Greece's four systemic banks have announced a €160 million donation to renovate campus infrastructure at three of the country's largest universities, in an initiative unveiled during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The donation, announced by the chief executives of Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank, will fund campus studies and building renovations at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA), student dormitory upgrades and lecture hall renovations at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), and restoration of the historic Ginis building at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).
"With this initiative, we are taking a decisive step toward upgrading our public universities," Mr. Mitsotakis said, calling the funding "a springboard for renovating the historic infrastructure of our historic institutions."
The donation builds on the banks' existing €400 million commitment to the "Marietta Giannakou" program renovating 670 public schools nationwide, bringing the sector's total educational contributions to roughly €560 million, according to George Zanias, chairman of the Hellenic Bank Association, who said Greek banks have now directed nearly €1 billion toward social initiatives since the financial crisis.
Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki said the government has already disbursed more than €110 million in operating grants to universities since April and allocated over €120 million for maintenance through Greece's public investment program, alongside a broader push to build more than 8,500 new student housing beds nationwide.
Mr. Mitsotakis also credited university rectors for eliminating long-standing building occupations on Greek campuses, calling the closure of that chapter "a non-negotiable political priority," and pointed to continued investment in the "Daedalus" supercomputer in Lavrio as part of a broader technology and education strategy.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Ms. Zacharaki, and the rectors of EKPA, AUTH and NTUA, along with senior bank executives representing all four institutions.