Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH)
Institute for Bio-Economy and Agri-Technology (IBO)
CERTH was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Thessaloniki. It is a private legal entity, non-profit organization. As one of the most prominent research centres in Greece and Europe, its primary mission is to promote innovative research for the benefit of society as a whole. CERTH’s five Institutes focus on a broad range of fields, including clean energy, low/zero CO2 emission technologies, clean vehicle technologies, green hydrogen, climate change, artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, the Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, future smart home infrastructures, precision medicine, a holistic health-nutrition approach, autonomous vehicles, driving simulators, traffic control hubs, smart cities, precision agriculture, agro-robotics, and the circular economy. These fields are explored by the following Institutes: the Institute of Chemical Processes and Energy Resources (CPERI), the Institute of Information Technologies (ITI), the Hellenic Institute of Transport (HIT), the Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB), and the Institute of Bio-Economy and Agri-technology (IBO). Together with the organization’s Central Directorate, they employ over 1,600 individuals—primarily engineers and scientists—across 7 regions and 9 cities in Greece.
CERTH/IBO
Institute for Bio-Economy and Agri-Technology (iBO), focusing on the scientific field of agri-technology and the broader scientific area of biosystems engineering. iBO’s research priorities include rational environmental management and sustainability assessment of bio-production activities, and the optimisation of human interactions within these activities, all in the direction of adopting the principles of the circular economy. Finally, the Environmental Engineering and Sustainability (EnvES) lab is a key part of iBO, particularly focusing on environmental engineering addressing the interactions between environment, agriculture, energy and quality of life and exploiting this knowledge to the design of novel processes and products serving sustainability objectives and the circular economy.
About the partnership
CERTH/IBO will support Theseus H4C activities related to materials, water and energy flows by conducting a Material Flow Analysis (MFA), as well as participating in the characterization of Theseus value chains. Moreover, CERTH/IBO will facilitate the development of AI algorithms to optimize recycling and degradation. Besides that, CERTH/IBO will have an active role in all pilot activities related to the textiles value chain, such as sorting, upcycling, and flow implementation.
Meet the Team
George F. Banias
Senior Researcher (Grade B’) | Laboratory Head
Dr. Georgios F. Banias is a Senior Researcher (Grade B) in CERTH/iBO and the Head of Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Lab. He is Visiting Lecturer at School of Economics and Business Administration and Legal Studies, International Hellenic University (Courses: Environmental Impact Assessment, Industrial Ecology and Life Cycle Analysis). Dr. Banias holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, specializing in Environmental Informatics and Waste Management. His research portfolio includes the successful coordination and execution of numerous high-profile projects funded by Horizon Europe, PRIMA, and national research programs, with a focus on decision support systems, bioeconomy, circularity, life cycle assessment of various waste management schemes, and sustainable biobased systems. He is the author of more than 100 scientific publications. His research interests focus on the areas of Circular Economy and Sustainability, Environmental Impact Assessment, Life Cycle Analysis, Environmental Informatics and Decision Support Systems, Environmental Management Systems, Waste Management and Bio-economy. Additionally, Dr. Banias serves as the Chair of CERTH/iBO’s Scientific Committee.
Theodora Patsakidou
Research Associate
Mrs. Theodora Patsakidou holds a diploma in Civil Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a MSc degree in Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development from the same Institution. She has conducted laboratory research in the field of wastewater processes as part of her diploma thesis. She has participated in various EU and national funding research programmes related to circular economy and green innovation. She has also extensive experience in consulting and managing technical infrastructure projects while working with the public sector. Her research interests focus on the areas of Wastewater treatment processing, Circular Economy, Sustainability analysis and assessment, Environmental Management with a focus on leveraging the research outcomes and bridging it with societal needs.
Maria Batsioula
PhD candidate – Research Associate
Mrs. Maria Batsioula, holds a Diploma in Civil Engineering and a Master’s degree in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development. She is currently a PhD Candidate in the Department of Environmental Sciences of University of Thessaly. Her research interests focus on Life Cycle Analysis, Waste management, Environmental Impact Assessment, Circular Bioeconomy and Sustainability. She has participated in H2020 and other funded research projects, gaining expertise on the application of innovate solutions for sustainable development and environmental issues of European cities.
Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions programme under grant agreement No 101095303, under topic HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-38 – Hubs for circularity for industrialised urban peripheral areas (Processes4Planet partnership) (IA).
