National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”
Company Profile
Founded in 1961 as a Research Centre for Nuclear Research, Demokritos is today the largest multidisciplinary Research Centre of Greece with approximately 180 Researchers in tenured and tenure-track positions and over 500 Research Personnel working in projects funded mainly by grants from State Funds, the European Union and Private Industries.
The Centre consists of five independent Institutes focusing on different scientific fields. It is governed by the Board of Directors and is supervised by the General Secretariat of Research and Technology, which is in the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs of Greece.
Research at Demokritos exploits the interdisciplinary character of the Centre as a major resource for breakthrough and innovative work. Major scientific fields of advancements and achievements include:
Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials: functional nanomaterials and nanoprocesses, magnetic, polymeric and electronic materials - photonic applications and devices
Environmental Science and Technology: climate change, chemical and particle pollution implications to public health - radioecology
Energy research is mainly focused on solar and hydrogen fuel cells.
Life Sciences, basic and applied research in cellular, chemical and structural biology, applied biodiagnostics and nanomedicine.
Nuclear Technology, Radiology, Radiopharmacy and Radioprotection have been strongholds of the Centre since the early days it was established. Today they provide not only important results but also some unique research and education infrastructure for the entire country.
Nuclear and Particle Physics, active collaborations with the high-impact fundamental experiments at CERN, accelerator physics research.
Archeometry activities are playing a pivotal role in many national programs focused on the Greek Cultural Heritage.
Informatics and Telecommunications are fields with important contributions to scientific advancements and innovative applications and are part of many interdisciplinary research efforts of the Centre.
Specifically in Health & Life Science the following areas are in the front of the Centre’s competences;
Molecular mechanism of cellular function
Membrane organization & transport || Cell Signaling || Gene expression || Protein expression and modification || Toxicity studies || Chronobiology
Precision medicine
Cancer || Ageing & Longevity || Cell Senescence & Age-related diseases || Cardiovascular Diseases || Diabetes || Neurodegenerative diseases & Pain || Musculoskeletal Diseases || Clinical Genetics
Biotechnology
“Green” technologies || Agrobiotechnology || Microbial biotechnology || Bioactive natural compounds || Micro/encapsulation || Integrated pest management || Photosynthetic studies
Drug Discovery & Intervention
Organic synthesis of small molecules and peptides || High throughput screening for ligand discovery
Nanomedicine
Drug delivery, diagnostics, biomaterials, smart materials, nanocapsulation, imaging
Radionuclides in Nanomedicine
Biodiagnostics
Immunodiagnostics - Immunosensors || Molecular Diagnostics || Cytogenetics || Molecular Immunology || Protein Chemistry and Biophysics
Radiopharmacy
Research on Technetium & Rhenium Chemistry || Design of new Site-Directed Radiopharmaceuticals || Design of Radionuclide/Multifunctional Delivery-Systems || Preclinical Evaluation of newly Developed Radiolabeled Probes || Translational Studies in Oncology
Target Partners & Collaborations
NCSR “Demokritos” is interested in establishing collaboration with companies and/or academic partners within HBIO aiming to:
-Consortium building for submission of proposal for funding by national or EU funding schemes
-Commercial exploitation of scientific research results that have reached Technology Readiness Levels 4 (TRL 4) or higher
-Exploitation of existing scientific research results for applications of specific interest for industrial partners
-Establishment of new research activity areas of common interest for “Demokritos” and other HBIO members
Technologies / Services offered or sought
“Demokritos” coordinates research laboratories that are part of the Greek National System of Research Infrastructures providing unique installations and user access availability. These include: the National Infrastructure in Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials and Micro/Nanoelectronics (INNOVATION-EL), the Infrastructure of Chemical Biology and Target-Based Screening Technologies for Human and Animal Health, Agriculture and the Environment (OPEN SCREEN) and the Cluster of Accelerator Laboratories for Ion-beam Research & Applications (CALIBRA). Demokritos is also a Partner in the Infrastructure BIOIMAGING.
Basic and applied research projects are carried out involving researchers at all ranks, postdoctoral associates and candidates for doctoral degrees. Graduate-level educational programs are organized in collaboration with university departments in Greece and abroad as well as an annual Summer School, workshops on special topics and seminars.
Within the scope of its mission of creating technological advances for the benefit of society, the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos” has developed a wide range of services which have grown out of the multidisciplinary research conducted in the fields of Nanotechnology, Nuclear Physics, Energy and the Environment, Biosciences and ICT.
Services related to Health & Life Sciences are mentioned below:
- Human tissue bank
- Experimental animal facility
- Hot Cell Facilities and GEAE Supervised Rooms for Handling of Gamma and Betta Emitting Radionuclides
- Supervised Facilities for the Preclinical Evaluation of Radiolabeled Probes: Cell & Animal Facilities
- Cell based assay system
- Cytogenetic analysis of hematological malignancies
- Quality assessment of Immunoassay kits
- Quality assessment of Radiopharmaceuticals
- Amino acid analysis
- Steroids determination with LC-MS/MS
- Polyclonal antibodies development
- Cancer molecular genetics /Next generation sequencing
- Production of recombinant proteins
- Analysis of protein function and stability
- Analysis of inhibitor activity
Technology and R&D
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Highly committed to supporting innovation and technology-driven entrepreneurship “Demokritos” is currently running the Industrial Fellowship Program supporting approximately sixty Fellows doing industry co-sponsored research. In the same direction “Demokritos” operates the “Lefkippos” Technology Park of Attica, which serves as a pole of attraction for spin-off companies and high-technology start ups in a dynamic, continuous interaction with the Research Community of the Centre. Recently created the Innovation Office at NCSR Demokritos will facilitate activities related to technology transfer entrepreneurship.
Education
- Over 1000 PhD Theses have been completed in the Research Laboratories of the Centre
- Graduate Programs are in operation in Collaboration with Universities worldwide
- The Demokritos’s Summer School is ongoing for 52 consecutive years.
- Science communication and outreach activities designed aiming towards young people in the primary and secondary levels as well as “open-doors” and exhibition events aiming at adults with an interest in Science and Technology
Hellenic Forum
The Hellenic Forum is an annual three-day event taking place in early July celebrating multidisciplinary research and innovation. During the three days of the annual forum, Demokritos becomes the meeting place for scientists around the globe and the center of a dynamic network of partnerships and collaborations with the Industry.
Clients & Collaborations (INTERNATIONAL)
NCSR Demokritos has several research collaborations with pharmaceuticals companies, health providers, materials companies and R&D Organizations in Europe and Greece funded by European Commission, national schemes and private contracts. Below an indicative list of the bioscience Horizon 2020 projects mentioned:
- VIVOIMAG Multimodal imaging of the in vivo fate of bone transplants
- ClickGene Click Chemistry for Future Gene Therapies to Benefit Citizens, Researchers and Industry
- GLYCANC Matrix glycans as multifunctional pathogenesis factors and therapeutic targets in cancer
- IASIS Integration and analysis of heterogeneous big data for precision medicine and suggested treatments for different types of patients
- MOZART MesopOrous matrices for localized pH triggered release of therapeutic ions and drugs
