Institute of Astrophysics

What Institute of Astrophysics does

The Institute of Astrophysics (IA-FORTH), headquartered within the Physics Building at the University of Crete campus in Heraklion, Greece, is the only research institute in Greece devoted exclusively to astrophysics. Established in 2019 as a unit of the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), it inherits nearly three decades of research heritage from the former astrophysics group at FORTH's Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser (IESL) and the University of Crete Department of Physics. The institute organizes its science around three research groups: Active Galactic Nuclei, Astro-Informatics, and High-redshift Obscured Quasars, with core activities spanning theoretical and observational astrophysics including supermassive black hole binary detection, galaxy evolution, multi-messenger astronomy, and computational methods on large-scale astronomical datasets.

IA-FORTH operates the Skinakas Observatory as a ground-based research facility and secures privileged access to flagship international facilities including Hubble, Spitzer, Chandra, XMM-Newton, ALMA, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (LSST), and forthcoming missions such as Euclid and LISA. The institute's technical approach combines electromagnetic observations, gravitational-wave data from pulsar timing arrays (NANOGrav, International Pulsar Timing Array), and modern statistical/machine learning methods developed under its TITAN ERA Chair in Astroinformatics. Major funded programs include MMMonsters (ERC Starting Grant, ~€1.5M, Dr. Maria Charisi), MW-Atlas (ERC Synergy Grant, Prof. Vasiliki Pavlidou), TITAN (ERA Chair, €2.5M), and A-BINGOS (ERC Consolidator Grant, Prof. Andreas Zezas).

The institute's economic model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Primary revenue is captured through competitive research grants from the European Research Council (ERC), EU Horizon programs, and national research foundations, supplemented by institutional core funding from FORTH. Customer segments are academics, postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, and visiting researchers, with secondary outreach to high school students in Crete (Astrophysics School of Crete, 592 students trained since 2021) and the general public through seminars and digital channels. The institute does not sell commercial products or services; its outputs are peer-reviewed publications, trained scientists, and public science engagement. Since 2021 it has also hosted the annual Nick Kylafis Lectureship (seven distinguished lecturers through 2026) and operated the Eureka Prize for innovative astronomy teaching in secondary schools in Greece and Cyprus.

Name

Institute of Astrophysics

Legal name

Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FO.R.T.H.)

Website

https://ia.forth.gr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute of Astrophysics (IA-FORTH) is a Heraklion, Greece-based non-profit research institute, operating under FORTH since 2019 as Greece's only institute dedicated exclusively to theoretical and observational astrophysics. It conducts grant-funded research on supermassive black holes, galaxy evolution, and multi-messenger astronomy, training students and hosting international scientific collaborations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Heraklion

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research grants and project funding: Primary funding from competitive research grants including European Research Council (ERC) Starting, Consolidator, and Synergy Grants; EU Horizon programs; and national research foundations. Funding supports specific research projects, personnel, equipment, and international collaboration activities.
2. Institutional core funding: Base operational funding from FORTH (Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas), which is a major Greek research organization. This covers administrative functions, infrastructure maintenance, and general operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Institute of Astrophysics conducts fundamental research in theoretical and observational astrophysics through three research groups (Active Galactic Nuclei, Astro-Informatics, and High-redshift Obscured Quasars) using data from space telescopes, ground-based observatories including Skinakas, and international facilities such as ALMA, the Rubin Observatory (LSST), and forthcoming missions like LISA and Euclid. It also delivers educational outreach programs such as the Astrophysics School of Crete for high school students.

Product overview

The Institute of Astrophysics (IA) at FORTH is Greece's only research institute devoted exclusively to astrophysics. Rather than offering commercial products, the Institute provides research programs focused on theoretical and observational astrophysics, including the MMMonsters multi-messenger project, and operates Skinakas Observatory. Educational offerings include the Astrophysics School of Crete for high school students, the Eureka Prize for innovative astronomy teaching, and the annual Nick Kylafis Lectureship featuring distinguished visiting scientists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Astrophysical Research Programs
• MMMonsters Project

