30 June 2026

The Athens Institute is pleased to announce that a formal meeting was held yesterday, 29 June 2026, to discuss the proposed establishment of two new academic initiatives: the Athens Institute Undergraduate Mathematics Competition (AIUMC) and the Athens Institute Undergraduate Economics Competition (AIUEC).

These initiatives aim to promote high-quality research among undergraduate students worldwide and to further strengthen the Institute’s role as a leading platform for international academic exchange. The proposed competitions are intended to be launched in connection with the 21^st Annual International Conference on Mathematics: Teaching, Theory & Applications and the 22^nd Annual International Conference on Economic Theory and Policy, scheduled for June 2027. Selected student submissions will be integrated into the conference program, offering students the opportunity to present their work in an international scholarly setting. Monetary prizes (first, second and third of 1500, 1000 and 500 euro respectively) will also be awarded to the three best student submissions in each competition.

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Participants (In Person)

1. Gregory T. Papanikos (President, Athens Institute & Adjunct Professor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA)
2. A. Zafer Acar (Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey)
3. Michael Dorff (Professor & Chair, Department of Mathematics, Brigham Young University, USA)
4. Ellina Grigorieva (Professor, Texas Woman’s University, USA)
5. Reza Hamzaee (BOG-Distinguished Professor Emeritus & President/CEO, Missouri Western State University & RMH Econometrics/Business Management Consultants, Inc., RMD Hamzaee Econometrics International Consultants, LLC, USA)
6. Frederic Jallat (Professor, ESCP Business School, France)
7. Gohar Marikyan (Full Professor, SUNY Empire State University, USA)
8. Ampalavanar Nanthakumar (Distinguished Teaching Professor, State University of New York at Oswego, USA)
9. Erica Patente Nascimento (Professor, State University of Northern Paraná (UENP), Brazil)
10. Zbigniew Polanski (Professor and Head, Department of Economic Policy and Monetary Theory, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland)
11. Marcela Ribeiro de Albuquerque (Professor, State University of Northern Paraná (UENP), Brazil)
12. Codruta Simona Stoica (Professor, “Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad, Romania)
13. Henry Thompson (Emeritus Professor, Auburn University, USA)
14. Theodore Trafalis (Professor, University of Oklahoma, USA)
15. Evangelos Xevelonakis (Professor, HWZ Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration, Switzerland)
16. Hemmat Safwat (Director, Energy Development Services, Greece)
17. Ivan De Boi (Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Antwerp, Belgium)

Participants (Online)

1. Parisa Gazerani (Professor, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway)
2. Pinar Akinci Acar (Associate Professor and Head, Department of Human Resources Management, Istanbul Medipol University, Turkey)

Summary of Discussion

The meeting focused on the conceptual and organizational framework of the two proposed competitions. Key topics included:

• The overall structure of the competitions, including submission and presentation formats
• The evaluation criteria for student participants, with emphasis on academic rigor and fairness
• The integration of AI-related guidelines, particularly concerning responsible and transparent use of artificial intelligence in student submissions
• The selection criteria for identifying outstanding undergraduate work
• The composition and consistency of the evaluation committees for each competition
• Additional organizational and procedural matters related to the successful implementation of both initiatives

The discussion concluded with broad agreement on the importance of ensuring high academic standards, transparent evaluation procedures, and strong international participation in both competitions, as well as the presentation of the initiatives among universities to encourage wide academic engagement and participation.