University of Athens and Yale University Launch a New Era in Environmental Sciences and Global Public Health – Presentation of the New Joint Master’s Degree Programme

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens welcomed a large audience of academics, students, researchers, and representatives from public and private organisations, as well as members of the wider community, at an event titled ‘One Health: A New Era in Environmental Sciences and Global Public Health’, held on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, at the ‘Kostis Palamas’ Cultural Centre.

The event, attended by the Greek Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Sofia Zacharaki, highlighted one of the University’s most significant international initiatives to date: the launch of the new English-taught dual Master’s programme, ‘Environmental Sciences and Global Public Health’, jointly developed by the University of Athens and Yale University. The programme is funded through the ‘Universities of Excellence’ initiative of the ‘Greece 2.0 National Recovery and Resilience Plan’.

Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Gerasimos Siasos, Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Minister Sofia Zacharaki, and Deputy Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports Nikos Papaioannou. All three speakers stressed the growing importance of internationalisation in higher education, strategic partnerships with leading universities worldwide, and the role of academic research in addressing the defining challenges of our time.

Minister Zacharaki described the collaboration between the University of Athens and Yale University as one of the most important international academic partnerships currently involving a Greek university. She noted that the initiative forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen the international profile and competitiveness of public higher education in Greece.

Referring to the country’s geographical position and the environmental pressures it faces, the Minister argued that Greece is well placed to develop into a regional centre for education, research and innovation in environmental sciences and public health. In this context, she said, the University of Athens–Yale University partnership takes on particular significance.

She also highlighted a distinctive feature of the programme: scholarships that will enable the five highest-performing graduates to pursue further studies at Yale. The scheme, she noted, promotes both academic excellence and international mobility. Minister Zacharaki congratulated Professor Nikos Thomaidis and his team at the University of Athens’ Department of Chemistry for bringing the initiative to fruition.

The Minister further outlined the Government’s investment in higher education and research, noting that the programme itself is supported through €7.9 million in funding from the Recovery and Resilience Facility. She added that the University of Athens has received more than €13 million for joint and dual postgraduate programmes, together with additional funding exceeding €10 million through the ‘Universities of Excellence’ initiative. She also referred to Research Excellence Partnerships, with a combined budget of €98.2 million, and Industrial Doctorates designed to strengthen links between research, innovation and industry.

Alongside these initiatives, she highlighted measures aimed at improving the student experience, including €60 million for student placements through the 2021–2027 NSRF programme, more than €33 million for scholarships and researcher mobility schemes, and the full refurbishment of the Zografou Student Halls of Residence, a project valued at almost €13 million.

‘Our goal’, she said, ‘is to ensure that Greece’s public universities continue to strengthen their position on the global academic stage through internationalisation, research, excellence and strategic partnerships with leading institutions around the world’.

In his address, Rector Professor Gerasimos Siasos described the new dual Master’s programme as a strategically important initiative that reflects both the strength of the University of Athens’ international partnerships and its commitment to tackling major global challenges through education and research.

The programme brings together three University of Athens departments—the Department of Chemistry in the School of Science, the School of Medicine, and the Department of Political Science and Public Administration in the School of Economics and Political Science—with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Yale School of Public Health.

Professor Siasos characterised the collaboration as a landmark partnership linking different academic disciplines and two institutions with long academic traditions and a shared commitment to advancing knowledge and educating scientists capable of addressing the complex environmental and public health challenges of the twenty-first century.

He also highlighted the University of Athens’ extensive international network, noting that it has established partnerships with 932 universities across 70 countries, including 100 agreements concluded within the past two years. He further pointed out that the University of Athens is the first and only Greek university to establish and operate a separate branch campus abroad, in Cyprus.

‘Nearly 190 years after its foundation’, he said, ‘the University of Athens, the country’s oldest and largest institution of higher education, continues to invest in knowledge, research, innovation and international collaboration, remaining firmly committed to serving society and future generations’.

Nikos Thomaidis, Deputy Chair of the University’s Governing Council, Professor in the Department of Chemistry, and Academic Director of the programme, presented its structure and academic philosophy in detail. He emphasised that the One Health approach recognises the interdependence among human health, the environment and ecosystems, and provides a framework for addressing contemporary global public health challenges.

He argued that the climate crisis, chemical pollution, pandemics, biodiversity loss and other environmental issues make it essential to educate a new generation of scientists equipped with interdisciplinary expertise and an international outlook.

Particular attention was drawn to the programme’s distinctive features. Students will receive two separate postgraduate degrees, one from the University of Athens and one from Yale, while top graduates of the Greek programme will be eligible for scholarships enabling them to continue their studies at Yale without tuition fees.

Deputy Minister Nikos Papaioannou described the partnership as further evidence of the growing international standing of Greek higher education. He noted that the new joint programme connects academic knowledge with some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary society and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to creating new opportunities for young researchers while strengthening the global presence of Greek universities.

The event also featured contributions from Professor Vasilis Vasiliou of the Yale School of Public Health, Professor Nikolaos Arkadopoulos, Chair of the University of Athens’ School of Medicine, Professor Emmanuella Doussis, Deputy Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, and Professor Andreas Papandreou of the Department of Economics.

Professor Vasiliou spoke about the value of Greek-American academic cooperation and the opportunities that the new programme will create for both students and researchers. He stressed that global public health challenges require international partnerships, knowledge exchange and coordinated scientific action.

A notable contribution was also made by Dr Kyriacos Sabatakakis, Country Managing Director of Accenture Greece, and a graduate of Yale University, Dartmouth College and the National Technical University of Athens. Congratulating both institutions, he described the initiative as an example of a Greek university taking a leading role in addressing issues of global significance. He emphasised the importance of access to knowledge in an era of rapid change and expressed his strong support for the programme, noting that he had endorsed the initiative from the moment it was presented to him by Professors Nikos Thomaidis and Vasilis Vasiliou. He also underscored the value of international academic partnerships at a time when universities worldwide face increasingly complex challenges.

The new ‘Environmental Sciences and Global Public Health’ programme aims to establish itself as an international point of reference at the intersection of environmental science and public health, contributing both to the training of highly skilled specialists and to the development of evidence-based policies capable of addressing the complex challenges of the twenty-first century.

In addition, the event was attended, among others, by Professor Pericles Mitkas, President of the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education; members of the University of Athens’ Governing Council, including Professor Dimitris Kenourgios of the Department of Economics in the School of Economics and Political Science, and Professor Athanasia Smirniotou of the School of Physical Education and Sport Science; the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, International Relations and Extroversion, Professor Sophia Papaioannou; the Vice-Rector for Finance and Development, Professor Aristeides Samitas; and the Vice-Rector for Administrative Affairs, Student Welfare and Lifelong Learning, Professor Christos Karagiannis.

Also present were the Dean of the School of Science, Professor Aristeidis Parmakelis; the Dean of the School of Theology, Professor Emmanouil Karageorgoudis; and the Dean of the School of Economics and Political Science, Professor Nikolaos Eriotis; as well as former Secretary General for Health Services at the Hellenic Ministry of Health, Giannis Kotsiopoulos; the President of ‘Study in Greece’, Christos Michalakelis; the chairs of departments within the School of Science; and many faculty members from the Schools of Health Sciences, Science and Economics and Political Science.