NCSR Democritos
The National Center of Scientific Research "Democritus" or short NCSR Demokritos ( Greek Εθνικό Κέντρο Έρευνας Φυσικών Επιστημών "Δημόκριτος" Ε.Κ.Ε.Φ.Ε. ΔΗΜΟΚΡΙΤΟΣ , in about National Research Center of Natural Sciences "Demokritos" ' ) is about 1000 employees the largest research institution in Greece and is state-run. At the NCSR Demokritos, scientists conduct research in various disciplines of computer science, life sciences, physics, chemistry, radiology / archeometry, energy and security and operate large physical devices (currently Van de Graaff and tandem ion accelerators). In addition to the mostly publicly funded research, projects financed by the industry are increasingly being acquired.
history
The facility was founded in 1959 as a nuclear research center with the purpose of the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the (natural) sciences. It was named after the founder of atomism Democritus . The center is located in Agia Paraskevi , a suburb of Athens , approx. 10 km from the center. The site covers an area of around 150 hectares and a built-up area of 35,000 m². In 1985 its status as a self-governing body was legally confirmed.
As a result of the Greek financial crisis (since 2010), far-reaching structural changes were made to the entire research center. Until then, his field of work spanned extensive areas of basic research and its applications, on which eight independent institutes previously worked:
- Institute of Biology
- Institute of Materials Science (IMS)
- Institute of Microelectronics
- Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications (IIT)
- Institute of Nuclear Technology - Radiation Protection (INT-RP)
- Institute of Nuclear Physics
- Institute of Radioisotopes & Radiodiagnostic Products
- Institute of Physical Chemistry
The Research Rector
The research reactor of the type GGR-1 went into operation on July 27, 1961, the output of which was increased to five megawatts in 1971. After more than 40 years of operation, it was finally shut down in 2001. An initiative in 2008/2009 to modernize the reactor in cooperation with the Korean KOPEC and to resume operation - then with 10 MW - for another 20 years, was discontinued due to financial bottlenecks. From the beginning, the research reactor served as a national neutron source for structure and element analysis in physics , chemistry and materials research , the production of radionuclides for biology and medicine as well as for tissue sterilization. The range of services also focused on archaeometry for the preservation of cultural heritage. Currently, most of these services are purchased outside of Greece.
Structure and research areas of the center today
Since its restructuring in 2015, the NCSR Demokritos has consisted of five administratively independent institutes:
- Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications
- Institute of Biosciences and Applications
- Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
- Institute of Nuclear and Radiological Sciences and Technology, Energy and Safety
Project participation (selection)
- SHARE (research project on the networking and use of modern IT solutions at larger locations)
- Astroparticle European Research Area