2020 Cyprus Country Report

KEY
contacts
Deputy Ministry of Research,
Innovation and Digital Policy
www.dmrid.gov.cy
The Research and
Innovation Foundation
www.research.org.cy
Cyprus ranks
first among the
EU member
states in relation
to the per capita
absorption
of funds from
the biggest
EU research
and innovation
programme,
Horizon 2020,
which has a
budget of nearly
€80 billion.
In addition, the RIF has developed extensive
activities at both a national and international
level towards supporting the local ecosystem.
One of its most important activities is the development,
launch and monitoring of research and
innovation (R&I) funding programmes, such
as the multiannual framework of programmes
dubbed RESTART 2016-2020, with a total budget
of approximately €100 million. The Foundation
is also responsible for the coordination of the activities
for the participation of Cyprus in Horizon
2020, the biggest EU research and innovation
programme.
According to EU data, more than €245 million
has so far been absorbed by members of the
Cypriot academic, research and business community.
Since the beginning of the programme in
2014, a total of 5,059 Cypriot applications have
been submitted. Of those, 3,876 were eligible and
541 were approved for funding – ranking Cyprus
first among the EU member states in relation to
the per capita absorption of Horizon funds. With
the Horizon 2020 programme closing at the end
of the year, the EU is now launching its most
ambitious R&I programme to date branded as
Horizon Europe, which will run from 2021-2027
with a budget of €105.7 billion keeping the EU –
and Cyprus – at the forefront of global research
and innovation.
TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change and environmental degradation
has become a primary and existential threat to
Europe and the world. To overcome these challenges,
a new growth strategy is needed to transform
the EU into a modern, resource-efficient
and competitive economy. As a country seriously
affected by climate change, Cyprus’ R&D landscape
has taken a strong approach in finding solutions
and introducing cutting-edge monitoring
systems to gather vital data.
Thanks to €15 million in Horizon 2020
funding, one of Cyprus’ top-tier institutions for
research and development, the Cyprus Institute
(CyI), has expanded its vital work monitoring
atmospheric pollution as an indicator of regional
climate change and established the Centre
of Excellence for Eastern Mediterranean and
Middle East Climate and Atmosphere Research
Centre (EMME-CARE). The EMME region has
long been recognised as an area subject to rapid
environmental change and increasing demand
for dwindling resources such as water. The rate of
temperature change in summer in the EMME for
example, is more than twice the global average.
Through continuous comprehensive measuring
of levels of airborne atmospheric pollution,
along with advanced computer modelling, the
research centre is building up a unique database
to develop a portfolio of regional-specific strategies
for climate change mitigation. In time, the
research will reduce dependency on know-how
that has generally not been devised for the region’s
particular needs. Meanwhile, the Institute’s
Energy, Environment and Water Research Center
(EEWRC) has carried out well-documented
work on the development of solar power and on
monitoring climate change.
The CyI is a key player in developing Cyprus
as a key R&D hub in the East Med with over
1,000 partnerships with prominent universities
and institutes in over 65 countries, and more
than 50 MoUs with major partners around the
world. Some of the more notable partnerships are
with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign (UIUC), the Centre de Recherche
et de Restauration des Musées de France and the
Max Planck Society.
The University of Cyprus (UCY) FOSS
Research Centre for Sustainable Energy also
carries out cutting-edge research in the field of
renewable sources of energy, with emphasis on
solar energy, smart grids, smart buildings, grid
integration and enabling technologies. FOSS has
been highly successful in competing for funds, so
far securing €16 million from more than 50 EU,
national and industrial-funded projects. Wellknown
international players in the field of energy
such as Honeywell, Hanwa Q Cells, Gantner
Instruments and IBM amongst other leading international
brands are already collaborating with
FOSS and are testing their products in Cyprus.
A key aim is to make Cyprus a hub for solar
innovation, technology transfer, industry startups
and job creation where ideas can grow and
achieve their full potential. Cyprus was also a
testing ground for an innovative community
project delivered by a German electric utility
company Autarsys, where 30 kW/50 kWh was
connected to a conventional distribution substation
in Nicosia. State-of-the-art high-voltage
lithium-ion batteries were used, and the battery
system provided services to the distribution
network, such as power balancing, network
and frequency support, as well as services that
stabilise and protect the seamless operation of
the network and are considered essential for
modern power networks. The project received
funding from the European Union’s Interreg
Mediterranean research and innovation programme
under the project StoRES – a €2 millioneuro
project of the MED Programme of the EU’s
European Regional Development Fund.
In regional cooperation, Cyprus saw the creation
of the Paphos Innovation Institute in 2020,
which is a non-profit joint venture between one
Sector Profile
Country Report CYPRUS 2020 125