Hellenic Bank Association Announces €130 Million Donation to the University of Athens, the Largest in Recent Decades

A landmark €160 million donation from Greece’s four systemic banks to support the comprehensive refurbishment and modernisation of university facilities at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the National Technical University of Athens was announced today during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion.

The announcement was made by the Chairs of the Boards of Directors and Chief Executive Officers of Alpha Bank, Eurobank, the National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank, in the presence of the Rectors of the three universities: Professor Gerasimos Siasos (University of Athens), Professor Kyriakos Anastasiadis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) and Professor Ioannis Chatjigeorgiou (National Technical University of Athens).

Of the total donation, €130 million has been allocated to the University of Athens, representing the largest single contribution the University has received in decades. The funding will support the design and implementation of an extensive programme of refurbishment works across buildings used every day by approximately 100,000 students and members of staff.

The wider project also includes the refurbishment of student residences, lecture theatres and shared facilities at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, along with the restoration of the landmark Ginis Building at the National Technical University of Athens.

It aims to provide modern, accessible and sustainable facilities for three of Greece’s oldest and most prominent universities.

Among those attending the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis; Minister of 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; the Chief Executive Officer of Ktiriakes Ypodomes SA, Thanasis Giannaris; the Rectors of the three universities: Professor Gerasimos Siasos (University of Athens), Professor Kyriakos Anastasiadis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), and Professor Ioannis Chatjigeorgiou (National Technical University of Athens); representatives of the four systemic banks, including Alpha Bank Chair of the Board of Directors Dimitris Tsitsiragos (on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer Vassilis Psaltis), Eurobank Chief Executive Officer Fokion Karavias, National Bank of Greece Chief Executive Officer Pavlos Mylonas, and Piraeus Bank Executive General Manager Vasilis Koutentakis (on behalf of the Managing Director Christos Megalou); Hellenic Bank Association Chair of the Board of Directors George Zanias; and the Association’s Acting General Manager Charoula Apalagaki.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the initiative as ‘a decisive step towards upgrading Greece’s public universities’, noting that the €160 million donation would serve as the catalyst for the renewal of historic university infrastructure.

‘I am absolutely confident that these substantial resources will be put to excellent use, complementing the significant investments already made through national funding and the European Recovery Fund…A new era is now beginning for our public universities – universities free from illegal squats, with modern libraries, welcoming common areas, enhanced learning spaces and places of enjoyment. That is the public university we want, and that is what we will all continue working towards.’

Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki emphasised the Government’s continued investment in higher education, highlighting the significant increase in public funding for universities.

She noted that more than €110 million had already been allocated this year to cover universities’ operating costs, while over €120 million had been distributed through the National Development Programme for maintenance works. She also referred to the ongoing programme to deliver more than 8,500 new student accommodation places across Greece over the next five years through public-private partnerships worth more than €700 million.

‘Today’s initiative from the banking sector comes to reinforce these efforts by supporting three historic universities with extensive building estates that have inevitably suffered the effects of time’, she said, adding that the project reflected the Prime Minister’s long-term strategy to strengthen Greece’s public universities through improved infrastructure, additional permanent academic and administrative staff, internationalisation and greater global engagement.

Professor Gerasimos Siasos, Rector of the University of Athens, welcomed what he described as ‘the largest donation made to the University in recent decades’ by the Hellenic Bank Association and Greece’s four systemic banks.

‘Since 2023, the University of Athens has consistently identified the modernisation of its infrastructure as one of its highest strategic priorities. A series of major building projects has become essential in order to meet the University’s growing operational, academic and student needs. This exceptional donation will play a decisive role in refurbishing the facilities used every day by around 100,000 students and members of staff.’

Professor Siasos noted that, nearly two centuries after its foundation, the University of Athens continues to serve as a cornerstone of Greece’s academic, scientific and cultural progress, remaining steadfast in its mission to advance knowledge and benefit society.

Today, the University has around 70,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students across nine Schools and 42 Departments, spanning the full breadth of academic disciplines.

He also highlighted the University’s growing international profile, noting that in 2026 the University of Athens stands at the forefront of international collaboration through partnerships and joint programmes with many of the world’s leading universities. It now offers 35 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes taught in foreign languages, enrolling approximately 4,000 international students, while maintaining more than 800 bilateral agreements with universities in 63 countries, further strengthening its international presence and global outlook.

Professor Siasos expressed his gratitude to George Zanias, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Bank Association, and to the Chairs of the Boards of Directors and Chief Executive Officers of Alpha Bank, Vassilis Psaltis, Eurobank, Fokion Karavias, National Bank of Greece, Pavlos Mylonas, and Piraeus Bank, Christos Megalou, for what he described as ‘an extraordinary act of generosity that will transform the infrastructure of Greece’s oldest and largest university’. He confirmed that the University would formally honour its benefactors through its established institutional procedures.

He also thanked Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, the political leadership of the Ministries of Education (Minister Sofia Zacharaki, Deputy Ministers Nikos Papaioannou and Konstantinos Vlasis) and Finance (Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis), Minister of State Akis Skertsos, and all those whose support had been instrumental in bringing the donation to fruition.

‘Continued investment in outstanding teaching, pioneering research and international engagement further strengthens the University’s global standing. Today, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens ranks among the world’s top 200 universities, and this investment will help us build on that momentum.’

Speaking on behalf of the four systemic banks, George Zanias, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Bank Association, said that Alpha Bank, Eurobank, the National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank had chosen to respond to the call – from the universities themselves and from the State more broadly – to support the comprehensive renewal of three of Greece’s flagship universities, two of which are also the country’s largest.

‘We believe that improving the physical environment in which teaching and research take place will further strengthen the creation and dissemination of knowledge. This initiative complements the ongoing “Marietta Giannakou” school refurbishment programme, to which the systemic banks are contributing €400 million over the next two years. Together with today’s €160 million commitment to higher education, the four systemic banks will have contributed a total of €560 million to education across all levels.

This has become possible because, after the difficult years of the financial crisis, Greek banks are once again strong enough to fulfil both their developmental and their social role. As part of their wider corporate social responsibility programmes, the banking sector – including this latest donation – will have contributed approximately €1 billion to society over recent years.’

Briefing Note on the Meeting Chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the Donation by the Four Systemic Banks to the University of Athens, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the National Technical University of Athens [in Greek]