Aiming at strengthening the Greek start-up ecosystem and bridging the gender gap in research and innovation, the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation supported the “Mini Acceleration Programme”, a targeted two-month acceleration programme, implemented in the framework of the business accelerator “egg – enter•grow•go”. The Programme aims to address the phenomenon of low female representation in various business, academic and research fields, and to attract more women to STEM technologies, by providing multi-level support to research teams.

During the period October-December 2024, the 2nd round of the “Mini Acceleration Programme” was implemented with the Foundation’s support.  In that framework, the participating research teams had access to a personalised curriculum, including skills development workshops, mentoring sessions and networking opportunities within a dynamic entrepreneurial community in Greece and abroad. Through the Programme, participants had the chance to familiarise themselves with core concepts of entrepreneurship and strategies for the business development of their innovative ideas, gain valuable know-how and connect their research work with the real market. The Programme concluded with the organisation of a pitching event, which gave the participating teams the opportunity to present their idea to a wide audience of investors and professionals from different sectors.

• A total of 90 researchers participated in the 2nd round of the Programme.
• 24 research teams from 7 Greek Universities and Research Centers participated in the Programme, with at least 30% participation of female researchers.
• Research teams from a variety of technology and productive sectors, such as Life Sciences, EduTech, FoodTech and EnergyTech, participated in the Programme.

“An unwavering goal of Eurobank’s business accelerator egg – enter•grow•go is to support female representation in research and innovation. Through the specialised two-month mentoring programme for female researchers and students, our aim is not only to strengthen female representation in science but also to cultivate a thriving ecosystem that will foster the development of innovative entrepreneurship in our country.”

Roula Bachtalia

Director & Member of the Steering Committee, egg – enter•grow•go