Τhe Hellenic Metallurgical Society (HMS) comprises a non-profit organization that was founded in 2000 through the initiative of Dr. G.N. Haidemenopoulos, Professor at the University of Thessaly, who also served as the first President of its Executive Board, during 2000-2004. This initiative has been embraced by the entire Greek academic and industrial community, active in the field of metallic materials. The main target of the establishment of HMS was and remains the creation of an integrated forum of discussion, exchange of ideas and collaboration among individuals and organizations in Greece, involved scientifically and/or professionally with metallic materials.

In its infancy, HMS was financially supported by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology through the positive evaluation, funding and successful implementation of a relevant competitive proposal, prepared with the significant contribution of Dr. A. Lekatou, within the framework of “Human networks for dissemination of research and technology knowledge”. The project was coordinated by MIRTEC S.A. with its General Director Dr. A. Tzamtzis serving as Project Manager, and included as active participants:

• From the academic/ research community: the University of Thessaly, the University of Patras, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the National Technical University of Athens, the University of Ioannina and the Foundation of Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTHNET/LIC).
• From the industrial community: the companies SIDENOR, SIELMAN, GMC, METKA, FITCO, EXALCO, ΒΜΤΕ, ΚΟΝΤΙ, Corinth Pipeworks, as well as the Associations of Greek Foundries and Small/ Medium Metalworking Enterprises.

The inaugural General Assembly of HMS that aimed to establish it as a legal entity with the presence and endorsement of the necessary members, took place in early 2000. It was followed by drafting its charter and submitting it to the District Court of Volos. Soon afterwards, HMS acquired a VAT number, initiated its own website and by the end of 2001 had managed to enroll more than 100 active members.

 Among the main activities of HMS is the organization of the Panhellenic Conference on Metallic Materials, held every three years in a different Greek city and hosted by the local University Laboratory in the field of Materials. The full text of the scientific works presented at the Conferences has been included in Conference Proceedings volumes published by renowned Hellenic Publishing Houses. During these conferences, particular emphasis is given on encouraging young Greek scientists to publically present their research efforts and defend them under the scrutiny and review of Greek academics and professionals, internationally distinguished in the field of metallic materials. The implementation of these conferences is funded via the HMS membership fees and the conference registration fees, as well as, to a large extent, by sponsorships from relevant Greek companies/industries that systematically support the HMS activities. Regularly, in-between two successive Panhellenic Conferences, thematic workshops take place in different Greek cities, aiming to reinforce the interconnection of HMS members, to attract new scientists in joining HMS and actively participating in its activities, as well as to prepare the successful organization of the forthcoming Conference.

In 2008, under the Presidency of Dr. Sp. Pantelakis, Professor at the University of Patras, HMS raised its wings toward the European research area of Materials Science and Engineering, joining the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS). In 2015-2019, Dr. A. Zervaki, –HMS President for two services (2011-2016)– was elected member of the FEMS Executive Committee. The outreach efforts of HMS were rewarded in 2015, when our Society in partnership with the Hellenic Society for the Science and Technology of Condensed Matter (HSSTCM) undertook the organization of the European Congress & Exhibition on Advanced Materials, through a competitive tender among proposals from other fellow European Societies. EUROMAT 2017 took place in Thessaloniki during the presidency (2017-2019) of Dr. Nikolaos Michailidis, Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. This landmark in our Society’s history attracted more than 2500 participants from 65 countries and was acknowledged as one of the most populous and successful conferences of FEMS. This success was followed by another distinction for HMS: the election of Dr. A. Zervaki as FEMS Vice-President for 2020-2021.

Since 2017, HMS organizes annually a competition/selection/award event for the best Diploma Thesis carried out in Greek academic institutes and funds the awarded young scientist to present this work in the EUROMAT or Junior EUROMAT Conferences contributing in international experience and exposure.

The efforts of HMS towards the accomplishment of its founding targets and their expansion into new areas, as imposed by the continuous advancement of science and technology, are constant and unflagging. Nevertheless, they can be successfully materialized only through the active participation of each member and the HMS enrichment with young scientists, engineers and students involved in the field.