There are 3 Higher Education Institutions in the Region of Western Greece:
- University of Patras
- University of Peloponnese
- Hellenic Open University
The number of students in higher education corresponds to 2.1% of the population of the Region, and therefore, the Region is ranked in the 1st place among the 13 Regional Units of Greece, in terms of the share of students in total population (in %).
University of Patras
The University of Patras was founded in 1964 and has about 35,000 students (in undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral programs). It is based in Rio, Achaea, however, its departments are established in many cities of Western Greece. The University has 7 faculties consisting of 35 departments.
According to the QS World University Rankings 2020, the University of Patras is ranked in positions 701-750 (overall rank), and ranked 4th at national level.
Of particular interest is the University’s performance in the following indicators:
- Citations per faculty: the University of Patras ranks second nationally, and 358th internationally
- Employer reputation: The University of Patras is ranked 418th globally, and 5th nationally
University of Patras has comparative advantages regarding research and the interconnection between research and entrepreneurship.
University of Peloponnese
The University of Peloponnese was founded in 2000 and has about 25,000 students (in undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral programs). The University’s departments can be found in many cities of the Peloponnese, including the city of Patras, where there is a school consisting of three departments.
The other cities of activity are Tripoli, Kalamata, Sparta, Corinth and Nafplio.
Hellenic Open University
The Hellenic Open University, with headquarters in the city of Patras, was founded in 1992 and has about 42,000 students (in undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral programs)The University has 4 faculties, 3 of which provide undergraduate programs. In addition, 45 postgraduate programs of wide interest (business administration, natural environment, arts and humanities) are provided.
The Hellenic Open University adopts methods of distance learning and provides short-term e-learning programs related to topics of particular importance, such as environmental protection and digital transformation.
Research Activity
The Region of Western Greece, during the 5-year period 2014-2018, was ranked in the 4th place among the 13 Regions in terms of the number of scientific publications (5,752 publications), with more than 90% of them published by the University of Patras.
In addition, 43,696 reports were published , ranking the Region of Western Greece in the 5th place among the 13 Regions, with the index of repercussions of scientific publications standing at7.64, ranking the Region in the 10th place.
The University of Patras employs 1,598 researchers and spends € 23.7 million per year on research activities, with 60% of the funds coming from national resources (60.87%), while a lower percentage (21.74%) comes from international resources.
Innovation: Patents
The research activity that takes place in the Region of Western Greece is gradually bearing fruit and is gradually transformed into a significant increase in the number of patents, which is the first step for the development of final products with commercial use.
In 2016, 2.5% of patent applications were generated in the Region of Western Greece, while the corresponding percentage in 2013 was only 0.8%. The vast majority of applications come from the academic and technological center of the Region, namely the Regional Unit of Achaea.
Researchers
The Region of Western Greece is characterized by high quality and trained human resources that can scientifically support and staff positions of responsibility in the business community.
In particular, the Region employs almost 8.5% of all researchers in the country, with the growth rate of the number of researchers in the Region being 5 times higher, compared to the corresponding rate at national level.
At the same time, the Region of Western Greece is ranked 1st among the 13 Regions in terms of the share of researchers in total employment, with researchers accounting for almost 2% of human resources, with the vast majority of them (almost 75%) being employed in Academic and Research Institutions.
Research and Development Expenditure
The Region of Western Greece contributes 5.3% of the total research and development expenditures in absolute numbers (€ 107 million), and is ranked 4th among the 13 Regions.
The amount of research and development expenditures in the Region of Western Greece has been steadily increasing in recent years and stands at 1.32% of Regional GDP. With this performance the RWG is ranked in the 3rd place among the 13 Regions.
In the Region of Western Greece, financial resources for research and development come mainly from the academic / research community, whilst the companies’ contribution is relatively small (about 20%).