The National GreenTech Pipeline — UNESCO Chair on Green Innovation at NTUA December 2025

The translation of academic research and entrepreneurial ambition into deployable green-technology solutions is one of the most demanding tests of any innovation ecosystem and one in which NTUA, through the UNESCO Chair on Green Innovation and Circular Economy, plays a central national role. From October to 12–14 December 2025, the UNESCO Chair held the scientific responsibility for the 9th GreenTech Challenge (GTC25), Greece's largest national green innovation programme organised by Mantis Beyond Innovation. Over two months of intensive incubation, the 2025 edition mobilised 177 proposals from more than 200 innovators, including 32 startups, 20 research groups and 125 innovation idea-holder teams, working on contemporary environmental challenges across five thematic priorities: Energy; Decarbonisation and Energy Transition; Environmental Projects and Infrastructure; Smart and Sustainable Cities; and Water Management. Bootcamp trainings, dry-runs and one-to-one mentoring guided participants in transforming early-stage concepts into deployable products with measurable environmental impact, culminating in a three-day final at which the most mature solutions were presented to mentors, the scientific committee and partner organisations. The 10th edition, planned for 2026, will introduce a redesigned methodology built around design thinking and the use of artificial intelligence for ideation, validation and prototyping, accelerating the journey from idea to startup in a national ecosystem where NTUA continues to position itself as both a generator of knowledge and a catalyst for its translation into climate impact.