I used to say that the expansion of Greece’s startup and innovation sector throughout the monetary disaster was your nation’s biggest untold success story, however now that secret is getting out. Once I arrived in Greece 4 years in the past, I used to be instantly impressed by the expertise and creativity of the Greek younger individuals I met at universities, laboratories, and expertise parks across the nation.
These college students and younger professionals had been hungry for alternatives to make use of their expertise and passions after the monetary disaster narrowed conventional paths to success. They shared the drive, resilience, adaptability, and values of younger individuals from my residence state of California. So I knew that nurturing an entrepreneurial ecosystem much like California’s Silicon Valley might generate sustainable, long-term development right here in Greece.
The U.S. Embassy has engaged systematically on this space, serving to to unlock the potential of younger Greek scientists and entrepreneurs via packages like Code Women, Tech Academy, Tech Camp, and our Greek delegation to South by Southwest. The progress we’ve seen over these previous 4 years is phenomenal.
In the present day, I’m completely happy to report that the phrase is out: Greece has garnered worldwide consideration as an rising vacation spot for digital funding, due to an enabling surroundings created by Prime Minister Mitsotakis and his crew, robust preliminary curiosity from numerous top-tier U.S. expertise firms, and ongoing assist from the U.S. authorities and our Embassy.
The brand new Science and Expertise Settlement that Secretary of State Pompeo signed with Minister Georgiadis in September will promote nearer bilateral cooperation in fundamental sciences and cutting-edge analysis.
The State Division’s Science and Expertise Adviser Dr. Mung Chiang visited Athens final month to debate how this new settlement can speed up the switch of expertise from the laboratory to {the marketplace}, additional strengthening our commerce and funding ties.
The USA and Greece are additionally working to additional cooperation on synthetic intelligence, cyber safety, and 5G, all cutting-edge applied sciences the place American firms and researchers lead the world.
Pfizer, Cisco, and Deloitte have expanded their footprint in Thessaloniki, and their innovation facilities are recruiting a whole lot of gifted graduates from Thessaloniki’s main universities. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla instructed me that Pfizer’s funding has exceeded expectations, and he simply introduced on the AmCham Convention that Pfizer will open a second hub in Thessaloniki, using one other 350 individuals.
I additionally met not too long ago with Cisco’s Digital Transformation and Digital Abilities Board in Thessaloniki, and was very impressed by the board’s plans to advertise digital innovation, functions, and ladies’s empowerment in cooperation with the Ministries of Growth and Digital Governance and different companions that share their mission.
I’m assured that this pattern of American funding in Greece’s digital economic system is simply starting. American enterprise leaders not ask me, “The place is Thessaloniki?” however quite, “The place else can we make investments?”
And high-profile acquisitions by flagship American firms like Microsoft and Utilized Supplies are main different American firms to ask, “What do they know that we’ve missed?”
American traders are noticing the clear alerts of assist that Prime Minister Mitsotakis and his authorities are sending about Greece’s digital transformation.
Not solely has the Prime Minister’s crew used the pandemic to speed up the digitization of presidency, however with its not too long ago handed Digital Governance Code, the Greek state is making a political tradition that facilitates Greece’s progress in direction of a digital future.
These reforms are positioning Greece for the quickest potential restoration from this yr’s pandemic-induced international slowdown. And I consider that the reforms will unlock even better development within the coming years.
Greece was additionally forward of the curve in recognizing the far-reaching influence of 5G wi-fi expertise on each facet of our lives – from nationwide safety and mental property to financial improvement.
We applaud COSMOTE’s resolution to construct its 5G community solely with trusted vendor Ericsson and proudly welcome Greece to the Clear Community.
I used to be additionally happy that Wind finalized a contract for its 5G core community additionally with trusted vendor Ericsson, and I’m hopeful that each Wind and Vodafone will choose a trusted vendor to switch their present Huawei antennas early subsequent yr.
We’re additionally very excited in regards to the Greek authorities’s new Faistos Fund, which can assist the event of modern functions of 5G expertise when COSMOTE’s 5G community launches in Attica and Thessaloniki this spring.
In coordination with our Greek companions, we are going to encourage U.S. traders to affix the fund and invite U.S. startups to return to Greece to make the most of this seed cash, deepening our bilateral collaboration on rising applied sciences.
The Greek authorities’s efforts have prompted main U.S. tech corporations to make massive bets on cloud infrastructure in Greece. Microsoft will make investments a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in a posh of information facilities round Athens that can assist to place Greece on the forefront of European cloud computing companies.
The American agency Digital Realty adopted go well with, buying Lamda Hellix, Southeastern Europe’s largest knowledge middle operator. And Amazon Net Companies has signed an MOU with the Ministry of Digital Governance to collaborate on cloud infrastructure and expertise.
This cloud-based infrastructure will work with Greece’s safe 5G community to energy the nation’s digital future, enabling employees to entry cloud functions remotely and in actual time.
The brand new expertise infrastructure will make Greece an much more interesting vacation spot for digital nomads, who’re already drawn to your world-renowned local weather, meals, and hospitality.
Along with the Greek authorities’s announcement of tax incentives for digital migrants, this new infrastructure has monumental potential to draw extremely expert expats and reverse the mind drain of the previous few years.
As Greece takes the lead in Southeastern Europe’s knowledge-based economic system, synergy between U.S. tech investments will amplify their complete financial influence and open new alternatives.
American tech giants will present Greece’s workforce with the most recent expertise they’ll want to achieve the brand new skilled panorama. Microsoft has dedicated to coaching 100,000 younger Greek professionals and college students in digital applied sciences. And Google has dedicated $1 million in grant funding to supply digital expertise to weak teams.
Based mostly on these commitments, we are able to start to think about how STEM training and employment alternatives with U.S.-affiliated firms and packages will put together younger Greeks to create modern merchandise that can additional appeal to direct funding. We hope this multiplier impact can pay dividends for years to return.
Synergies with different financial sectors will create further worth. American firms like Blink Charging, Envipco, Tesla, and GE are utilizing expertise to assist Greece meet our shared local weather and environmental objectives.
Greece has turn out to be the distribution hub for these firms in Southeastern Europe due to its expert tech workforce and wealthy pure assets. ConsideringPrime Minister Mitsotakis’ bold objective of eliminating lignite coal energy by 2028, the inexperienced vitality sector is ripe for additional U.S. funding.
With rising curiosity and assist from the U.S. enterprise group, Greece is on observe to turn out to be a magnet for expertise and innovation in Southeastern Europe and the Western Balkans. I’m assured that these investments will assist contribute to better stability and prosperity within the area whereas placing extra gifted Greeks to work.
Greek residents are identified around the globe for his or her ardour, resourcefulness, and ingenuity. We’re dedicated to working with Prime Minister Mitsotakis and his crew to unleash this energy of the Greek individuals and the Greek economic system.
Our shared values and our perception within the energy of exhausting work is the explanation why the Greek diaspora in america is so profitable, and it’s what drives Greek success tales like Assume Silicon and Softomotive. It’s personified by Pfizer CEO and Thessaloniki native Albert Bourla, whose COVID-19 vaccine is main the battle towards the worldwide pandemic.
We’ll do the whole lot we are able to to maintain up the momentum in our commerce and funding relationship as we enter the post-pandemic restoration interval and a brand new administration takes energy in america.
I’m assured that as Greece celebrates its 2021 bicentennial, it can even be forging in direction of a shiny and dynamic digital future, hand in hand with america.
Ευχαριστώ πολύ.
