\n<\/p>\n
It was always clear that the challenge of bringing together eminent Greeks from all over the world in one network would be a difficult but worthy effort. And this is what the nonprofit \u201ce Komvos \u2013 e Node: Networks of Global Hellenism\u201d is attempting, after years of preparation. We know that without the collaboration of \u201cGreeks from everywhere,\u201d the Greek Revolution and the Greek state might have been even more difficult projects, their results more uncertain than they already were. Our age, too, demands a marshaling of forces, strategy and clear goals. This demands inspired initiatives, hard work, money and time. There is much talk, many initiatives begin, but it is very difficult to overcome the obstacles of Greek bureaucracy, the fatigue of those making the effort, the lack of funding, the general indifference. These efforts need to show some achievements before gaining the trust that will give them the momentum to get started. Without support, though, it is difficult to prepare such initiatives. Komvos-Node finally seems to be overcoming this obstacle.<\/p>\n
\u201cKomvos came into being two years ago, with the vision of making better use of the energy of global Hellenism, for the development of our country, which continually faces new challenges,\u201d Angelos Chaniotis, chairman of Komvos\u2019 executive board, said at the start of the second annual conference last Friday. \u201cThe second conference presents the progress of ongoing initiatives and new ones in sectors that have important potential for Greece,\u201d added the professor of ancient history and classical studies at Princeton\u2019s Institute for Advanced Study. At the first conference, the program ENNOIA (aimed at advising households in financial literacy) was unveiled, along with initiatives in biotechnology and the better use of diaspora talent. The conference heard of the progress of these three initiatives, along with Komvos\u2019 participation in the public deliberations on issues concerning diaspora Greeks, the establishment of an international advisory board with distinguished personalities from academia and business, as well as other initiatives that developed over the past year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The three latest initiatives were presented by experts and were discussed in depth at the conference. An initiative concerning the maritime sector is aimed at creating space for innovative collaboration, promoting development and maintaining Greek shipping\u2019s competitive edge. Among issues that it will focus on are the fleet\u2019s energy transition, propulsion technology and the use of artificial intelligence, corporate governance and the transformation of the maritime industry. An initiative on the space industry and Greece is aimed at getting Greece to keep pace with developments, to provide information to those interested in becoming part of the space community, to facilitate cooperation between agencies on a single platform. Indicative of the expertise of Komvos members involved, this initiative is headed by Stamatios Krimigis, president of the Academy of Athens and, among others, head emeritus of the Space Department at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, and principal investigator on five NASA missions, and astrophysicist Athena Coustenis, director of research at France\u2019s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). An initiative on tourism and sustainability aims at a new tourism model through cooperation with tourism companies, local communities and scientific agencies.<\/p>\n
Gradually, with proposals and the initiatives that it is developing, with the sponsorship that these are raising, with the persistence of the people who constitute it, Komvos-Node is beginning to be visible, weaving the network that will help experts and agencies join forces to the benefit of all Greeks.<\/p>\n
For more information, go to komvos-node.org.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n