Press Releases

Good evening. I would first like to extend a warm welcome, on behalf of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides –who is currently participating at COP29 in Baku– to the President of the European Research Council (ERC), Professor Marie Leptin. May I also thank the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts for its role in organising this visit and its wider contribution in fostering research, innovation, and scientific collaboration within Cyprus and at European level.

Dear Professor Leptin, we are deeply honored by your visit, which signifies the European Research Council’s commitment to strengthening ties and fostering collaboration across Europe’s research community.  As the President of the European Research Council, you lead one of the most prestigious and influential institutions in the world of scientific discovery. An institution that plays an essential role in sustaining the European tradition of scientific freedom, curiosity and excellence. Beyond providing much-needed funding, the ERC plays a key role in shaping Europe's research landscape, and we are excited to have the opportunity to further strengthen our collaboration with the Council and discuss suggestions and opportunities.

Research and innovation are gradually being placed at the core of governmental agendas throughout Europe. Their role in driving growth, prosperity and competitiveness cannot be overstated. Over the past few years, Cyprus has made significant strides in growing our research and innovation ecosystem, and your visit is an invaluable opportunity to discuss our ongoing initiatives, the remarkable growth and participation of Cypriot stakeholders in research excellence, but also the challenges.

Cyprus is now home to 12 universities, 20 research organisations, seven Centres of Excellence and an emerging innovation ecosystem, which hosts a dynamic community of over 500 startups and innovative businesses. Local talent is growing fast, with the number of researchers and entrepreneurs doubling over the last few years. It is clear that we have moved from the phase of building the main constructs of this ecosystem –which was at a state of infancy 15 years ago– to a state of growth and maturity where research commercialisation and internationalisation take centre stage.

Cyprus ranks 27th out of 133 countries in the Global Innovation Index (up from 28th last year), and 10th in Europe as a Strong Innovator for the third consecutive year based on the European Innovation Scoreboard, recording, in fact, the highest progress among European countries (39% to be exact) compared to 2017. Excellent research in Cyprus is on the rise, evidenced among others by the 32 ERC Grants secured, 11 of which in the framework of Horizon Europe. Regarding the scientific publications among the 10% most cited, Cyprus now stands at 119, compared to the EU average of 66 according to the European Innovation Scoreboard of 2024. At the same time, the country records a much higher than the EU-average number of international scientific co-publications indicating a high degree of extroversion and appetite for international collaboration of our researchers. It is worth mentioning that Cyprus also saw a 23% increase in Patent Applications according to the Patent Index for 2023 –recently released by the European Patent Office– ranking 49th globally; an important achievement for the size of our market.

Building on our strong performance in Horizon2020, where Cyprus managed to secure around €320m, and our so far promising engagement in Horizon Europe –where we are on track to reach €500 million by 2027– our efforts now focus on providing our ecosystem stakeholders with the right tools and guidance to be able to participate in and lead innovative projects across a growing number of sectors.

Dear friends,

Our researchers, including the ERC grantees in particular, have laid the foundations for our country’s progression into one of Europe’s Strong Innovators. Research Excellence is undeniably a cornerstone of our national strategy, and a key enabler of progress. A key strategic objective of our National Strategy for Research and Innovation 2024-2026 is to have world leading research organisations. We are committed to creating an environment where researchers are empowered to achieve excellence but also translate research into impactful, real-world applications. Enhancing the extroversion of our national ecosystem and strengthening the collaborative networks between our scientists and entrepreneurs, can lead to significant knowledge spill-overs, reinforcing Cyprus’ posture as a regional hub for technology and innovation as well as collaborative research.

However, our progress is not without challenges. These include: limited resources, the need for additional guidance and support, access to specialised infrastructure, as well as the need for stronger international partnerships and industry alliances that can propel our research community to greater heights. To overcome such challenges, fully leverage on available opportunities, and achieve our strategic goals, competitive national funding dedicated to research has increased by 66% compared to the previous programming period. Most importantly though, our national programmes through our Research & Innovation Foundation, are being enriched with schemes and programmes specifically designed to encourage and support Cypriot researchers' active participation in Horizon Europe, and particularly in the prestigious flagship programmes of the European Research Council, acting as springboards into those programmes.

Professor Leptin,

Your presence in our country provides a unique opportunity to discuss the value that ERC has to offer to the European research community, identify the challenges facing smaller ecosystems, like Cyprus, and explore ways to enhance our involvement and maximise the impact. Building on our current successes and further enhancing our participation, Cyprus can meaningfully contribute to the European Research Council's vision for a collaborative, interconnected and impactful research ecosystem, where universities, research institutions, and researchers from all member states work together at the forefront of innovation.

Thank you for your leadership, Professor Leptin, and once again welcome to Cyprus.

Thank you.

(AP/MS)