PANEPISTIMIO DYTIKIS ATTIKIS

Their core work

The University of West Attica (UniWA) is a major Greek public university based in Athens that contributes applied engineering, ICT, and health sciences expertise to European research consortia. Their work spans energy systems integration (particularly island microgrids and battery storage), food safety and aquaculture innovation, digital platforms for security and social media, and occupational health research. They bring practical technical capabilities — sensor systems, IoT, data analytics, and smart packaging — to multi-partner projects addressing real-world challenges from first responder operations to palliative cancer care.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), UniWA focused on energy systems — particularly island-scale battery storage and microgrids — alongside cultural heritage digitization and citizen security platforms. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted decisively toward health (digital palliative care, occupational exposome research), food/seafood science (biosensors, intelligent packaging), and advanced first responder tools with wearables and smart sensing. The common thread throughout is applied sensor and IoT technology, but the application domains have broadened significantly from energy into health and food safety.

UniWA is moving toward sensor-driven applications in health and food quality monitoring, making them a strong partner for projects needing IoT and wearable expertise applied to life sciences.

How they like to work

UniWA operates almost exclusively as a consortium partner (16 of 17 projects), joining large multi-country teams rather than leading them. With 317 unique partners across 35 countries, they are well-connected but not a hub — they bring specialized technical contributions to diverse consortia rather than anchoring repeat partnerships. Their single coordination role (TILOS) was in their strongest domain of energy storage, suggesting they lead only where they have deep expertise.

UniWA has collaborated with 317 unique partners across 35 countries, giving them one of the broader networks for a Greek university of their size. Their partnerships span Western and Southern Europe heavily, with connections reaching into Eastern Europe and beyond through MSCA-RISE mobility projects.

What sets them apart

UniWA's distinguishing feature is their ability to apply the same core sensor, IoT, and data analytics capabilities across very different domains — from island energy grids to seafood biosensors to first responder wearables. This cross-domain versatility makes them especially useful for interdisciplinary consortia that need technical partners comfortable working outside a single sector. As a relatively young university (formed from merging two Athens technical institutes), they combine practical engineering roots with growing research ambition.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TILOS
  Their only coordinated project and by far the largest (EUR 1.6M) — a flagship demonstration of battery storage and smart microgrids on a Greek island, showing real-world energy integration capability.
• RESCUER
  Their second-largest funding (EUR 549K) focused on wearable smart sensing for first responders in infrastructure-less environments — highlights their sensor and edge-computing strengths.
• ICHTHYS
  Combines biosensors, intelligent packaging, and omics-based traceability for seafood safety — an unusual intersection of their IoT expertise with food science.