Quantifiable outcome

• 592 high school students trained through Astrophysics School of Crete over 5 years (2021-2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• LSST AGN Science CollaborationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2026International scientific collaboration focused on Active Galactic Nuclei research using the Legacy Survey of Space and Time from the Rubin Observatory. IA-FORTH organized the 2026 annual meeting in Heraklion, with ~135 participants from 20+ countries.
• NANOGrav Collaboration (North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022International collaboration using pulsar timing arrays to detect low-frequency gravitational waves. IA-FORTH researchers including Dr. Maria Charisi are members, contributing to multi-messenger astrophysics research combining gravitational wave and electromagnetic observations.
• International Pulsar Timing ArraycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Global network of pulsar timing array projects collaborating to detect gravitational wave backgrounds. IA-FORTH researchers participate in this collaborative effort targeting supermassive black hole binary detections.
• LISA ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022International consortium preparing for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna space mission. IA-FORTH researchers are members, preparing for gravitational wave detection from massive black hole binaries expected in mid-2030s.
• Rubin Observatory / Vera C. Rubin ObservatorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022IA-FORTH researchers participate in observations and data analysis from the Rubin Observatory in Chile, expected to begin its main survey (LSST) soon. The institute uses this data for time-domain astronomy and supermassive black hole binary searches.
• Euclid Space Mission (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022European Space Agency mission for cosmological observations. IA-FORTH researchers including Dr. Jean-Luc Starck are heavily involved in Euclid data analysis, particularly for weak-lensing and large-scale structure studies.
• University of Crete, Department of PhysicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Close collaborative relationship with the Department of Physics at University of Crete, sharing faculty, facilities, and students. Many IA-FORTH researchers hold joint appointments, and the institute is physically located on the university campus.
• FORTH Institute of Computer SciencecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Collaboration on the TITAN project (€2.5M ERA Chair in Astroinformatics) bringing together computer science and astrophysics expertise for computational methods development.
• Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019IA-FORTH researchers use ALMA for high-resolution observations of high-redshift galaxies and obscured quasars, studying interstellar medium properties and galaxy evolution at cosmic noon.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge: UK academic astrophysics research department conducting observational and theoretical research. Comparable as a leading university-affiliated astrophysics research group; partner in Gaia-ESO and home of Honorary Fellow Gerard Gilmore.
• Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI): US non-profit that operates Hubble and JWST science operations and conducts fundamental astrophysics research. Directly comparable as a non-profit research institute dedicated to astrophysics with international scientific collaborations and grant-funded programs.
• Caltech Astronomy Department: US academic astronomy and astrophysics research department at Caltech. Comparable research institution connected to IA-FORTH via Honorary Fellow Anthony Readhead and researchers with Caltech backgrounds; operates major astronomical facilities.
• Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian: Large US astrophysics research collaboration between Harvard and Smithsonian. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary astrophysics research center conducting theoretical and observational research and operating major scientific programs.
• Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA): German non-profit astrophysics research institute under the Max Planck Society. Directly comparable as a dedicated astrophysics research organization of similar scale, conducting observational and theoretical research and participating in major international collaborations.
• Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP): German non-profit astrophysics research institute. Comparable in scale and structure as a publicly funded non-profit dedicated to astrophysics research with international survey and observatory participation.
• Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE): German Max Planck institute focused on astrophysics and space research. Highly comparable in structure and scope, including participation in major space missions and European-funded grant research.

Regional players

• National Observatory of Athens (IAASARS): Greek public research institute for astronomy, astrophysics, space applications, and remote sensing. Comparable regional peer in the same country, serving overlapping but broader mandates than IA-FORTH's purely astrophysics focus.
• CNRS-INSU (French National Institute for Universe Sciences): French national institute coordinating astronomy and astrophysics research. Comparable in role as national coordinator of astrophysics research with strong ties to major EU programs (Euclid, LISA); broader scale than IA-FORTH.
• INAF (Italian National Institute for Astrophysics): Italian national research institute coordinating Italian astrophysics research across multiple observatories. Comparable as a national-scale dedicated astrophysics organization; broader in scope than IA-FORTH but similar public-research model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/InstituteofAstrophysicsFORTH
• Facebookfacebook.com/ia.forth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/35678204
• Instagraminstagram.com/iaforth

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of Astrophysics