A little over a year has passed since the founding agreement between Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Ningbo University of Technology set CGICC in motion. In that time, a dedicated team on both sides has worked to turn a framework into a functioning, productive centre — and the results are already tangible.
The team
Prof. Dr. Grigoris Zarotiadis leads the Greek side of CGICC. Professor of Economics at AUTh and a member of the AUTh Governing Council, he is also Director of the Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Black Sea and Mediterranean Studies (ILABSEM), President of ASECU (Association of Economic Universities of South and Eastern Europe and the Black Sea), and a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science. He holds a part-time professorship at Ningbo University of Technology and makes regular visits to Ningbo for joint work. His breadth of international networks is a cornerstone of CGICC’s outreach capacity.
Dr. Manolis Tzouvelekas serves as the business liaison on the Greek side, coordinating enterprise engagement and day-to-day operational contacts between the two institutions and their partners.
On the Chinese side, the centre is anchored within the China-CEEC Innovation Cooperation Research Center at NBUT, with Wang Haixin acting as business liaison for Chinese partners and participants.
What we have achieved in year one
Far from a symbolic launch, CGICC has already produced concrete results across both its think-tank and cooperation tracks:
Research and think-tank work:
- Successful co-organisation of the 2025 China-Central and Eastern European Countries Youth Science and Technology Talent Exchange Event and the Innovation China Tour.
- Publication of two substantive research reports: “International R&D Cooperation and Schemes of Support: Greece in the European Framework” and “Cross-national Innovation Ecosystems: the Case of China and the Balkans”.
- Expansion of the Innovation Cooperation Think Tank Alliance to include the National Technical University of Athens (Greece) and the University of Gjirokaster (Albania).
- Active applications for short-term internships under the National Foreign Expert Program and the China International Talent Exchange Program, as well as a project submission under the Chinese National Key R&D Program.
Innovation cooperation:
- Facilitation of a new cooperation agreement between AUTh and Harbin Institute of Technology.
- Signing of participation agreements for the innovation cooperation working group by em4C (a Greek construction materials supplier) and Ylisense (a Greek technology startup).
What comes next
The second year of CGICC will see deeper investment in joint research (including work on open innovation ecosystems and international S&T policy), an expanded network of think tank partners across Central & Eastern Europe, doctoral exchange programs, and — most visibly — the Innovation Cooperation Conference in September 2026, which will serve as a major platform for Chinese, Greek, and CEE enterprises and institutions.
We are only getting started. Follow our news for updates, and get in touch if you would like to be part of what comes next.
TeamAchievementsYear OneThink TankAUThNBUTMilestones
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