The Laboratory of Industrial and Energy Economics (LIEE) is an academic unit at the School of Chemical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens.
LIEE continues a long-established tradition of the school, which began in the 1960s on the initiative of Professor Angelos Kalogeras. A. Kalogeras, himself a civil engineer, held the Chair of Industrial Structural Engineering at the School of Chemical Engineering. He quickly realized that chemical engineering studies needed to be enriched with new knowledge beyond purely technical aspects. Chemical engineers should be able not only to design a new production unit, but also to assess the feasibility of its implementation and ensure the conditions for an effective and efficient operation.
As a result, a new course, “Technical and Economic Study of Chemical Industries,” was introduced into the School’s curriculum, and Professor Kalogeras supported it by writing a pioneering three-volume textbook for his time (The Study of Industry, The Location of Industry, The Budget of the Chemical Industry), which aimed, among other things, to introduce the subject to students and, more generally, to help reduce the haphazardness and empiricism in dealing with related problems. The course included, among other things, dividing the students into groups and having each group of students conduct a study of a specific industrial unit, with each group being supervised and supported by one (one) associate of the Chair and an experienced engineer from the corresponding sector of Greek industry.
The great success and value of this new course is evident not only from the fact that it has been established since then and to this day—under various titles—as one of the core courses of the School, but also from the fact that all subsequent distinguished chemical engineers consider it one of the most important subjects and skills for their career. In addition, this course introduced for the first time the practice of group work and integrated project work into the studies of the School of Chemical Engineering with the clear aim of producing a comprehensive study for the design and organization of the implementation of an industrial unit from the conception of the initial idea to its construction and commissioning.
Following Professor Kalogeras retirement, this field was strengthened by initiatives of Professor Nikos Koumoutsos, who took over the chair and renamed the Chair to Technical and Economic Studies of Chemical Industries (TOMXB). The respective Lab was then renamed in 1994 as the Laboratory of Industrial and Energy Economics (LIEE), under the decisive contribution of Professor Lefteris Papagiannakis.
Gradually, new areas of knowledge developed, and courses were added covering subjects such as analysis of the structure and development of Greek industry and the design of development policy at sectoral and regional level, study of the productivity and competitiveness of Greek industry, principles of organisation and management of production systems, market research, business strategy, and decision-making techniques. Gradually, energy, environment, and innovation became top-priority research topics, opening new fields of teaching and research.
An important development in this direction was the initiative aimed at developing and introducing courses linking technology with entrepreneurship in all NTUA Schools, under the scientific supervision of L. Papagiannakis, which was extended to engineering graduates of all fields. As part of this institutional program, original educational material was developed, an Entrepreneurship Laboratory was set up, and field research on the entrepreneurship of young engineers was organized.
In terms of human resources, the following faculty members have served at LIEE:
- Lefteris Papagiannakis
- Danae Diakoulaki
- Yannis Kalogirou
- Maria Mandaraka
- Daphne Lipovats-Kremezi
The following members are currently active:
- George Mavrotas
- Aggelos Tsakanikas
- Aimilia Protogerou
The above was supported and endorsed by numerous researchers, doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and researchers who worked at LIEE, and each left their mark on its activities.
For the most recent research and educational work, you can search for the LIEE profile here.