The CALENDAR included all the actions and events planned and implemented throughout 2021, anywhere in the world. Additionally, it stands as a valuable documentation of everything that occurred on the occasion of the Greek Bicentennial.
From the very beginning, the Committee sought the active participation of society in the structure and implementation of the programme of events to take placeon the occasion of the emblematic anniversary. 1827 proposals from organizations, companies and individuals were submitted through the digital platform that was developed.
The "Greece 2021" Committee operated without state funding. Both its operation and the projects and events it implemented were supported by sponsorships and the proceeds from the Numismatic Programme. True toits commitment, all the funds were redirected to society, though implementing actions and events that supported social cohesion, culture, civil protection, science, public health, and youth entrepreneurship.
The Numismatic Programme was implemented with the Bank of Greece's gold sponsorship and the National Mint's collaboration. Fourteen collectible coins and one medal were issued. The coins were available for sale until 20 December 2021; those that remained unsold were destroyed. The "Forerunner" medal was distributed solely through the branches of the National Bank of Greece.
The organizations that participated in the Committee’s Sponsorship Programme played a decisive part in the success of the Committee's work. All participants - the Gold Sponsor, Sponsors, Supporters and Donors - actively supported the collective effort, backed the Committee's operation and funded its important projects and events.
At the same time, the Event Sponsor initiative was launched. The organizations participating supported specific projects of particular interest to them either because of their location or their content. The projects were selected among the 1827 proposals submitted to the relevant platform.
The Members of the Assembly and the Executive Board, the Chief Executive Coordinator, the employees, the Sponsors, and the Event Sponsors were honoured in a special ceremony at the Athens Concert Hall.
A unique visual documentary on the 200 years of the ModernGreek State. Excerpts from films, museum collections, photographs and historical documents were used for its creation. It was screened repeatedly in Greece and abroad and received awards at international festivals.
ARCHIMEDES is a research unit on Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Algorithm Development. It was founded as a unit of the Athena Research Center, and its establishment was proposed by the members of the Committee's Assembly, professors Christos Papadimitriou (Columbia) and Constantinos Daskalakis (MIT). A large group of Committee officials worked systematically towards its implementation and succeeded in integrating this pioneering unit into the "Greece 2.0" project, which the RRF funds. The goal is for ARCHIMEDES to cause a Paradigm shift in one of the most dynamically developing scientific areas in Greece.
The Committee invited many of the country's Municipalities and Regions to submit proposals to the programme of bicentennial projects and events. The Committee backed a significant number of those proposals in order to be funded by the "ANTONIS TRITSIS" programme with a total amount of € 50,000,000. The projects that joined the Programme concern various sectors such as culture, education, tourism development, the environment, and more.
A digital collection presenting the Greek men and women who left their mark on the 200 years through their deeds and accomplishments. It was aired on hundreds of public screens throughout 2021. Its purpose always remains relevant since ... "it speaks of our History, through the people who wrote it."
History comes alive in the largest projection mapping project that ever took place in our country. The short film "Desire for Freedom" was projected on the facades of iconic buildings in 18 Greek cities; it was created exclusively with images from paintings and other works of art of the revolutionary era. A shorter film relating to local history was screened alongside the main movie in each city.
What was significant for the press at the time of the Revolution? What did foreign newspapers write about the struggle of the Greeks? The Committee funded the research undertaken by a team of researchers at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, who collected all the newspapers that circulated from 1821 to the arrival of Otto and comprised summarized all printed articles. Additionally, they indexed of all texts referring to Greece in the Ionian Islands Gazette and the London Times of the same period, as well as around 100 significant articles of the international press concerning the Revolution. All this material remains a valuable aid for every scholar of the era.
The Committee funded and delivered to the State a mobile health unit consisting of 18 fully equipped intensive care units. The action aimed at not only dealing with covid-19 but also strengthening the NHS in general. The unit was installed at the Papanikolaou Hospital in Thessaloniki.
A team of scientists at Papanikolaou Hospital developed a drug based on T-lymphocytes to confront the SARS-2 pandemic. The Committee financed this research in two phases, which rendered excellent results.
Further to a proposal by the Greek Association for Asperger's Syndrome, the Committee funded the development of the JobsLink platform. In this digital environment, businesses, properly trained mentors, and direct beneficiaries "meet," aiming to capitalize on the beneficiaries' unique skills with the proper support.
The Committee funded a pioneering research project concerning the prevention of brain and heart disease. The five-year programme is implemented in North Kynouria in collaboration with the First Pathology Clinic of the Medical School of the University of Ioannina, the Hellenic Stroke Organization, the Astros Health Center, and the Municipality of North Kynouria.
A burned tree is a loss for all of us. It is a collective injury that needs healing. With this in mind, the Committee, following the devastating fires of August 2021, committed to allocating a specific portion of the revenues of its Numismatic Programme towards strengthening Civil Protection. Honouring its commitment, it equipped the Fire Department with ten fire trucks and vital equipment, both for the firefighters and for the volunteers.
Twenty multipurpose vehicles were donated to the Army General Staff. These personnel transport vehicles were delivered to the Evros region to support border safeguarding and increase the support to the local population.
The Skinakas Observatory on Psiloritis, Crete, has generated excellent results and many international acknowledgments. But, since "the sky is the limit," its development is continuous and new programmes are initiated. In the context of supporting projects that introduce new prospects for the future, the Committee funded the installation of the new 1m-diameter telescope, which will allow the Skinakas Observatory to join the global network of observatories studying time-changing celestial bodies (Time Domain Astrophysics).
In total, more than 340 actions and events were carried out relating to all four Committee's pillars: "1821 in Greece and the World", "Greece in the course of 200 years", "Greeks who left their mark on the world," and "2021 as a window of opportunity for the future of Greece."
The programme of projects and events coordinated by the "Greece 2021" Committee stretched through the entire anniversary year and was implemented in Greece and 46 countries on all continents. The documentary "Forward Look" presents the complete review.