The Institute is the institutional successor of an Excellence research program, which was carried out at the AUTH Law School during the years 2012-2015 under the scholarly supervision of Professor M. Kaifa-Gbandi (see fcc.law.auth.gr). This program dealt with combatting Economic Crime and Corruption in the Public Sector. Within its scope was the assessment of the Greek institutional framework for the criminal law approach of the above practices and its end result, after extensive empirical and comparative research, was a proposed comprehensive plan of legal provisions which would replace that framework. Among the many deliverables of this research program were both a three-volume work, which was published by P. N.Sakkoulas-Law & Economics Editions, as well as an international conference in Athens for the evaluation of the research team’s proposals, organised by the AUTH Law School in collaboration with the Athens Bar Association and the Union of Greek Criminal Lawyers. Τraining seminars for graduates of the Greek National School of Judges and Prosecutors and lawyers were also conducted as part of this research project, while both a database with extensive legislative, case-law, literature and empirical material as well as an e-Observatory were created and are still running. In view of the fruitful outcomes achieved, the Senate of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki decided that the above research efforts should be continued, assuming the form of a permanent research apparatus and thus established the RITCFC within the Law School (State Gazette B’ 5/8.1.2016).