State Scholarships Foundation/ Iky- Greece

What State Scholarships Foundation/ Iky- Greece does

State Scholarships Foundation (IKY / Ίδρυμα Κρατικών Υποτροφιών) is a Greek government foundation established in 1951 and headquartered in Nea Ionia, Athens. Operating under the supervision of the Greek Ministry of Education, IKY administers state-funded scholarship programs for undergraduate students, postgraduate students, doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and educators, and serves as the National Agency for Erasmus+ in Greece. The foundation's core portfolio includes the EKO (Vulnerable Social Groups) program co-funded by NSRF 2021-2027 (approximately 3,000 undergraduate scholarships per cycle), bilateral mobility partnerships with Fulbright (€827,000 over five years), the British Council / British Embassy Athens (24 four-week scholarships yearly to the UK), DAAD (IKYDA), the French Embassy (Greek-French and Hubert Curien programmes), European University Institute fellowships, and a bequest-managed scholarship portfolio. IKY also offers Excellence Awards to top national exam performers and supports international competition participation.

IKY's technology stack centers on an online scholarship application portal (ams.iky.gr) where candidates submit applications, upload documentation, and track status, plus a ticketing support system (ticketing.iky.gr). The foundation is developing an Integrated Information System for the Centralized Management of Scholarships (referenced in tender documentation) to replace or augment the existing platform. The website is bilingual (Greek/English via WPML CMS) with accessibility features. There are no AI/ML capabilities evident in the technology stack.

The foundation does not generate commercial revenue. It is funded by Greek state budgets and European Union programmes (NSRF 2014-2020 and 2021-2027, European Social Fund), with additional bequest endowments (Alexandros Hatzopoulos, Klearchos Tsouridis, Theodorideio, Maria Zaoussi, Fani Sarigianni, Leonidas Nikolaidis, Nicholas D. Chrysovergi, and others). All scholarships are awarded based on merit and/or financial need without pricing tiers. Distribution is direct to individual recipients via self-service online application and direct disbursement. Current leadership is President Vassiliki Kindi (since October 2024) and Head of Scholarships Directorate Eirini Droutsa.

Name

State Scholarships Foundation/ Iky- Greece

Legal name

State Scholarships Foundation (IKY)

Website

https://iky.gr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Short description

State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) is a Greek government foundation that administers state and EU-funded scholarship programs for undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral students, and serves as Greece's National Agency for Erasmus+. Headquartered in Nea Ionia, Athens, it operates bilateral mobility partnerships with Fulbright, British Council, DAAD, and the French Embassy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Scholarships and Grants Administration

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Government-Sponsored Scholarships & Exchange Funding (EDAIAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Country/Region-Specific Scholarships (Inbound/Outbound) (EDAIAOAC), Application Support, Matching Platforms & Scholarship Administration Services (EDAIAOAN), Degree-Level Scholarships (Undergrad/Masters/PhD/Postdoc) (EDAIAOAE), International Student Funding & Mobility Grants Administration (EDADAHAL), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

Keywords

• Government scholarship administration
• Educational grants management
• International academic mobility
• Erasmus national agency
• Higher education funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Néa Ionía

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: IKY is a government foundation primarily funded by Greek state budgets and European Union funding programmes including NSRF (National Strategic Reference Framework) 2014-2020 and 2021-2027, and European Social Fund contributions. The foundation does not generate commercial revenue but distributes scholarships funded by public and EU sources.
2. Bequest Management: IKY administers scholarship programmes funded by private bequests and donations, including endowments such as Alexandros Hatzopoulos, Klearchos Tsouridis, Theodorideio, Maria Zaoussi, Fani Sarigianni, Leonidas Nikolaidis, Nicholas D. Chrysovergi, and others. These are managed on behalf of the bequest holders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IKY administers and disburses state and EU-funded scholarships for Greek undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral students, and operates as the Greek National Agency for the Erasmus+ programme across higher, vocational, adult, and school education. The foundation manages bilateral mobility partnerships (Fulbright, Greek-British, Greek-French, IKYDA, Hubert Curien), vulnerable social group scholarships, bequest-funded scholarships, and excellence awards. Scholarship administration is delivered through an online application platform (ams.iky.gr) with direct disbursement of funds to awarded recipients.

