The Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), established in 1983, is one of the largest research centers in Greece with well - organized facilities and highly qualified personnel. It functions under the supervision of the General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Hellenic Ministry of Development and consists of seven Research Institutes located throughout Greece: Heraklion, Rethymnon, Patras and Ioannina. The Foundation's headquarters are located in Heraklion, Crete. The research and technological directions of the Foundation cover major areas of scientific, social, and economic interest, such as: Computer Sciences, Molecular Biology, Lasers, Telecommunications, Medical Engineering, Microelectronics, Robotics, Biotechnology, Materials, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Biomedical Technologies, Bioinformatics as well as Historical and Cultural Studies. Over the years, FORTH has become one of the top European research centers, thanks to its high impact research results and its valuable socioeconomic contribution.