Inauguration of PROTEAS Solar Research Facility

www.cyi.ac.cy
NEWSLETTER
ISSN 1986 - 4019
Issue 9
Inauguration of
PROTEAS
Solar Research
Facility

Contents
In Focus 3
Updates 4-6
Research 7-9
Feature 10-11
Highlights 12-13
Community 14-15
Opinion 16
Updates
Cypriot Antiquities in Foreign
Museums and the Andreas Pittas
Registry Project
4
In Focus
Inauguration of PROTEAS Solar
Energy Research Facility
3
Research
New Study Shows Air Pollution
Could Claim 6.6 million Lives per
year by 2050
8
2

In Focus
President N. Anastasiades and EU Commissioner C. Moedas unveil the Inaugural Plaque at the PROTEAS facility
Inauguration of Solar Energy Research
Facility “PROTEAS”
The Cyprus Institute’s (CyI) Platform for Research, Observation and Technological Applications in Solar energy “PROTEAS” in Pentakomo was inaugurated
by the President of the Republic, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades in the presence of the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Mr. Carlos
Moedas.
The ceremony was addressed by Prof. Dan-Olof Riska, Chair of the Board of Trustees of CyI, Dr. Andreas Pittas, Chair of CyI Board’s Executive Committee and
Mr. George Georghiou, Permanent Secretary, Directorate General for European Programmes, Coordination & Development Office, Republic of Cyprus.
Prof. Costas Papanicolas, President of The Cyprus Institute, presented the technical specifications of the “PROTEAS” facility and its related research projects
on the cogeneration of electricity and desalinated water using solar energy.
The Inauguration Ceremony was attended by the former President of the Republic, Mr. George Vassiliou, the former EU Commissioner for Education,
Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Mrs Androulla Vassiliou, the Minister of Education, Prof. Costas Kadis, ambassadors and representatives of foreign
diplomatic missions, members of the parliament, representatives of political parties, government and civic officials and distinguished personalities from the
scientific and business world.
3

Updates
Cypriot Antiquities
in Foreign Museums
and the Andreas Pittas
Registry Project
The Cyprus Institute is carrying out a project for the digital
documentation and promotion of Cypriot antiquities in foreign
museums in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities
and the support of Dr. Andreas Pittas. Led by Professor Vassos
Karageorghis, the project concerns the creation of a digital database
that will register all Collections of Cypriot antiquities in foreign
museums and make them available to scholars and interested
members of the general public. The Andreas Pittas Registry project
is the first step of a broader collaborative effort that will pursue
and foster collaborations with as many museums of the world as
possible, and is expected to help students of Cypriot archaeology to
gain a first acquaintance with the ancient art of Cyprus.
The project was presented during a public lecture with the title
‘Cypriot Antiquities in Foreign Museums and the Andreas Pittas
Registry Project’.
Front view of 3D model of the serpentine feline head figurine found
at the prehistoric site of Shillourokampos, Cyprus
Professor Vassos Karageorghis, the main speaker of the event
and the project leader, discussed the digitization of Cypriot
antiquities in foreign museums, explained that this is the first
step of a larger effort aiming to highlight the cultural heritage
of Cyprus. The event was also addressed by the Director of the
Department of Antiquities, Dr. Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou.
The lecture concluded with the first public presentation of the
Andreas Pittas Registry digital database and its technological
capabilities.The project is part of Dioptra, the Edmée Leventis
Digital Library for Cypriot Culture at CyI.
Dr. Andreas Pittas addressing the attendees at the event
4

