Local companies seen in need of improvement in research and development
The performance of secondary and tertiary schools in Greece is close to the European Union average, while the expansion of knowledge in this country is slightly above the EU average for the academic research and development funded by companies, according to Eleftherios Kourtalis, the vice president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBEA) and chairman of the Greek Textile Industrialists Association. Addressing an event on «Education and Entrepreneurship,» held by the Students in International Business group, Kourtalis said that, despite with those encouraging signs, there are, unfortunately, very few companies in this country that are at the forefront of research, technology and innovation. «It is only in the last few years that some efforts have been made for the companies’ entry into production methods. Nevertheless, the companies are able to prepare themselves to adopt new methods and to make the most of them so that they can lead society on a steady course of economic development,» stressed Kourtalis, also a member of the governing board of the Athens Stock Exchange. Therefore, he said, «what we need now is a two-way relationship between universities and production.» In this context, EBEA has undertaken a series of initiatives and still argues that universities and industry must coordinate their activities in this direction so as to make the Greek economy more competitive.
