Does a Socrates or a Plato fit on a t-shirt; Does the thought of a Newton, a Darwin, a Curie, a Pythagoras or a Aristotle fit on a keychain? Can a university produce premium product lines such as oil and wine? The answer to all of the above questions is “yes” and can be found in the new souvenir shop of the National andCapodistrian University of Athens.

The “UOA STORE”, as it is called, was inaugurated in mid-October, located at 33 Akademias Street and is co-located with the new offices of the University of Athens Property Valuation and Management Company (EADPA).

The store is stocked not only with collectible memorabilia associated with and until recently mainly addressed to the academic community, such as briefs, scarves and cufflinks, but also with products directly related to the everyday life of students, such as sweatshirts, t-shirts, umbrellas, office supplies, notebooks, pens, hats, and backpacks.

Of course, the EKPA publications have their own place in the store, while some products “steal the show”: The oil and the wine made in ECPA.

According to the president of the EADPA and professor of Analytical Chemistry, Nikos Thomaidis, these are “high-quality products”, in the production of which the students of the departments of Chemistry, Agri-Food, and Natural Resources Management and Pharmacy of EKPA have an active role. Especially in the production of olive oil, students are involved in the whole process, from the collection of the olives from the campus to the final standardization of the oil.

For Mr Thomaidis, the move by EKPA to revamp the design of its commemorative products, and to expand the range of products per se, is of strategic importance. The store’s operating figures in the first few weeks are encouraging, he said.

“The store is a pioneering step for Greek standards,” Thomaidis told APE-MPA, “following the standards of large and powerful academic institutions abroad.”

As he pointed out, the aim of the operation of the store is not only to be commercially viable but also to be a means of “bonding” the students of the university with the NUEUAS and its brand name.

“They are our ambassadors, they are the multipliers that will give impetus to our efforts for extroversion and promotion of the university and its faculties”, concluded Mr. Thomaidis.