EE Times Europe was given an exclusive tour of the new Hellenic High Technology Cluster Initiative (HTCI) facility [see Greece frames future in technology cluster] and briefed in depth by its private and government supporters including visits to HSIA member companies in and around Athens.

The HTCI incubator and technology center is located in the municipality of Maroussi, which was mainly an ancient agricultural area and more recently a residential one, whose Kifissias Avenue is known as "telecom alley, reflecting a post-Olympics boom in wireless and networking companies such as Vodafone, Siemens, Cisco, EMC and Hewlett-Packard, that are increasingly making Maroussi home base for Athens and the region.

The Kifissias Avenue station on the Athens Metro is the gateway to the cluster (and the Athens Olympic Stadium built for the 2004 Olympic Games) and the area is a short distance from the new Athens International Airport and the new Helexpo exposition center.

Massive investments and improvements have been made in transportation, communications and municipal infrastructure for the Olympics --including a new ring road and a breathtaking high-speed roadway linking downtown and the new Athens International Airport.

Among ancient ruins, a solid foundation and groundwork for a 21st century phase of economic development is quickly emerging in the region in and around Maroussi.

"There's fiber everywhere and we have the most advanced cable network in Athens and wireless hot spots throughout the area," Nikos Vogiatzis, cluster operations and corporate services director for HTCI, said of the Maroussi location, which was almost ready for occupancy.

HTCI, focused on semiconductors, microelectronics and embedded systems, is setting up shop in a refurbished, three-level, 2,800-square-meter (about 9,200 square feet) facility designed as both an incubator and a new permanent home for several of HTCI's more established technology companies. The facility includes modern parking facilities, secure technology-business office and R&D facilities.

While construction and renovation in the new facility was still under way, all of the available space in the cluster facility has been spoken for and allocated to its new tenants. The first 10 permanent tenants in the facility are: Atmel Hellas, Bytemobile , Inaccess Networks, Helic , GDT, Alma Technologies, BLUEdev, Diaplous, and 4Plus. All are members of the Hellenic Semiconductor Industry Association. Other companies, including new start-ups, will occupy incubator facilities on the ground and first floors.

HTCI's, cluster operations and corporate services director Nikos Vogiatzis

"We already need more room," Nikos Vogiatzis, cluster operations and corporate services director said during the tour, noting that plans for Phase 2 are already being discussed and include potential expansion and growth nearby on the grounds of Athens International Airport. Ultimately, cluster proponents hope to deploy a large-scale Cluster Ecosystem and to develop a dedicated "Cluster Innovation Area" in the 2009 to 2013 timeframe.

The Ministry of Development's Operational Programme "Competitiveness" comes under the 3rd Community Support Framework (3rd CSF) 2000-2006. It incorporates a package of actions and subsidies designed to improve the competitiveness of the Greek economy and to promote the country's social and economic convergence with the other EU member states.

Cluster funds support the management and administration of the center, infrastructure (building rent & utilities), hardware (equipment, furnishing, etc.) software (EDA tools, CRM tools, etc.), training and seminars (generic and specific), external expertise (legal consultants, market studies, business development etc.), dissemination (public relations, marketing, conferences, exhibitions, road shows, etc.) and patent, intellectual property due diligence, seminars and filing process and procedures in support of its clients.

The growth and development of Greece's nascent entrepreneurial-driven innovation sector in semiconductors and electronics has quickly outgrown and challenged the nation's existing legal and business infrastructure, making specialized cluster services essential to the success and growth of its member companies and clients.

"There are not many IP lawyers in Greece" Yorgos Koutsoyannopoulos, the chairman and chief executive officer of Helic SA, said, adding that legal support services are being set up for the cluster through cooperative arrangements with providers in other parts of Europe, such as the London Business School in the case of intellectual property legal services.