Procedures for completing the design of new, Joint Master or Dual Master, between Greek Higher Education Institutions and distinguished foreign universities are underway. The 74 total programs that have been approved for funding are moving to operate the upcoming academic year, 2026-27.

For a “substantive reform section”, which “strengthens the position of Greek universities on the international map of higher education, creating new opportunities for our students and academics, and making our country a reference point for high -level studies in Southeast Europe,” Speaking to RES-EIA.

“The announcement of the results (funding approval) for common postgraduate programs is yet another tangible proof of the government’s determination to invest in knowledge, extroversion and international recognition of Greek universities. With the support of the recovery fund and the National Public Investment Program, we have secured funding of nearly 94m euros for 74 new, innovative programs that join Greek HEIs with top universities in the world – from Yale and Harvard to Columbia and Sorbonne.

The Deputy Minister of Education added: “With the project” Universities of Excellence “, we prove in practice that higher education is our strategic priority. We invest in human capital, highlight the dynamics of Greek HEIs and create the conditions so that Greece no longer exports talent, but to attract it. Because internationalization of higher education is not just educational policy. It is a vision for a Greece leading the way in knowledge and excellence. “

“Strategic support from the state for the operation of joint postgraduate programs reflects on the clear will to internationalization,” Christos Michalakelis, president of the “Study in Greece”, of the Greek Public HEIs, told RES-EIA.

However, Greek public universities have to face various kinds of challenges in front of them, both organizational, but also in terms of the timetable for the implementation of what needs to be done in order to disburse the money from the recovery fund.

It is worth noting that the total budget for the funding of new, joint postgraduate curricula is EUR 94 million, of which EUR 80 million comes from the recovery and resilience fund and the amount of EUR 12 million, from the National Public Investment Program.

Sources in the academic community have expressed their concern about whether all Greek HEIs will be able to draw up agreement with universities abroad, but also for the time of the process of certifying the programs by ETHAE.

The next challenge that the programs will face is the timely promotion of programs to attract students from abroad. “It is necessary to conceive of all foreign language programs, undergraduate and postgraduate programs, universities, especially now, that they are in an extremely competitive environment, such as international higher education,” said Michalakelis, speaking to RES.

As he said, in the context of the international promotion and promotion of foreign language programs and in view of the operation of joint postgraduate programs, Study in Greece offers Greek universities a comprehensive package of services aimed at enhancing the appeal and attractiveness of programs as well as attracting international programs.

The example of the EKPA – YALE cooperation

Of the programs that have advanced to the procedural part, it is between the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Yale University, entitled “Environmental Sciences and World Public Health”.

“There is a specific planning, which we follow. We have already specified what each institution will do and we are moving forward, “Nikos Thomaidis, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nursing Council and Program in charge of the Program on the part of the EKPA, told RES-EIA.

More specifically, as he noted, by 31 May 2025, all approved PMPs must have filed a certification dossier at the ETHAE. He then calculated that in order to operate the postgraduate degree in September 2026, invitations should be made to submit applications next June 2026. However, from the NCSR’s side there is planning to promote the specific postgraduate and other university degrees earlier in order to earn valuable time.

As he pointed out, this postgraduate public will be dual, which means that the two universities will be admitted to the first year at the same time. In the second year, the admirers will go from their university to their second university. In fact, there is already a provision for granting scholarships to those who are admitted to Greece in order to make an additional incentive for those who want to pursue these studies.

Overall, it is foreseen to have 30 admissions, as a maximum of 20, of which 20 come from the European Union and 10 from third countries.

“Each of the approved programs will have its own specifications and its own regulation, but it will be provided for a quota of European and international students,” he explained.

Universities and numbers

In addition to the above collaboration, between EKPA and YALE, some of the new, joint postgraduate programs approved and expected to start operating from the academic year 2026-27, are as follows:

– Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Harvard University: Personalized Medicine in Multipurpose Ophthalmic Diseases through Interdisciplinary Approach

– Democritus University of Thrace and Sorbonne Université: Industrial Catalysis and Sustainable Energy

– Panteion University and Columbia University: World China

– University of Western Macedonia and Boston University: Craniofacial Engineering

– Agricultural University and University College London: Nutrition and Sustainability

– Technical University of Crete and ETH Zurich: Biomedical Infrastructure Technology and Innovation for the Future

– University of Thessaly and Columbia University New York: Humanitarian Action and Including Public and Single Health Management

– National Technical University of Athens and Heidelberg University: Cultural Heritage Landscapes and Design

– University of Ioannina and Imperial College London: The microbiome in health and illness

Indicatively, some additional names from universities abroad that will work with Greek public universities are: King’s College London, George Mason University, State University of New York, University Paris Viii, York University, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Sibelius Academy, Sibelius Academy, Beijing Language and Culture University, Cyprus University of Technology.

Finally, there is a list of Greek public universities and the number of partnerships they are expected to conclude.

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki: 12

University of Ioannina: 7

Aegean University: 6

Democritus University of Thrace: 5

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens: 4

Ionian University: 4

University of Macedonia: 4

Athens University of Economics: 3

University of Crete: 3

University of Thessaly: 3

University of Peloponnese: 3

Agricultural University of Athens: 3

University of Western Macedonia: 3

Hellenic Mediterranean University: 3

National Technical University of Athens: 2

University of Patras: 2

Harokopio University: 2

International University of Greece: 2

Piraeus University: 1

University of West Attica: 1

Panteion University: 1