The Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences and Technology, Energy & Safety (INRASTES) is the largest Institute of the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” (NCSRD) in terms of infrastructure and the second largest in terms of number of personnel. INRASTES is a relatively young research entity in the sense that it has been established in April 2012 as the result of a merger between the former Institute of Nuclear Technology & Radiation Protection (INT-RP) and the former Institute of Radioisotopes & Radiodiagnostic Products (IRRP). In fact, INT-RP, an interdisciplinary Institute with a large part of its scientific activities related to Nuclear Technology, Energy & Environmental Technologies and Radiation Protection, was merged with IRRP, also an interdisciplinary Institute with a focus on Molecular Radiopharmacy and Biodiagnostics.

The Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (INN) is one of the leading research institutes in Greece with cutting edge activities very much aligned with most of the Horizon Europe R&D&I priorities and Europe’s Key Enabling Technologies (KETs), such as Advanced Materials, Nanotechnology, Micro&Nanoelectronics, Nanobiotechnology, and Photonics. The skilled human capital and creative capacity of the institute supported by a- unique in Greece- collective infrastructure provide a distinctive ecosystem for fostering and promoting world-class basic and applied research. Strong ties with the industry and numerous SMEs further assist the institute’s effort to transform the knowledge generated into innovations and to transfer them to the market. One of the main characteristics of INN’s newly-forged and distinctive character was its flexibility and willingness to turn one of its original impediments, aka the very large number of researchers (INN is by far the largest institute in the country, even larger than some entire Greek research centers), into one of its strongest assets: INN is today the most multidisciplinary research institute in the country and takes great pride in including cross-fertilization activities and horizontal synergies across its wide spectrum of disciplines in its day-to-day scientific activity.

IBA’s purpose is to perform high-level basic and applied research in life sciences as well as in the exploitation of its research results. In particular, IBA’s research activities are focused on: i) the regulation of cell function and the molecular mechanisms that  are involved in physiological and pathological conditions, ii) environment and biotechnology, iii) structural and computational biology, as well as other relevant, to the above, areas of research. Of considerable importance to IBA’s research goals are the advancement of excellence and novelty which aim towards: i) the production of new knowledge, ii) the development and evaluation of bioactive compounds, products and innovative technology for the prevention, diagnosis and therapy of common and rare diseases, as well as biotechnological applications in the fields of health, the environment and agro-nutrition, iii) the education and training of young scientists, iv) the dissemination of scientific knowledge to the community and v) providing specialized products and technological services, as well as the transfer of scientific expertise to institutions and organizations of the private and public sectors.IBA actively participates in the educational program of N.C.S.R. ‘Demokritos’ in scientific areas that are consistent with its research activities.

The Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics (INPP), at NCSR Demokritos, has as its mission the experimental and theoretical research, scientific excellence and innovation in High-Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics and Astro-Particle Physics as well as their applications in line with the National Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation. The experimental and theoretical research in High Energy Physics focuses on the study of elementary particles and their interactions. INPP participates in the CMS and ATLAS experiments of the LHC at CERN. The Detector Instrumentation Laboratory (DIL) and the Data Acquisition, Monitoring and Analysis Laboratory (DAMA) of INPP, develop innovative detector technologies and instrumentation along with applications in science and innovation. Nuclear Physics research focuses on Nuclear Structure, Nuclear Reactions, Nuclear Astrophysics and the study of interactions of X-rays with matter. The INPP hosts a 5.5. MV Tandem accelerator, a unique research infrastructure in Greece, open to external users from Greece and abroad. The Tandem accelerator laboratory is an interdisciplinary open-access research infrastructure with innovative applications covering the fields of cultural heritage, environment, energy, human health and the development and testing of advanced materials and detectors. The XRF laboratory focuses on cultural heritage, environmental monitoring and biomedicine and offers technology transfer and on-site analytical services to museums, archaeological sites and other institutions. The Astro-Particle Physics group participates in the development, deployment, data acquisition and data analysis of the kilometre cube underwater neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean, KM3NeT. The INPP hosts the Laboratory of Assembly, Testing and Calibration of the Digital Optical Modules, the basic units of the KM3NeT telescope. The INPP supports also the Deep-Sea Technology and Astro-Particle Physics Research Infrastructure in South-West Peloponnese (Kalamata, Pylos, Methoni).

The origins of IIT set from the beginning two distinct yet intertwined pillars of research activities that define the Institute: Artificial Intelligence and Telecommunication Networks. With a long tradition of innovation in the field, the Intelligent Information Systems Division of the Institute focuses on basic and applied research on the multiple manifestations of Artificial Intelligence. Being a founding member of the Hellenic Artificial Intelligence Society since 1988, the Institute has continuous strong presence in the area. Moving from text-centric AI to multimodal, web and social media content analysis, the Institute has produced strong research outcomes in the field, in sync with its advancements and evolution. Acknowledging early the importance of data analysis, the Institute has also dedicated significant effort in the field of AI-based methods for big data management and processing. IIT is in the vanguard of research in big data infrastructures and semantics-aware AI at the European and international level. Furthermore, its interaction with other NCSR-D Institutes from different disciplines allows the application of such novel AI-based data driven methods to multiple application fields. On the other hand, IIT is focused on continuing its fundamental presence in telecommunication networks – and especially wireless networks – through its Telecommunications & Networks Division. The Institute is a leader in the areas of 5G networks and produces significant results related to the relevant infrastructure, protocols used, and methodologies for optimising network performance and availability. The relevant expertise encompasses antenna technologies, Rx/Tx schemes and MIMO techniques, Radio Access Networks and multi-RAT connectivity, as well as technologies for network management, interoperability, softwarisation and virtualisation. Aspects related to network performance and energy efficiency are also in scope, and the same holds for several networking technologies of relevance to the Internet of Things paradigm, including wireless sensor networks and infrastructure-less, potentially disruption tolerant, networks. This broad range of complementary competences puts IIT in a prime position for tackling technological challenges of current significance and addressing, in particular, 5G networks and IoT. The symbiotic presence of the two research pillars, a situation unique in the Greek research landscape, in combination with the existence of IIT within a Public and Multi-disciplinary Research Centre, are defining elements of the Institute’s mission: to act as a connecting link between different scientific domains and disciplines by supporting data-driven and AI-informed science and be a constant ambassador of science to the Greek society and economy.