Greek Education, Religious Affairs and Sports Minister Sofia Zacharaki has approved up to 4.5 million euros in new funding to build a facility in Athens that will house a research center on childhood obesity at Harokopio University.
The funding, part of the ministry’s 2026–2030 Sectoral Development Program, will allow Harokopio University to draw on its long-standing expertise in weight management and in the clinical prevention and treatment of obesity-related complications. The center is designed as a permanent, interdisciplinary research facility serving public health, prevention, education, and clinical practice in the fight against childhood and adolescent obesity.
The project is intended to give the university facilities that match its actual operational needs and to serve as a lasting investment for the institution. It will bring research teams together under one roof, provide cutting-edge equipment, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, support long-term research programs, and train the next generation of scientists.
The center is also expected to become a national resource capable of providing systematic, long-term support for government initiatives in the field.
“With funding of up to 4.5 million euros, we are supporting Harokopio University’s effort to acquire a new building for its Childhood Obesity Research Center, giving a meaningful boost to scientific research and public health,” Zacharaki said.
She added that modern public universities need functional, safe facilities to serve their staff and students effectively, and said the government was using available resources to solve real problems and create lasting infrastructure for the country’s public universities.