Updates
A quest for digitally restoring the Salamis
Terracotta Statues
Salamis, an ancient city on the Famagusta coast of Cyprus, was one
of the richest and most influential urban centers in the Eastern Mediterranean.
As such, its archaeological remains are enriching many
museums around the world following extensive excavations by various
foreign missions during the colonial period of the island. Many of
these missions set-up industrial scale enterprises to transport large
numbers of artefacts overseas which depleted the island from much
of its tangible heritage. Today, one may find them in museums such
as the British museum, the Fitzwilliam museum, the Ashmolean
museum and many others across Europe.
Dr. Vassos Karageorghis, former Director of Antiquities and now
Adjunct Professor at The Cyprus Institute, was for several decades
the main archaeologist excavating at Salamis. In 2013 he raised a
challenging question: Would it be possible to digitally reunify some
of the terracotta fragments of Salamis’s statues, which are currently
dispersed between Cyprus and the UK?
An attempt to answer this question will be made in the framework
of GRAVITATE, an EU project in which CyI is a partner. The second
plenary meeting of the project ‘GRAVITATE’ was hosted by CyI at its
premises. The project aims to create a set of software tools that will
allow archaeologists and curators to reconstruct shattered or broken
cultural objects, to identify and reunify parts of cultural objects that
have been separated across collections, and to recognise associations
between cultural artefacts that will allow new knowledge and
understanding of past societies to be inferred.
A terracotta figurine (right) and its scanned 3D model (left).
Participants of the GRAVITATE project meeting during their visit at the Archaeological Museum in Nicosia
5

Updates
A comprehensive, cost-effective
system for Net Zero Energy
settlements
The Cyprus Institute is a partner in ZERO-PLUS, an EU H2020 project in which a comprehensive, cost-effective system for Net Zero Energy
(NZE) settlements will be developed and implemented.
As part of the project, four settlements of diverse characteristics will be built in different geographic locations. The settlements will be constructed
in Peyia (Cyprus), Grenoble (France), York (UK) and Bologna (Italy). The case studies were selected to include varying local climates,
cultures and user behaviours in order to facilitate the transfer of experience and knowledge. The results of their implementation will be
monitored, analyzed and disseminated and a comprehensive market analysis and business plan will support the commercial exploitation
of the project’s results.
The project will be carried out by a consortium that includes universities, project owners, technology providers and organizations who will
closely collaborate in all the project’s phases. CyI in cooperation with the Vasiliou Construction Group will work on applying the principles of
zero-energy buildings to a new residential settlement planned in Peyia, Paphos.
Attendees of the ZERO-PLUS meeting at the CyI premises in Nicosia
Architectural rendering of the proposed zero-energy residences
6

Research
€1 Million Horizon 2020
TWINNING grant awarded for
Networking in Solar Thermal
Energy Research
CyI has been awarded a 3-year, €1 Million Horizon 2020 TWINNING grant for the “NESTER” project to promote networking activities in the
field of Solar Thermal Energy research. The project aims to upgrade the scientific and innovation performance of CyI in the field of Solar-
Thermal Energy (STE). This upgrade will be achieved by embedding the Institute’s activities in a network of excellence, which will provide
access to the latest know-how and facilities, train CyI’s scientific and technical personnel and link it with the European Industry.
The NESTER network comprises of four leading institutions in the field of solar energy research (CIEMAT, ENEA, PROMES/CNRS and RWTH
– Aachen). They possess a formidable know-how in this field and operate some of the most important facilities, worldwide. The resulting
enhanced capabilities and status of CyI would in turn reflect positively on developing the knowledge economy of Cyprus. It will also enhance
the positioning of Cyprus as an important player in applied scientific research at the interface of the European and Middle East-North Africa
regions.
A number of activities are proposed in a detailed program which includes training and knowhow transfer, seminars and networking events
with European and Eastern Mediterranean-Middle East partners, summer school activities, public outreach, and awareness and networking
events. It is designed to ensure sustainability, evolution and continuation of the activities including the cooperation among the partners well
beyond the expiration of the three-year funding period.
The activity at the CyI’s PROTEAS facility will be embedded in an EU network of excellence
7

