Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos on Friday underlined the crucial services provided to the country by the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), while visiting for a ceremony to take delivery of a new building acquired by the NOA.
“This new building will house the operational and research units and laboratories of the three institutes of the Observatory, which develop innovative services and tools for the prevention and management of natural and human-caused disasters,” Theodorikakos noted. “The new central NOA-AEGIS infrastructure aims to carry out ground-breaking research and provide innovative services and tools related to safety, protection and resilience against risks,” he added.
Also at the ceremony were Deputy Development Minister for Research and Innovation Zoi Rapti and General Secretary for Research and Innovation Tassos Gaitanis. The total cost of the project came to 66 million euros, of which 45.6 million euros came from the Recovery Fund and the remainder from the European Investment Bank and the Public Investments Programme.
According to the development minister, the new premises will promote scientific excellence, pioneering research and qualitative development, making the NOA and its researchers more competitive on a global level, not just in original research but also in technological advances and innovation in the production of tools and services relating to security, risk assessment and the protection of infrastructure and the public from both human-caused and natural disasters.
“The NOA already plays a leading national role in providing the state and society with crucial information, services and tools linked to natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity, tsunamis, floods, forest fires, pollution, desert dust) and human caused disasters (industrial accidents, mining activity etc), as well as dangers from space (geomagnetic storms, space debris etc),” he pointed out.
Theodorikakos concluded by conveying the prime minister’s “particular and special interest” in the NOA and expressed his conviction that 2025 will be a landmark year in its history.
The new building is situated in Metamorfosi, Attica and has an area of 1,300 square metres, within an additional 500 square metres of grounds. It will house operational and research units and laboratories of the Geodynamic Institute, the Institute of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Telescopy, as well as the Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, engaged in the ‘battle’ against natural and human-caused disasters, in the framework of the new NOA-AEGIS research infrastructure.
NOA-AEGIS will develop infrastructure for safety, protection and resilience to disasters, among others through upgraded scientific services and bodies and the acquisition of a super-computer able to process vast quantities of data. This will use the existing network of data collection infrastructure in Greece, as well as collaboration with national, regional and international organisations.
