The University of Crete (UoC) is a public educational institution, established in 1973 accepting its first students in 1977-78. Currently around 20,000 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students study in UoC through the Faculties of Philosophy, Education, Social Sciences, Sciences & Technology, and Medicine, taught by an outward looking academic staff committed to excellence in research and teaching. Postgraduate studies, research and research training in Crete benefits from an academic and technological environment of international standards, built up over the last 40 years, by Departments of UoC with the Institutes of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), the University General Hospital (PagNi), the Hellenic Mediterranean University and other institutions in Crete. These provide a critical mass of expertize in AHSS, STEM disciplines and Medicine, as well as access to excellent complementary facilities for research and research training in highly competitive fields.

UoC major research infrastructure and facilities includes, among else, the Research Center for the Humanities, the Social and Education Studies (https://keme.uoc.gr/index.php/en/), the Natural History Museum of Crete (https://www.nhmc.uoc.gr/en), Finokalia Atmospheric Observatory (https://finokalia.chemistry.uoc.gr/), Skinakas Observatory (https://skinakas. physics.uoc.gr/en/), state-of-the-art analytical chemistry infrastructure (mass spectrometry, ICP-MS, ion chromatography, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Raman Spectroscopy), Electron microscopy and bioimaging units and Animal House facilities. Besides, the Center of Infrastructure Technology Services Informatics & Communication (https://ict.uoc.gr/ index.php/en/) is a vital component of the foundation’s operations, being responsible for software applications, hardware support, telecommunications, multimedia services, network infrastructure, educational technologies, information security and digital harmonization.