On 31/5/2019 it was announced that the European program INTERREG MED "ARISTOIL", for which NKUA has the scientific coordination, was selected as the best program in its category for 2019 among dozens of interregional European programs (http://www.interact-eu.net/#o = node/2613) and will compete in October in Brussels together with 7 other top programs, from other categories, for the best Program https://europa.eu/regions-and-cities/programme/sessions/302_en in the context of the Interreg project Slam competition.
The ARISTOIL program https://aristoil.interreg-med.eu/ has been implemented in the laboratory of Pharmacognosy and Chemistry of natural products of the Department of Pharmacy of NKUA, under the responsibility of Assoc. Prof. Prokopios Magiatis and Dr. Eleni Melliou, since 2016 and will be completed in January 2020 in collaboration with 10 partners from 5 countries. From Greece participates the region of Peloponnese and the coordinator of the Project EGTC "Efxini Poli". The aim of the ARISTOIL program is to increase the economic value of olive oil through demonstration and certification of its health protective properties and directly concerns more than 3000 olive growers participating in the program.
It is a program with extended experimental work and great diffusion in the society, with analyses in over 5000 olive oil samples and dozens of info days, exhibitions, conferences and presentations in press and electronic media.
The above distinction is a continuation of the awards received by the research team of Dr. Magiatis in the subject of olive oil , 2018:1st Prize in the Olive Challenge competition, 2016:1st Prize for Best invention in Greece in the SEV-Eurobank competition for the Aristoleo Kit, and a series of awards for best announcements at international conferences.