GRNET participated in the Digital Economy Forum 2025, held on December 15, with Dr. Ilias Papastamatiou, Senior Project Manager at GRNET and Coordinator of the National Quantum Communications Infrastructure HellasQCI as a panelist.
Dr. Ilias Papastamatiou participated in the panel: “Defense, space & cybersecurity – new challenges and opportunities,”which analysed developments and prospects for Greek IT companies in the fields of defense technology, space industry, and cybersecurity. The session focused on contemporary technological and regulatory challenges, opportunities for innovation, and the importance of developing partnerships and specialised skills to create high value-added solutions.
In his presentation, Dr. Papastamatiou highlighted the strategic importance of quantum communications for Greece and Europe, presenting the role of the national quantum communication infrastructure, HellasQCI, in the next generation of cybersecurity. He stressed the necessity of these technologies for protecting sensitive data and critical infrastructures, as well as their contribution to the EuroQCI ecosystem, the pan-European initiative for the development of secure quantum communication infrastructures.
The Forum hosted a particularly constructive discussion on defense, space, cybersecurity, and the strategic role of quantum technologies for Europe, effectively contributing to the alignment of secure digital infrastructures with European strategic priorities, particularly in the critical areas of defense, space and cybersecurity.
The panel included Konstantinos Karantzalos, Secretary General for Telecommunications and Post, Michael Bletsas, Director of the National Cybersecurity Authority, Pantelis Tzortzakis, CEO of the Hellenic Center for Defense Innovation, Dimitris Vassilopoulos, General Manager of the Public Sector Unit at Netcompany, and Antonis Mavromichalis, Director of the Akamai Business Unit at ATCOM. The discussion was moderated by Journalist Dimitris Mallas.
The official conference dinner, held at the Intercontinental Athenaeum following the conclusion of the DEF 2025 panels, was also attended by Mr. Stefanos Kollias, Emeritus Professor at the National Technical University of Athens and Chairman of GRNET, and Mr. Dimitris Katsianis, Assistant Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Deputy Chairman of GRNET.
GRNET thanks SEPE for the excellent organization of the Digital Economy Forum 2025, an event that continues to be a benchmark for connecting policymakers with industry leaders around the key challenges and opportunities of the digital economy.
You may watch the remarks of Dr. Ilias Papastamatiou at the following link.
