During the last few years more and more international companies from the USA, Europe, the Middle East and Asia are buying surveys “made in Greece.” Among those master companies of the global economy are the petrol giant BP, Total Corporation, Aramco, Repsol YPF and the car producer Honda.

Foreign companies found out about the patent of The Center for Research and Technology Hellas, with headquarters in Thessaloniki. As a result, the company started signing ?4 million contracts per year for their researches.

Only for last year the center secured contracts for ?3.98 million and added in its client’s list “John Deere” – a US company producing heavy weights motor vehicles. The Research Center is moving upstream, which drags Greece and mostly its province towards the import of “know-how” and not towards exporting researches and technologies.

What products are those companies interested in? For example, “Aramco,” which is headquartered in Saudi Arabia is interested in technologies for water desalination. The car producer “Honda” and “John Deere” are interested in improving the accelerator function and the exhaust pipe.

Foreign companies with headquarters in Russia and Indonesia are also knocking on the research Center’s doors. They find information about it in scientific journals, congress reports and on the internet.

For 2009 the budget of the Center reaches ?26 million, out of which ?4 million are incomes from companies, ?15 million will be covered by research programs, and ?3 million are a subsidy from the government. Right now six institutes are working with the Center. This year the seventh one will open – it will specialize in processing materials (Manufacturing Institute – MITh).

Meanwhile, the First Congress of Research Institutes will take place in Thessaloniki on April 1^st. The “best research practices” and the national policy on researches will be presented during the Congress.