MIRC International

Mountainous Greece is the main geographical field on which the research activities of M.I.R.C. are being held. However, Greek mountains are not isolated, they are part of the European mountain space. And all these mountain masses are a part of the world mountain map. An invisible line unifies the Andes with the Himalayas, the Alps and the range of Pindus.

People engaged with mountain research try, through international networking initiatives to coordinate their action and inform institutions and stakeholders about the problems of mountainous areas. M.I.R.C. tries to systematically participate in such initiatives. Since its founding, it has been involved in Mountain Partnership, MRI – Mountain Research Initiative etc.

An important part of the activities of M.I.R.C.’s researchers is their regular participation in international conferences and other events related to mountainous space. This is important for the researchers themselves, since it helps them enhance their scientific activity in the field of mountain research. Moreover, the participation in such events is important for the promotion of M.I.R.C.’s activities. Some indicative cases of M.I.R.C.’s international presence are summarized below:

  • In 2010 an article entitled "Population shifts in Greece’s mountains" was included in a special volume issued by the EEA (European Environmental Agency) under the title Europe’s ecological backbone: Recognizing the true value of our mountains.
  • In 2013, the report of the United Nations regarding sustainable development of mountainous areas contained a reference to the MSc “Environment and Development of Mountainous Areas” (page 16, par. 79): “Τhe Master of Science programme in environment and development of mountainous areas, an interdisciplinary programme of postgraduate studies, has been held since 2008 at the National Technical University of Athens outpost in Metsovo, Greece. Its methodology is based on the notion that today's multi-dimensional developmental and socio-environmental issues of mountainous areas can only be addressed with holistic and interdisciplinary approaches.”
  • In May 2015 a large M.I.R.C. group attended the Conference: Sustainable Mountain Regions: Make them work, in Borovets, Bulgaria. During this conference, in which the researchers of M.I.R.C. made five presentations, fruitful conversations were made with mountain researchers from Southeastern Europe, the Balkan mountain neighborhood.
  • In April 2013, M.I.R.C. participated in composing the technical report entitled Mountains for Europe‘s Future. A Strategic Research Agenda”. This study was presented in Brussels to representatives from the European Commission and the European Parliament, in order to include mountainous areas in the Horizon 2020 calls, especially during the period 2019 – 2020.
  • The awarding of the article: Cultural heritage as an element of regional development. Creating an open-air experience game in the mountains of Souli, Greece" as best paper in the Conference HERITAGE 2016 – 5th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development held in Lisbon, in 2016.
  • In November 2017, a major COST action started, under the title European Energy Poverty: Agenda Co-Creation and Knowledge Innovation. M.I.RC. participates in the Management Committee of the action and its researchers are going to introduce the issue of the vulnerability of mountainous areas to energy poverty and their need for specialized energy policies.