Spotlight on partners series

Officially introducing the University of Patras.

University of Patras was established in November 1966 with the aim of providing high-quality higher education in Western Greece. Over time, the University has become a major stepping stone in the modernisation of the Greek higher education system.

To date, the University of Patras has achieved the following:

• • • It has developed into a comprehensive university comprising 7 schools and 31 departments.
    • It hosts 28,727 undergraduate students and 3,959 postgraduate students, supported by 727 faculty members, 146 teaching and technical staff, and 457 administrative personnel.
    • It demonstrates a continuously upward international ranking: in 2025, the University of Patras was ranked among the top 800 universities worldwide according to the Shanghai Ranking, while faculty members have been included in Stanford University’s list of the top 2% of scientists globally.
    • It operates the largest university campus in Greece.

UPAT has successfully integrated into the European and international landscape of education and research. Indicative examples include:

• • • Participation in the European University Association (EUA), which represents the collective voice of European universities — institutions that have shaped education and research in Europe for over a millennium.
    • Participation in international organizations, such as EUNICOAST and RMEI (Mediterranean Engineering Schools Network), which facilitates collaboration among engineering institutions across the Mediterranean to promote sustainable development, education, and researchc)
    • Founding member of the EASN Association, with the University holding the Chair of the Association from its establishment in 2008 until 2019.
    • Establishment of the Confucius Institute at the University of Patras in 2024; the Institute aims to promote and disseminate Chinese culture in Greece, provide Chinese language education, and foster multi-level academic and cultural collaborations.

Furthermore, to contribute to the promotion of cutting-edge societal and sustainability-related issues, the University of Patras has undertaken the following initiatives:

• • • A unanimous decision of the University Senate in October 2020 to establish the Sustainable–Green University Committee, aligning all core strategic and operational decisions with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• • • The establishment of a Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee, following a formal decision of the University Senate, reinforcing inclusivity, equality, and institutional accountability.

UoP is represented in this project by the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics. Through its participation in more than 420 EU-funded projects, the University of Patras has accumulated substantial experience, which will be fully leveraged for the effective execution of its tasks within the EXAELIA framework.

In particular, a strong foundation for carrying out these tasks is provided by the Department’s extensive prior involvement in major European aviation and research initiatives under Clean Sky, Clean Sky 2, and Clean Aviation (with eight ongoing projects, including HERA, HERFUSE, H2ELIOS, HERWINGT, and FASTERH2).

In parallel, the Department has actively contributed to Horizon Europe projects, such as Impact Monitor and Impact Monitor II, through which it has further strengthened its cooperation with major European research and industrial players, many of which are also involved in EXAELIA, including NLR, DLR, CIRA, and ONERA, among others.

UPAT brings its expertise to EXAELIA in the following areas, placing a emphasis on design, analysis & optimization of aircraft structures, and involving sustainability as a core design principle:

• • • Studying stakeholder needs for a sustainable long-range aircraft.
    • Investigating existing governance and operation models of flying testbeds (FTBs), including funding and financing strategies to support exploitation strategies.
    • Deriving sustainability requirements and metrics for future long-range aircraft.
    • Gathering information on suitable technologies not included within EXAELIA, providing estimates of potential benefits at the aircraft level and identifying possible flight test requirements.
    • Supporting the development of engineering methodologies, including sustainability assessment approaches and tools.
    • Supporting testbed design activities for propulsion technologies.
    • Introducing Sustainability Index as a metric to assess the holistic impact of novel aircraft designs