This letter of condolences is addressed to Theodore’s family, on behalf of the community of Greek ERC grantees.

We are deeply saddened to hear the passing of Theodore Papazoglou due to covid-19. Theodore was a dear friend and colleague to several of us at FORTH in Crete and a strong advocate of the Greek scientific community. To all of us, the people who were fortunate to be supported by European Research Council (ERC) funding, Theodore was the person to reach out and ask about the process or any issue related to the grant. He was always extremely responsive, helpful, efficient and supportive.

For those of us working at FORTH and NCSR Demokritos, Theodore was a friend and a colleague, with whom some have shared scientific discussions and everyday concerns about their research. Even long after his departure to Belgium, Theodore was always eager to visit Greece -and FORTH in particular- and deliver presentations about the various funding schemes of the ERC. All of us benefited from those presentations.

For many years, Theodore has served with all his strength and positive energy the vision of the European Research Council, representing our country with dignity. After the passing of Fotis Kafatos, with whom Theodore worked closely since the establishment of the ERC, Theodore also helped keep the memory of Fotis alive.

For all the above, his death brings great sadness to the community of Greek ERC grantees. We would like to convey our sincere condolences to his family and friends. He will be sorely missed.

Kind regards,

Yiota Poirazi, IMBB-FORTH, Greece Iannis Talianidis, IMBB-FORTH, Greece George Chamilos, University of Crete and IMBB-FORTH, Greece George Garinis, University of Crete and IMBB-FORTH, Greece

Co-signed by: Vassilis Amiridis, National Observatory of Athens, Greece Thomas Anthopoulos, KAUST and Imperial College London Stylianos E. Antonarakis, University of Geneva, Switzerland Dimitrios T Boumpas, Former-IMMB-FORTH, currently BRFAA, Greece Yuliana Boycheva, IMS-FORTH, Greece Eleni Chatzi, ETH Zurich, Switzerland Triantafyllos Chavakis, University Clinic Dresden, TUD, Germany Stelios Choulis, Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus Nikos Chronis, University of Crete, Greece Nektarios Chrysoulakis, IACM-FORTH, Greece Yannis F. Dafalias, UC Davis, USA and NTUA, Greece Mihalis Dafermos, University of Cambridge, U.K. Constantinos Demetriades, MPI-AGE Cologne, Germany Emmanouil (Manolis) Dermitzakis, University of Geneva, Switzerland Eleni Diamanti, CNRS and Sorbonne University, France Antigone Dimas, BSRC Alexander Fleming, Greece Xenofontas Dimitorpoulos, University of Crete and ICS-FORTH, Greece Athanasios Dimoulas, NCSR DEMOKRITOS and NKUA, Greece Aikaterini Fotopoulou, University College London, U.K George Fytas, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany Adamantios Gafos, Universität Potsdam, Germany & Yale University, USA Costas Galiotis, University of Patras, Greece and Queen Mary - University of London, U.K. George Gazetas, National Technical University of Athens Eleftherios Goulielmakis, University of Rostock, Germany Vassilis Gorgoulis, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Greece and University of Manchester, U.K Thanos Halazonetis, University of Geneva, Switzerland Vana Kalogeraki, Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece Achillefs Kapanidis, University of Oxford, U.K. Theofanis Karayannis, University of Zurich, Switzerland Georgios Katsaros, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Austria Iordanis Kerenidis, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France Alexandros Kioupkiolis, School of Political Sciences, AUTH, Greece Elias Kiritsis, University of Crete, Greece George Kollias, University of Athens and BRSC Alexander Fleming, Greece Athanasios G. Konstandopoulos, CERTH and Aristotle University, Greece Gerasimos Konstantatos, Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Spain Petros Ligoxygakis-University of Oxford, U.K. Zoi Lygerou, University of Patras, Greece Christos Lynteris, University of St Andrews, U.K. Athina Markaki, University of Cambridge, U.K. Athanasios Nenes, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland and ICEHT- FORTH, Greece Konstantinos Nikolopoulos, University of Birmingham, U.K. Vasilis Ntziachristos, Technical University of Munich, Germany Spyros Pandis, University of Patras and FORTH/ICEHT, Greece Markos Papageorgiou, Technical University of Crete, Greece Athanasios G. Papathanasiou, National Technical University of Athens, Greece Nina Papavasiliou, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Uni Heidelberg, Germany Peter Rakitzis, University of Crete and IESL-FORTH, Greece Mema Roussopoulos, University of Athens, Greece Georgios Skretas, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Greece Thomas Stergiopoulos, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and INN-NCSRD Triantafyllos Stylianopoulos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus

Popi Syntichaki, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), Greece Kostas Tassis, University of Crete and Institute of Astrophysics – FORTH, Greece Nektarios Tavernarakis, FORTH and University of Crete, Greece Ioannis Tsamardinos, University of Crete, IACM-FORTH, Gnosis Data Analysis, Greece Manos Tsakiris, University of London, U.K. Chrysoula Tsogka, University of California Merced, U.S. and IACM-FORTH, Greece Soultana Maria Valamoti-Kapetanaki, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece Georgios Vassilikogiannakis, University of Crete, Greece Eleftheria Zeggini, Helmholtz Center Munich, Germany Andreas Zezas, University of Crete and IACM-FORTH, Greece