Athena Research Center | 20,062 followers on LinkedIn. Research & Innovation Information Technologies | The Athena​ Research Center in Information, Communication and Knowledge Technologies was founded in 2003, taking under its umbrella three existing institutes (established as far back as 1991). It is based in Athens, with its Institutes located in Athens, Patras and Xanthi. The Athena RIC consists of 3 Research Institutes.