All Organisations in Regional Unit of Central Athens

The Digital Systems and Computer Architecture Laboratory (DSCAL) of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) serves R&D and educational activities on the design and architecture of computer systems, the interactions between HW and SW on performance, energy/power, and reliability for high-performance and embedded systems, covering microprocessors, HW accelerators, memory systems, GPUs, FPGAs and ASICs. The faculty members serve the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications (DIT) and the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DAST) of NKUA. The DSCAL Space Technologies R&D activities focus on On-board Data Systems (Payload Data Processing). DSCAL has developed high performance HW accelerators (as IP cores) targeting space-grade and COTS FPGAs and implementing CCSDS recommended standards. DSCAL members participate in the CCSDS Space Link Service Multispectral and Hyperspectral Data Compression (SLS-MHDC) Working Group, providing feedback to the WG in HW implementation issues.

The Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Management of the School of Civil Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) conducts research, education and applied studies in hydrological processes, water-resource assessment and management, extreme hydrological events such as floods and droughts, climate–water interactions, radar hydrology, hydroinformatics, GIS, and hydrological and meteorological data systems. The Laboratory operates specialised infrastructure including GIS facilities, hydrological and meteorological instrumentation, automatic weather stations, mobile measurement equipment and an experimental hydrological basin. Within the space ecosystem, its activities are particularly relevant to the integration of Earth Observation, satellite meteorological data, geospatial information and modelling for water-resource monitoring, flood and drought assessment, climate resilience and environmental decision support.

The Intelligent Communications and Broadband Networks Laboratory (ICBNet) of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) conducts research and development in advanced telecommunications, distributed systems, mobile and broadband networks, cybersecurity and privacy, software and service engineering, artificial intelligence and next-generation wireless communications. More recently, its activities include efficient Edge AI, resource-constrained machine learning, 5G/6G systems and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), including radio-resource management and secure communications across integrated terrestrial and satellite infrastructures. Within the space ecosystem, ICBNet is therefore particularly relevant to satellite communications, 5G/6G–satellite integration, NTN architectures, AI-enabled onboard and edge processing, networking, cybersecurity and resilient communications.

The Microelectronics Circuit Design Group (ELAB) of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) conducts research and education in integrated-circuit design, with emphasis on analog, mixed-signal and RF CMOS circuits, wireless communication circuits and systems, semiconductor-device modelling, sensors and microsystems, and advanced microelectronic technologies. Within the space ecosystem, these capabilities are particularly relevant to the design of low-power and high-frequency integrated circuits, RF front ends, mixed-signal electronics, sensing and signal-processing hardware for satellite communications, payloads and other spaceborne electronic systems.

QRBIT develops hardware photonic systems and sub-systems for integration over optical ground station infrastructure, to assist in the future of satellite-based optical and quantum communications. Additionally, QRBIT provides software solutions for optical classical and quantum satellite communications, regarding scheduling and optimization on satellite optical communications based on the prediction and modelling of the atmospheric channel, aiming to increase the links availability and performance.