The Foundation is active in four main areas related to the promotion of Greek studies abroad: the financial support of university programmes on five continents; the incorporation of a number of classes, seminars or lectures into the curricula of various universities in the U.S.A., Canada, and South America through the Visiting Professors Programme; the organisation of international conferences on Greek studies; and finally, a research grant and academic scholarship programme aimed at foreigners.

	At a press conference, Antonis Papadimitriou presented the programme for supporting Greek studies abroad. In attendance were Mr. George Babiniotis, Mr. Pavlos Papadimitriou, and Mr. Panagiotis Kontos.

As stated recently by the Foundation's President, Mr. Antonis Papadimitriou, at a press conference held at the old Congress Hall of the University of Athens, the support of university professorships and centres for Hellenic Studies, as well as schools, classical education, elementary and middle education outside Greece, constitutes one of the on-going activities of the Foundation, especially in recent years, which have seen the tapering off and even abolishment of professorships in Hellenic Studies.

Bearing in mind the objective difficulties and financial and administrative problems encountered by university professorships in Greek Studies outside Greece, and recognising their contribution to Greek culture, the Foundation provides financial assistance, either independently or in cooperation with other organisations with similar activities, to established university level Greek Studies programmes, which are executing a worthy and on-going project in Europe, the U.S.A., Canada and South America, and to elementary and middle education schools in Europe and the U.S.A. where classical culture is taught.

View of New York’s Colombia University

The Foundation's support covers the teaching of Ancient and Modern Greek, as well as Greek literature, history, and culture, and includes supplying the educational institutions in question with works of Greek literature, dictionaries, and textbooks for learning the Greek language, as well as technological equipment.

The total amount made available by the Onassis Foundation for the support of Greek Studies in 117 educational institutions in 45 countries (from 1975 until today) is 15,266,538 US dollars.

View the list of Educational Establishments Abroad which have been subsidised »

It is mainly the Onassis Affiliated Public Benefit Foundation in New York that is active in implementing the programme for promoting the Greek language and Greek culture and history abroad. It has two main activity areas: the Visiting Professors Programme and the organisation of international conferences on Greek Studies. Apart from the literary and artistic activities that it implements through important exhibitions, musical events, and theatrical readings, the affiliated Foundation's implementation of the above programme contributes substantially to the stepping up and proliferation of Greek Studies.
The International Conference on Greek Studies in the United States, Canada and South America, which was organised by the affiliated Onassis Foundation in cooperation with the University of Athens on October 1, 2005 in New York, was a great success. The meeting was chaired by the Rector of the University of Athens, Mr. George Babiniotis, who, along with attending scientists - Hellenists from universities in Canada and North and South America - analysed issues related not only to classical studies and the teaching of Ancient Greek, but also to modern Greek culture and the teaching of Modern Greek.

	The main building of Universidad Nacional del Sur in Buenos Aires

It is impressive to note the interest shown in Greek letters, the Classical Era, and Neo-Hellenic Studies by students at universities in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina, and in Greek Philosophy at universities in Peru. Despite difficulties in finding funds, the number of professorships in Neo-Hellenic Studies in North America has increased. Also noteworthy is the fact that, apart from students of Greek descent, there are also American students enrolled in these programmes.
Publications constitute a basic weakness in the area of Neo-Hellenism. Oftentimes, the problem is not only related to literary publications, but also to other areas - anthropology, sociology, and political science - when Greek content is concerned. Publishers are often unwilling to publish such books because they are afraid of a lack of interest amongst the readership or even libraries.

There are also difficulties in the organisational framework of Neo-Hellenic Studies due to a lack of established professorships. In this case, the problem must be dealt with by incorporating them into departments for Classical Studies since this is certain to ensure that the progression from Ancient Greece to the Byzantine Era up to modern Greece is covered.
Some of the ideas proposed by the attendees were as follows: teacher and student exchanges between Hellenic institutions abroad and Greek universities; cooperation in organising Greek study programmes abroad and summer classes in Greece; offering Greek Studies electronically in the context of promoting cooperation with other branches; the undertaking of an initiative by the Onassis Foundation for the creation of a programme aimed at supporting academic publications related to Greek Studies.

Bogazici University

Also worth noting was a proposal for the Onassis Foundation to establish a professorship in Greek Philosophy in Peru, which will be filled by a variety of visiting professors from all over the world.
In the context of the same programme, the affiliated Onassis Foundation organised a large Greek Studies conference in Ottawa, Canada in April 2003.

During that conference, the preconditions were created and the bases put in place for the establishment of the Canadian Greek Studies Society. The next Greek Studies conference will take place in Greece in 2008 and will be of a global scope.