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