March 17, 2026
Dr Denia Kanellopoulou, researcher at the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications (IIT), NCSR Demokritos, participated as a speaker in the panel discussion “The Future of Great Power Competition: A Perspective from Earth to the Moon”, held in the framework of the 4th International Independent Film Festival of Athens (KINO Athens), at the Eugenides Foundation, Athens, Greece, on 16 March 2026. The discussion followed the screening of the documentary Astropolitics and was co-organised by the Eugenides Foundation and KINO Athens, under the auspices of the European Parliament, bringing together experts from the space, research and policy sectors.
Dr Denia Kanellopoulou, IIT researcher
During the discussion, Dr Kanellopoulou highlighted the growing dependence of modern societies on space assets, real-time communications and data, underlining both their strategic value and associated vulnerabilities. She emphasised that, in the era of artificial intelligence, the ability to access and transform space-derived data into actionable insights is emerging as a key source of strategic advantage.
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- Panel Discussion “The Future of Great Power Competition: A Perspective from Earth to the Moon”
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- Astropolitics, by Tony Silberfeld
She also referred to the EU’s Copernicus project as a flagship European initiative demonstrating how open Earth Observation data can be leveraged for societal benefit. In combination with AI, such data can support applications in areas such as climate resilience and emergency response.
In this context, she highlighted the role of NCSR Demokritos in coordinating the EU-funded AI4Copernicus project, which supported the development of innovative AI-powered applications based on Copernicus data.
The discussion highlighted the importance of leveraging space-based information for social good, with the active contribution of the research and innovation community.