Briefing by French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the establishment of the Hellenic Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (Hellenic Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences – HESTIA)

On Saturday, April 25, 2026 a meeting was held at the National Library of Greece (Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center) with the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by his wife, as well as with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, regarding the effort to establish the Hellenic Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (Hellenic Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences) under the distinctive title “HESTIA”.

Specifically, at the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF), we have been preparing for some time now, in collaboration with the French School of Athens (École Française d’Athènes), the creation in Athens of an Institute of Advanced Studies for the humanities and social sciences in Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. Thanks to the initiative of the director of the French School, Véronique Chankowski, a consortium of institutions was formed, including Panteion University, the University of Athens, and of course the National Hellenic Research Foundation through the Institute of Historical Research (IHR/NHRF) and its director, Professor Nikolaos Papazarkadas. On behalf of the IHR, the working group also includes Ourania Polykandrioti, research director at the IHR/NHRF, and the specialist historian Christos Chrysanthopoulos, a member of the Special Scientific–Technical Staff in the Humanities specializing in project and grant management. The entire effort is strongly supported by the President of the NHRF, Professor Dimosthenis Sarigiannis.

The HESTIA Institute of Advanced Studies aspires to become an international hub and center of excellence for interdisciplinary study in the humanities and social sciences, spanning from antiquity to the modern era, within the geographical region of Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. Its purpose is to create and operate programs for hosting researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and scholarship recipients, as well as to develop international cooperation networks with universities, research institutions, and academic organizations. In this context, it will support the design, management, and implementation of national and international research programs, the organization of conferences, seminars, summer schools, lectures, and high-level scientific meetings, and will contribute to doctoral and postdoctoral training through collaborations with participating universities and research centers.

The meeting was attended by (and pictured in the photo), the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron, the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the NHRF President , Professor Dimosthenis Sarigiannis, the Director of the French School of Athens, Professor Véronique Chankowski, the Rector of Panteion University, Professor Christina Koulouri, as well as Platon Petridis, a professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and Ourania Polykandrioti, Director of Research at the Institute of Historical Research (IHR/NHRF), as representatives of the two institutions on the Scientific Council of the French School of Athens.