The University of Crete warmly congratulates the coordinator of the SPACE-Crete proposal, Panagiotis Tsakalides, Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Director of the Institute of Computer Science of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), and former Rector of the University, as well as the President of FORTH, Professor Vassilis Charmandaris, UoC Department of Physics, along with all members of the project team, which includes several faculty members of the University, for their significant achievement in the highly competitive European call HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-ACCESS-01-01: Team­ing for Excellence, aimed at establishing the Crete Center of Excellence in Emerging Space Technologies.

With a focus on space communications, space surveillance and tracking, and Earth observation, the new Center aspires to develop a fully integrated space ecosystem. It will comprehensively cover the full spectrum of innovation and education in space technologies: from fundamental research and the training of young scientists, to the utilization of flagship infrastructures such as the Skinakas Observatory, a major shared facility of the University of Crete and FORTH, as well as the creation of new facilities certified by the European Space Agency.

The presence in Crete of leading research structures, including the Institutes of Computer Science, Astrophysics, and Electronic Structure and Laser at FORTH, as well as the newly established Institute of Astrobiology of the University of Crete’s University Research Center for Innovation and Research, together with their synergies with leading European organizations, consolidates our position as a dynamic international hub for research and innovation in space science.

The Rector of the University of Crete