Four systemic banks have made a donation of €160 million to the three largest universities in Greece, with the goal of radically renovating and upgrading facilities and building infrastructure. The major intervention involves the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). The decision was announced on Friday, July 17, by the Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of Alpha Bank, Eurobank, the National Bank of Greece, and Piraeus Bank, during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion, in the presence of the three university rectors: NKUA Professor Gerasimos Siasos, AUTH Professor Kyriakos Anastasiadis, and NTUA Professor Ioannis Chatzigeorgiou.
Donations to NKUA, AUTH, and NTUA
In more detail, the donation to the University of Athens amounts to €130 million — the largest in decades. It includes the preparation of studies and works to renovate the building infrastructure used daily by 100,000 students and staff of the institution.
Additionally, the donation for AUTH covers the renovation of student dormitories, alongside upgrades to lecture halls and common areas, as well as the renovation of the iconic Gini Building at NTUA.
The initiative aims to create modern and accessible facilities at three of the country’s largest and most historic academic institutions.
Who attended the meeting
Attendees at the meeting included Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports Sofia Zacharaki, Minister of State Akis Skertsos, Deputy Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports Nikos Papaioannou, CEO of the public company “Building Infrastructure” Thanasis Yiannaras, NKUA Rector Gerasimos Siasos, AUTH Rector Kyriakos Anastasiadis, NTUA Rector Ioannis Chatzigeorgiou, Alpha Bank Chairman Dimitris Tsitsiragkos representing CEO Vassilis Psaltis, Eurobank CEO Fokion Karavias, National Bank of Greece CEO Pavlos Mylonas, Piraeus Bank Senior General Manager Vassilis Koutentakis representing CEO Christos Megalou, Hellenic Bank Association Board Chairman Giorgos Zanias, and Acting CEO of the Hellenic Bank Association Charoula Apalagaki.
Mitsotakis: “A new day is dawning for public universities”
“With the initiative we are presenting today, a very decisive step is being taken toward upgrading the public university, as the €160 million donation from the country’s four systemic banks becomes a springboard for renovating the historic infrastructure of our historic institutions… I am absolutely certain that these significant resources will make a real difference and will complement the substantial expenditures already made from national funds as well as from the Recovery Fund… I believe that a new day is now dawning for public universities — without occupations, with libraries, with gathering spaces, with spaces for joy and knowledge. That is the public university we want, and that is what we will all work toward,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated, among other remarks.
Zacharaki: “We are working to strengthen Greek public universities with a significant increase in public funding”
For her part, Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports Sofia Zacharaki stated: “We are working to strengthen the Greek public university, with a very significant increase in public funding… I would like to remind you that since April, the regular grant exceeding €110 million for universities’ operational costs has already been disbursed; more than €120 million for maintenance works has already been allocated from the public investment program — known in the new programming period as EPA; and of course, let us not forget the very optimistic and ambitious undertaking, I would say, of constructing student dormitories at both regional and central universities. Over the next five years, we will exceed our target of building 8,500 new beds for our students — a public-private partnership project that also exceeds €700 million. Today, all of this is complemented by an exceptional initiative from the banks as well, to strengthen three historic institutions that also carry a large and, I would say, aging building stock. I would like to note in closing that this reflects the direction set by the Prime Minister in recent years to strengthen the Greek public university — through infrastructure, an increase in permanent staff and faculty members, and other provisions aimed at the internationalization and outward orientation of Greek universities.”
Statement from the NKUA rector
NKUA Rector Professor Gerasimos Siasos emphasized in his statement: “We welcome with great joy the largest donation in decades to the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens from the Hellenic Bank Association and the four systemic banks (Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank), amounting to €130 million.
Since 2023, the University of Athens, as part of its ongoing effort to strengthen and upgrade its infrastructure, has identified as absolutely necessary the implementation of a series of critical building interventions, which will substantially contribute to meeting the institution’s growing operational, academic, and student needs. This donation will play a decisive role in renovating the building infrastructure used daily by 100,000 students and staff of the institution.
Today, two centuries after its founding, the University of Athens continues to stand as the fundamental pillar of Greece’s academic, scientific, and cultural development, unwaveringly serving its mission for the benefit of knowledge and society. Specifically, the University educates seventy thousand (70,000) undergraduate and postgraduate students across 9 Schools and 42 Departments, covering the full spectrum of scientific disciplines.
In 2026, the University of Athens finds itself at the international forefront, with numerous international collaborations and joint programs linking it to the world’s most prestigious universities. Furthermore, it has developed 35 foreign-language undergraduate and postgraduate study programs, educating 4,000 international students, and has established more than 800 bilateral cooperation agreements with universities in 63 countries, further strengthening its outward orientation and international presence.
We extend our special thanks to the Chairman of the Board of the Hellenic Bank Association, Mr. Giorgos Zanias, and to the Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of Alpha Bank, Mr. Vassilis Psaltis, Eurobank, Mr. Fokion Karavias, National Bank of Greece, Mr. Pavlos Mylonas, and Piraeus Bank, Mr. Christos Megalou, for this outstanding donation, which will decisively improve the infrastructure of the country’s first and largest university. The University will honor its Great Benefactors through all available institutional procedures.
We thank Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Kostis Hatzidakis, the political leadership of the Ministry of Education (Minister Ms. Sofia Zacharaki, Deputy Ministers Mr. Nikos Papaioannou and Mr. Konstantinos Vlasis) and the Ministry of Finance (Minister Mr. Kyriakos Pierrakakis), Minister of State Mr. Akis Skertsos, and all those who played a decisive role in making this remarkable donation possible.
Investment in excellence in education, innovative research, and continuous outward orientation further strengthens our University’s global presence and influence, as it continues its upward trajectory and now ranks among the top 200 universities in the world.”
“A radical upgrade of three iconic Greek universities”
Hellenic Bank Association Board Chairman Giorgos Zanias stated on behalf of the four donor banks: “The four systemic banks — Alpha, Eurobank, National, and Piraeus — have decided to respond to this new call, from you and from the state more broadly, to contribute to the radical upgrade of three iconic Greek universities. Two of them are also the largest Greek universities. In this way, we believe that the production and transmission of knowledge that takes place at universities will be further strengthened. This initiative runs in parallel with the ongoing ‘Marietta Giannakou’ program for school renovations, to which the systemic banks are contributing €400 million over the next two years. And now they are contributing an additional €160 million for higher education, meaning a combined total of €560 million across all levels of education in the country. This is made possible today because, after everything we have been through with the crisis, the Greek banks are now strong and capable of playing their developmental and social role. Within the framework of corporate social responsibility, under which this initiative also falls, in recent years the banks — including this donation — will have contributed approximately €1 billion.”
