Foreign Universities in Greece Eye Athens and Ellinikon for Private Institutions’ Campuses

The vote for the bill on establishing private universities is set for Friday, March 8, amidst significant backlash from students, workers, educators, and academics. Despite this, preparations for non-state universities in Greece are underway, with the search for suitable campuses already in progress.

Concerning infrastructure, the bill stipulates that the installation must be autonomous, with appropriate building facilities and technical equipment, with provisions for secondary facilities within the same prefecture.

Dimitris Manousakis, Head of Savills Hellas, a subsidiary of the British real estate group Savills Plc, reported a rising demand for properties capable of hosting foreign higher education institutions, with at least two foreign universities from European Union countries having already shown interest in large buildings in Athens.

However, the demand is not limited to buildings alone but also extends to land, as indicated by Nicky Simpoura, Head of Proprius, a real estate consulting services company.

At the same time, reliable sources reveal that top universities, including MIT, Yale, and Harvard, visited the Ellinikon mega-project site where Lamda Development showcased its redevelopment plans. Notably, Yale and Harvard have collaborations with Greece’s oldest and largest public university, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

In any case, Eellinikon is set to become one of the pioneering locations for privately-owned universities in Greece. The Hellenic Healthcare Group (HHG), under the ownership of investment fund CVC Capital Partners, is advancing plans to establish Greece’s inaugural private medical school in partnership with the University of Nicosia. As per the proposed legislation governing non-state universities, any institution seeking licensure must encompass a minimum of three schools, including the medical school.