Product overview

State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) is a Greek government foundation operating as the national agency for Erasmus+ programs and administrator of various state scholarship programs. The organization offers a portfolio of scholarship programs including undergraduate scholarships for vulnerable social groups (EKO), international mobility partnerships (Fulbright, Greek-British, Greek-French, IKYDA, Hubert Curien), doctoral and post-doctoral research funding, bequest-managed scholarships, and excellence awards. IKY administers the Erasmus+ program across all education sectors (higher education, vocational education, adult education, school education) with mobility (KA1), cooperation (KA2), and policy development (KA3) actions. Supporting services include an online application management system, podcast content, and EPALE platform promotion activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IKY-Fulbright: Joint scholarship program between IKY and Fulbright Foundation for Greek and American doctoral candidates
• IKY-DAAD (IKYDA)
• Greek-British Partnership Scholarships
• Greek-French Partnership Scholarships
• Hubert Curien Programme
• Erasmus+ National Agency

Products and services

• IKY Scholarship Management System Online platform for managing scholarship applications, candidate evaluation, and award disbursement for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral scholarships at IKY.
• Erasmus+ Program Administration Management and administration of Erasmus+ mobility programmes across higher education, vocational education, adult education, and school education sectors in Greece.
• Vulnerable Social Groups Scholarship Program (EKO)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70 years of continuous operation supporting Greek students
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fulbright Foundation GreececoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022IKY-Fulbright partnership for bidirectional PhD mobility: IKY sponsors 5 Greek PhD candidates annually for research in US universities while Fulbright facilitates placement of American PhD candidates for research in Greece. The five-year programme (2022-2023 onward) has a total budget of €827,000. The partnership supports mutual academic exchange between Greece and the United States.
• British Council GreececoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Joint implementation of Greek-British short-term scholarship programme offering 24 scholarships of 4-week duration to postgraduate students and doctoral candidates for mobility to UK universities. The programme is in its 4th cycle (2025) and covers over 15 scientific fields across 17 British higher education institutions.
• British Embassy AthenscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Co-funding and diplomatic support for the Greek-British short-term scholarship programme. Embassy hosts official launch ceremonies and provides ceremonial venues for programme events.
• DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIKY-DAAD programme (IKYDA) facilitating academic exchange and scholarship opportunities between Greece and Germany.
• European University Institute (Florence)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIKY offers doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships for studies at the European University Institute in Florence, supporting Greek researchers in accessing this prestigious European institution.
• EYDAP (Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIKY-EYDAP scholarship programme funded by the water utility company to support Greek students in relevant fields of study.
• ACA (Academic Consortium)minorOthersIKY participates as a member of ACA (Academic Consortium) contributing to the Transatlantic Research Series publication initiative.
• French Embassy in GreeceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Greek-French scholarship cooperation including the Hubert Curien programme and Greek-French bilateral scholarships for studies in France.
• AEGEAN AirlinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for the IKY Excellence Awards ceremony, providing travel prizes to award recipients and covering travel expenses for the award ceremony.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships: Swiss federal scholarship programme for foreign researchers and students. Closely comparable as a state-funded, country-to-country scholarship administrator offering research and postgraduate mobility grants through bilateral cooperation.
• DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service): Germany's national agency for international academic exchange and scholarship administration. Directly comparable to IKY as a state-funded bilateral scholarship administrator operating the IKYDA programme with IKY, with a similar product mix of mobility grants, doctoral funding, and partnership programmes.
• EducationUSA: U.S. Department of State network providing information on U.S. study and facilitating inbound mobility. Comparable as a publicly funded international education advisory and scholarship information platform with bilateral country partnerships similar to IKY's.
• British Council: UK organisation delivering cultural and educational exchange, including the joint Greek-British scholarship programme with IKY. Comparable in operating short-term mobility scholarships, bilateral partnerships, and inbound/outbound student support.
• Fulbright Greece / IIE: The Institute of International Education administers Fulbright programmes globally; Fulbright Greece is IKY's direct bilateral partner for Greek-American doctoral mobility. Closely comparable as a scholarship administration and exchange platform with similar grantee outcomes and budget scale.
• Campus France: French national agency promoting international student mobility and managing French government scholarship programmes (including the Hubert Curien programme IKY partners on). Mirrors IKY's mandate of state scholarship administration plus international promotion of inbound mobility.
• Chevening Scholarships: UK government scholarship programme funded by the Foreign Office for postgraduate study in the UK. Directly comparable as a government-sponsored, merit-based international scholarship programme co-administered with partner country agencies like IKY.

Others

• Erasmus Student Network (ESN): Pan-European student network supporting Erasmus+ mobility participants. Adjacent to IKY as an Erasmus+ ecosystem participant — IKY is the Greek National Agency, while ESN supports inbound/outbound student experience across all Erasmus+ countries.
• European University Foundation (EUF): Luxembourg-based foundation supporting Erasmus+ and European university cooperation initiatives. Adjacent to IKY in the Erasmus+ delivery ecosystem and comparable as a non-profit entity mobilising EU education funding across member states.

Emerging players

• ScholarshipPortal: European online scholarship search and matching platform aggregating international scholarship opportunities. Compares to IKY as a discovery and application channel for scholarships, though operating as a private digital aggregator versus IKY's state-funded administrator model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzH0GCnWmq0vV3QlnQTMQ9g
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iky-hellenic-national-agency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about State Scholarships Foundation/ Iky- Greece