PANEPISTIMIO DYTIKIS MAKEDONIAS

Their core work

The University of Western Macedonia, based in Kozani (Greece's energy heartland), specializes in smart grid cybersecurity, IoT-enabled energy systems, and next-generation telecommunications. Their research bridges electrical power infrastructure protection with advanced networking technologies like 5G and software-defined networks. They also contribute to circular bioeconomy research and evidence-based energy policy, reflecting the broader sustainability challenges facing their coal-transition region.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2018-2019) centered on telecommunications and energy hardware — 5G heterogeneous networks, spectrum management, massive MIMO, and circular economy waste recovery. From 2020 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward cybersecurity of energy infrastructure, IoT platform coordination, and behavioural approaches to energy efficiency policy. This evolution shows a university moving from component-level telecom research toward system-level integration of secure, intelligent energy networks.

Heading toward the intersection of cybersecurity and smart energy systems, making them a strong fit for projects on critical infrastructure protection and digital energy transition.

How they like to work

UOWM acts as both a project leader and an active contributor — they coordinated 3 of their 9 projects (SPEAR, TERMINET, EVIDENT), which is a high coordination rate for a mid-sized Greek university. With 143 unique partners across 26 countries, they build broad European networks rather than relying on a small circle of repeat collaborators. This suggests an institution comfortable managing international consortia and open to new partnerships.

Extensive network of 143 unique partners spanning 26 countries, indicating strong pan-European reach well beyond the typical Greek academic circle. Their coordination experience means they have direct relationships with a wide variety of research and industry partners across energy, security, and digital sectors.

What sets them apart

Located in Kozani — the center of Greece's lignite coal region undergoing energy transition — UOWM brings direct experience with real-world decarbonization and energy infrastructure challenges that most universities only study theoretically. Their rare combination of cybersecurity expertise applied specifically to power grids and energy systems, paired with behavioural policy research, means they can address both the technical and human dimensions of the energy transition. For consortium builders, they offer proven coordination capability with a high project-leadership rate unusual for their size.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TERMINET
  Their largest project (EUR 889,500) as coordinator, focused on next-generation smart IoT interconnection — signals institutional ambition and capacity to lead major digital infrastructure research.
• SPEAR
  Coordinated this secure smart grid project, establishing UOWM as a leader in energy cybersecurity — a niche with growing strategic importance for European critical infrastructure.
• EVIDENT
  Unusual for a technical university to coordinate behavioural economics research using randomized control trials for energy policy — shows interdisciplinary breadth.