WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana – Purdue University continues to expand and expand its global presence with the signing of a series of Memoranda of Understanding with four leading research universities in Greece, at a time when the United States and Greece have a very strong relationship . The STEM-focused MoUs mark the fourth international partnership announced by Purdue in the past three weeks. A fifth memorandum of understanding has also been signed between Purdue and the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commercewhose main objective is to promote and foster economic and commercial relations between the United States and Greece.
On May 30-31 in Athens, Greece, Purdue Chairman Mung Chiang was joined by his counterparts from National Technical University of Athens, National and Kapodistrian University, Democritus University of Thraceand the University of Patras finalize agreements that will create vital teaching, research and innovation collaboration between partners and study abroad opportunities for Purdue students.
Chiang and Purdue colleagues also met with Purdue alumni and friends as well as the U.S. Ambassador to Greece, continuing to strengthen U.S.-Greece relations.
Purdue chairman Mung Chiang, left, with Meletios A. Dimopoulos, rector of the University of Athens. (Photo provided)
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“We look forward to a fruitful partnership with four leading research universities in Greece, where there is a strong legacy of classical education,” Chiang said. “These dynamic relationships are intended to capture opportunities for research collaboration, opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in both countries, as well as opportunities to expand Purdue’s pool of doctoral students.
The partners discuss common academic and research programs related to physics, computer science, electrical engineering and biological sciences. These programs also train students in key areas to contribute to workforce development.
“We can cast a wide net, so to speak, to ensure that we can leverage as many partnerships as possible across the country that would be a good fit for Purdue departments, Purdue initiatives and, of course, faculty and students. “said Peristera Paschou. , professor of biological sciences and associate dean for graduate studies and strategic initiatives at Purdue’s College of Science. “We are discussing research collaborations and we are also discussing the potential design of dual academic offerings, programs that will create a bridge connecting Greek universities to our programs here at Purdue.”
Purdue Chairman Mung Chiang with Jan Jambon, Minister-President of Flanders, Flemish Government. (Photo provided)
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Paschou, who received his doctorate from the National University of Athens in 2002, has been a faculty member of Purdue’s Department of Biological Sciences since 2016. Other members of the Purdue delegation included Petros Drineas, associate head of the Department of Biological Sciences. ‘computer science ; Dimitrios Peroulis, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Lefteri Tsoukalas, professor of nuclear engineering; Pavlos Vlachos, Professor of Health Engineering; and Alyssa Wilcox, senior vice president of partnerships.
In addition to university partnerships, Chiang has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, which has 750 member companies across Greece. “The intention is for Purdue to provide training for workforce development in Greece and also leverage the expertise of Greek business and industry to partner with our faculty here at Purdue and pursue research and innovation,” Paschou said.
After the visit to Greece, the Chiang and Purdue colleagues traveled to Brussels and Leuven in Belgium, where they met with Imec CEO Luc Van den Hove and the management team at Imec headquarters to discuss the seminal partnership for semiconductor research and development collaboration announced in May in Washington, DC.
Purdue Chairman Mung Chiang and Indiana State Applied Research Institute CEO David Roberts met with Imec CEO Luc Van den Hove and management team at headquarters from Imec. (Photo provided)
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Chiang and David Roberts, CEO of the Indiana State Applied Research Institute, then met with the Minister-President of the Flemish Government, Jan Ham; former Ambassador of Belgium to the EU and the United States, Dirk Wouters; and Chairman of the Committee on Budgets of the European Parliament, Johan Van Overtveldt, in Brussels.
“We are delighted to accelerate and expand the partnership with IMEC, which has the most successful model of university-semiconductor industry collaboration,” Chiang said. “We also benefited from a wide range of open discussions on innovation collaboration in the areas of energy, transport and the pharmaceutical industry with the leaders of Belgium and the EU. Purdue University is the new bridge between Europe and the American Silicon Heartland.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a leading public research institution that develops practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the past five years as one of the 10 most innovative universities in the United States by US News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and breakthrough discoveries. Committed to real-world hands-on, online learning, Purdue provides transformative education for everyone. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, allowing more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in its persistent pursuit of the next giant leap https://stories.purdue.edu.
Writer/media contact: Wes Mills, wemills@purdue.edu
Source: Peristera Paschou, ppaschou@purdue.edu
