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🇬🇷 Greece /Culture & Society

"Don't Expect Anything"

From Kathimerini · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • An academic team discovered that European funding for a project mapping refugee movements during the Greek Revolution was lost due to government errors.
  • The researchers faced months of silence and uncertainty from the Ministry of Education after their project was selected for funding.
  • The loss of funding has dashed the hopes of young scientists involved in the project.

A promising research project aimed at mapping refugee movements during the Greek Revolution has been derailed, with European funding lost due to errors by the Greek government. The project, titled "Mapping of refugee movements in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean during the Greek Revolution (1821-1832) using big data and geospatial techniques," was selected for high-level funding.

Do not expect anything.

— UnknownThis quote is the headline of the article, reflecting a sense of disillusionment or warning.

Researchers, including Professor Katerina Galani from the University of Piraeus, expressed initial excitement after their proposal was chosen in July 2025. However, their enthusiasm quickly turned to frustration and anxiety as they received no communication from the Ministry of Education for nine to ten months. Despite the official announcement of their project's selection, the team was left in complete darkness and uncertainty regarding the funding's status.

Attempts to contact the ministry were met with silence, leaving the researchers in growing distress. The funding was intended to support young scientists and basic research, fostering laboratories and research centers. The loss of this European funding, attributed to governmental mistakes, has now dashed the hopes of these young researchers, who feel betrayed by the state's inaction and lack of transparency.

For 9-10 months, they left us in absolute darkness, in uncertainty, in growing anxiety about the fate of the program we had already started working on, because we made the mistake of trusting the Greek state.

— UnknownThis quote expresses the researchers' frustration and sense of betrayal by the Greek government's lack of communication and transparency regarding the funding.

The article highlights the historical context of refugee movements during the Greek Revolution, referencing the efforts of Irish captain Hamilton and his ship "Cambrian" in rescuing refugees. This historical parallel underscores the importance of the research, which aimed to utilize modern data and geospatial techniques to chart these significant historical migrations. The current situation, however, casts a shadow over these historical and contemporary efforts.

When we finally learned what really happened, that the European funding was lost due to their mistakes, no one felt obligated to assure us that the Greek government would do its duty towards us, that they were not throwing us in the...

— UnknownThis quote conveys the researchers' anger and disappointment upon discovering that the funding was lost due to governmental errors and the lack of accountability.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathimerini in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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