Boston University, ETH Zurich, The Karolinska Institute of Medicine in Sweden, Delft University in the Netherlands, The University of Crete, and The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens are among 25 different institutions of higher education where the 68 new recipients of Bodossaki Foundation scholarships are now beginning their studies. The use of robotics in designing programmes for forest fire detection and suppression, the discovery of uncharted areas of the biochemistry of emotions, and addressing human pain through biology are some of the aims that the new recipients of Bodossaki Foundation scholarships hope to achieve with their studies.
The 68 new scholarships cover postgraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral studies and are part of three Bodossaki Foundation scholarship programmes: specifically, the 52nd Regular Scholarship Programme, which provides scholarships for postgraduate studies and doctoral research, the Stamatis G. Mantzavinos Postdoctoral Research Scholarships Programme, and finally, the Visiting Research Scientists Programme, which offers scholarships for researchers working in Greece to engage in short-term scientific research at academic centres in other countries.
With over fifty years of experience awarding and managing scholarships, the Bodossaki Foundation continues to welcome and manage funds from third-party contributors to its Scholarship Programmes who wish to fund scholarships, following the example and drawing inspiration from the Foundation’s own work granting scholarships. These collaborations include partnerships with other foundations, such as the Public Benefit Foundation for Social and Cultural Work (KIKPE), which this year is funding 13 scholarships for postgraduate studies in the area of healthcare through the 52nd Regular Scholarship Programme of the Bodossaki Foundation, as well as the Hellenic Parliament, which also funds scholarships for postgraduate studies through the same programme.
The desire to assist young people in realising the studies they dream of is given practical expression by private donors who recognise the Bodossaki Foundation as the most suitable channel for offering support. Thus this year the ‘Elisavet Fotiou Fotinelli – Ioannis Dimitriou Kritikos Scholarships’ will cover the postgraduate studies of scholars in the fields of Biomedical Sciences. Additionally, the private ‘Scholars’ Scholarship’ initiative is also funding a scholarship for postgraduate studies this year, collecting donations from past scholars of the Bodossaki Foundation.
Among the most popular fields of study chosen by scholarship recipients, both from applicants as a whole and from those ultimately selected as recipients of Bodossaki Foundation scholarships, are Biology, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Digital Technologies, and the fields of Molecular Medicine, Cellular Therapies, and Bio-innovation. There was also significant interest in other areas of Biomedical Sciences, such as Targeted Drug Development, Biomedical Technology and Informatics of Life Sciences, and Regenerative Medicine. Other popular fields include Business Administration, Data Science, and Informatics of Life Sciences. Next on the list are scientific fields with environmental relevance, specifically Environmental Sciences, Energy Resource Production and Management, and Bioclimatic Design in Architecture.
Of the scholars in the 2024-25 academic year, 52 will study in Europe and America, while 16 will study at Greek universities, across a variety of scientific fields. Among them, Sofia is beginning her postgraduate studies in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University, Filippos in Robotics at ETH Zurich, Kalliopi in Health Economics at Karolinska Institute of Medicine in Sweden, Ioanna will continue in the Postgraduate Programme ‘Molecular Basis of Human Diseases’ at the University of Crete, and Iannis in Artificial Intelligence at KU Leuven in Belgium.
Athina Dessypri, President of the Bodossaki Foundation’s Board of Directors, comments on the growth in the number of collaborations the Foundation has entered into with the aim of offering scholarships: “For over half a century, we have been supporting the dreams of young people, guided by the vision of creating equal opportunities for all. We set the bar high by supporting excellence, commitment, and passion for studies and development, and we are delighted when our work inspires and finds supporters. Since 1972, the Bodossaki Foundation’s Scholarship Programmes have been characterised by transparent selection processes and a combination of criteria that include merit, financial need, and the dynamic personalities of the scholars.”
