Speaking at the 18th Annual Capital Link Invest in Greece Forum in New York, on Monday, December 12, 2016, the Minister of Economy and Development, Dimitri Papadimitriou, referred to the progress made in the Greek economy, in terms of industrial production, exports, tourism and infrastructures. He also underlined that Greece provides a prime investment opportunity for tourism, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), real estate, food and agriculture, life sciences, logistics and transports. The Forum is an annual event that aspires to raise awareness about Greece as an investment destination.
In the field of high-tech industry, serious efforts have been made in order to establish Greece as a cradle of innovation and a dynamic partner within the global high-tech market. ICT is largely characterized by an intensive export orientation and the design of innovative products worldwide. The Internet of Things (IoT) is already transforming companies, industries and everyday life, opening up a new era for Greece in terms of economic growth and competitiveness.
Greece seems to navigate this sea of opportunities, with remarkable results, as shown during the “IoT Solutions World Congress” which took place in Barcelona (25 – 28 October) with more than 8,000 participants, 160 exhibitors and 200 speakers on the future of this strongly rising industry. Among them, 9 Greek tech companies-exhibitors explained, discussed, inspired and exchanged knowledge on the impact of IoT in many different areas. The Greek pavilion, with the message “Greece & IoT: a Sea of Opportunities”, promoted the activities of Greek enterprises in the IoT industry and the innovative product and services developed in the country.
The Hellenic representation was supported by mi-cluster, the Greek Silver-Labeled Cluster in micro-electronics and the Internet of Things/Everything and Enterprise Greece, with the support of Corallia and the Hellenic Semiconductor Industry Association. The Greek delegation included the companies: Centaur Technologies, Emfasis Telematics, European Sensor Systems (ESS), Meazon, Prisma Electronics, Think Silicon,Telesto Technologies, Wubby and Yodiwo. The nine companies are rising stars in the realm of this strongly growing industry, giving solutions and receiving awards, connecting smart sensors and intelligent devices that spring up everywhere, reshaping the living and professional environment. For example, northern Greece-based technology firm Prisma Electronics was awarded the Technical Achievement Award by Lloyd’s List in 2015 for its patented LAROS remote condition monitoring system. LAROS is an open architecture platform for enabling wireless data collection that allow the promotion of all actions a maritime enterprise should take, in order to establish an effective information driven decision management model, reducing operational expenditure and achieving proven environmental compliance.
Government plans to advance access to digital technologies
Speaking at the “Internet of Things-Identifying business opportunities” conference (November 25th), organized by the Greek daily Naftemporiki, Valia Kaimaki, special advisor at the newly created Ministry of Digital Policy, Telecommunications and Information, announced government plans to invest 400€ million to promote and proliferate access to digital technologies. Kaimaki noted that according to the Digital Economy and Society Index, Greece ranks 26th in the EU.
Read more ‘Synaisthisi’: a Tech Bridge to ‘Internet of Things’
