The Alexander Innovation Zone S.A. (A.I.Z. S.A.) is the managing organization which was established in order to organize, develop and promote the Thessaloniki Innovation Zone (Th.I.Z.) The organization is supervised by the Ministry of Development, Competitiveness and Shipping and from July 2010 operates with a new Managing Board.

Steps undertaken by the company thus far are listed below:

• The Strategic Plan of the Zone has been already drafted and is currently at the process of approval from the Ministries in charge.
• The spatial delimitation of the Zone has been already proposed and what remains is to pinpoint, within the confines of the Zone, the public land on which the first nucleus / pocket of innovative activities will be established.
• The recent Investment Law includes a privileged status of an additional 5% support for the investment plans that take place within the Innovation Zone.
• With the initiative of the “Alexander Innovation Zone S.A.” a memorandum of cooperation has been signed between eleven (11) major stakeholders of research and innovative development and entrepreneurship in Thessaloniki. The goal is to capitalize on the synergies of all involved stakeholders, under the umbrella of A.I.Z. S.A., thus promoting the planning and implementation of direct collaborative activities in the region, further utilizing the new financial tools developed by the Hellenic State.
• The company is in the process of contacting possible investors, scientific organizations and individual researchers who have expressed strong interest to take-up action within the context of Th.I.Z.
• A joint Ministerial Decision related with the procedure and the evaluation criteria for issuing a feasibility license for innovative entrepreneurial activities within the Zone has been already issued and it has been forwarded to the Ministries in charge for approval.

The Innovation Zone is a modern tool for the scientific, technological and entrepreneurial development of a Region or a whole country. Greece is already setting the foundations for such a development with the Thessaloniki Innovation Zone at its core. With the aim of turning Thessaloniki into an international hub for the development of knowledge and knowledge-based entrepreneurship over the next few years, the Greek state established the Thessaloniki Innovation Zone (Th.I.Z.) through law 3489/2006.

Thessaloniki Innovation Zone is a unique project in SE Europe, gathering a critical mass of innovative enterprises, research bodies and spin-offs in geographical defined areas (nucleuses / pockets) of Thessaloniki. Alexander Innovation Zone S.A. is the body responsible for the design, implementation and management of the whole project.