Background

Established: 2005-12-13

Projects & Missions: Corallia’s public material confirms the three clusters, the innohub/open-innovation activities, and the entrepreneurship programmes including ESA BIC Greece with ESA, STARTAB with King’s Trust International, and egg with Eurobank. Corallia participates in and coordinates key innovation missions that strengthen Greece’s technology ecosystem: • Innovation Clusters – Founder/facilitator of three specialised clusters: mi-Cluster for nano/microelectronics, si-Cluster for space technologies and applications, and gi-Cluster for gaming, creative technologies and digital applications, with companies, universities and research institutes as members. • ESA BIC Greece – Operator/coordinator of the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre in Greece, supporting space-related startups to develop products, access technical/business support and connect with the European space ecosystem. Partner: European Space Agency. • STARTAB – Implementer of a youth entrepreneurship programme offering free support, mentoring and training to young people exploring business creation. Partner: King’s Trust International. • egg – enter.grow.go – Partner in one of Greece’s most recognised startup acceleration programmes, supporting early-stage teams with mentoring, training, networking and growth support. Partner: Eurobank. • Innovation Hubs and Open Innovation – Operator of the Corallia innohub in Maroussi and organiser of hackathons, appathons, game jams and networking actions that connect startups, researchers, corporates and public organisations. Across these activities, Corallia designs and delivers collaborative programmes that turn research, talent and ideas into stronger companies, new jobs and international growth.

Key Customers: Corallia primarily serves and supports technology startups, SMEs, research teams, university spin-offs and innovation-driven companies, rather than operating with a traditional customer model. In the space sector, its key beneficiaries include companies developing upstream, downstream and space-enabled technologies through ESA BIC Greece and the si-Cluster, as well as universities and research organisations seeking to commercialise space-related technologies. Its institutional stakeholders and programme partners include the European Space Agency (ESA), Greek ministries and public agencies, research centres, universities, investors and industry organisations. Through ESA BIC Greece, Corallia has supported 32 space-related startups to date and connects them with technical expertise, customers, investors and international business networks.

Affiliations/Memberships: Corallia is a Unit of the Athena Research Center and maintains an extensive network of affiliations across the Greek and European innovation, cluster and space ecosystems. It is the Coordinator and Management Organisation of the si-Cluster – Hellenic Space Technologies and Applications Cluster, as well as coordinator of the gi-Cluster – Gaming and Creative Technologies & Applications Cluster and the mi-Cluster – Nano/Microelectronics-based Systems and Applications Cluster. Corallia is also a member/participant in the European Cluster Alliance and a full member of the European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN), having received EU|BIC certification. Its cluster-management activities have also received European Cluster Management Excellence recognition, including Gold Labels for si-Cluster and gi-Cluster. In the space sector, Corallia is the Operator of ESA BIC Greece, connecting Greek startups to the wider ESA BIC Network, ESA expertise, investors and European space-industry networks. It is also Coordinator of the Greek Copernicus Relay Network and a member of the Greek Copernicus Academy Network, supporting the uptake and commercial exploitation of Copernicus Earth Observation data and services. Corallia is additionally an active contributor to the European Commission’s CASSINI Space Entrepreneurship Initiative, having served as the official Greek organiser of multiple CASSINI Hackathons, together with ESA BIC Greece, and providing participating teams with mentoring, business-development and incubation support. Through ESA BIC Greece, Corallia also connects Greek entrepreneurs with the broader European space entrepreneurship ecosystem and instruments such as CASSINI acceleration and matchmaking activities. Through these affiliations, Corallia maintains strong links with ESA, European institutions,

Facilities: Corallia’s space-related infrastructure is primarily focused on incubation, collaboration and ecosystem development rather than laboratory testing or ground-segment operations. Key facilities and support infrastructure include the Corallia Innovation Hub in Athens, which hosts startups, cluster activities, mentoring, networking and innovation events; the ESA BIC Greece incubation infrastructure, providing workspace, meeting facilities and access to business and technical support for space startups; and the si-Cluster collaboration platform, which connects Greek space companies, research organisations, universities and public stakeholders. Corallia also provides business support infrastructure through mentoring, coaching, investor and funding connections, legal and commercial guidance, international networking, matchmaking and innovation events. Its facilities are therefore designed mainly to support startup growth, technology commercialisation, collaboration and the development of the Greek space ecosystem.