Research
Air pollution could claim 6.6 million
lives per year by 2050, double the
current rate
Every year 3.3 million people die
prematurely from the effects of air pollution
worldwide - a figure that could double by
2050 if emissions continue to rise at the
current rate. This is the conclusion of a study
carried out by a team of researchers at CyI
and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
in Mainz, Germany (MPIC). Surprisingly,
the largest sources of air pollution are not
industry and transport but small domestic
fires and agriculture.
Exposure to air pollution is particularly acute
in Asia, especially in China and India, where
three-quarters of the world’s pollutionrelated
deaths occur. In the September 17,
2015 issue of the journal Nature, a team
headed by Johannes Lelieveld, Director
of MPIC and CyI Professor, reported that
1.4 million people per year in China and
650,000 people in India die every year as
a consequence of air pollution. In the EU,
exposure to fine particles and ozone claims
180,000 lives a year, including 35,000 in
Germany. In many countries, air pollution
accounts for roughly ten-times more
deaths than road accidents.
Prof. Lelieveld, and his group for
Atmospheric and Climate Modelling at CyI
and other collaborators in the USA, Cyprus
and Saudi Arabia investigated for the first
time how mortality rates are affected
by various emission sources, such as
industry, transport, agriculture, fossil fuelfired
power plants, as well as domestic
energy use. The latter category includes
diesel generators, small stoves and smoky
open wood fires, which many people in
Asia use for heating and cooking. They also
calculated the mortality rates in individual
countries and the proportion of deaths due
to various causes, which can support policy
making.
Lelieveld’s team focused on the most critical
air pollutants, namely fine particles with a
diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres and
ozone. They used a global atmospheric
chemistry model to calculate the
concentrations of pollutants and to provide
data for locations that are not monitored
by air quality measurements. They then
combined the results with epidemiological
data. These data are not representative
of many megacities in Asia, where air
pollution is much higher than in European
and American cities and the team used a
refined method to determine the impact of
extreme smog in those locations.
The color scale represents the increase in deaths due to an expected stronger air pollution: white - no increase; red - 9000 deaths more per
year. Credit: Nature, Lelieveld et al.
8

Research
CyI Research Campaign Measures Black
Carbon Concentration in Athens Using
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
A team of CyI aerosol specialists led by Prof
Jean Sciare participated in an experiment
administered by the National Observatory
of Athens (NOA), and aimed at monitoring
the vertical distribution profile of Black
Carbon (BC) in Athens, Greece. BC is an
aerosol component that has been identified
as enhancing climate change and causing
adverse health effects. Small domestic fires
primarily in fireplaces, have been blamed
for a surprising rise in the concentration
of BC during nighttime in urban areas. The
problem is especially acute in countries affected
by the recent financial crisis, where
fossil fuel is being replaced by biomass
as the heating fuel of choice due to its low
cost.
The CyI group monitored the BC vertical distribution
using a suite of portable, prototype
and commercially available aethalometers
(instruments that measure BC). The instruments
were mounted to a small fleet
of multicopters, a type of unmanned aerial
vehicles, allowing for measurements from
the ground level up to 1 km. Passenger aircrafts,
typically used for this type of vertical
BC measurements, are restricted from flying
in cities at such low altitudes, and other
methods used for deriving aerosol vertical
distributions (e.g. LIDAR) fail to provide accurate
results below 200 m. This technology
is a novel way to bridge the gap among currently
available techniques.
During the campaign a number of prototype
aethalometers were used, most of which
will become commercially available in the
near future, and results were compared
against ground-based methods to evaluate
their robustness under realistic conditions.
The results will be presented within the
framework of the Horizon 2020 ‘ACTRIS 2’
project, a prestigious European consortium
tasked with the integration of European
ground-based stations monitoring aerosols,
clouds, and short-lived gas-phase species.
A multicopter used in the campaign to measure atmospheric black Carbon concentration
near the Acropolis in Athens
The CyI team participating in the research campaign
9

Feature
PROTEAS: CyI’s Platform for
Research, Observation and Technological
Applications in Solar Energy
The PROTEAS Facility is located in Pentakomo, just outside the city of Limassol and is one of the most complete research and
development facilities in Cyprus devoted to solar thermal energy systems. The facility uniquely combines ideal environmental
conditions with a seaside environment for research, development and testing of technologies related to Concentrated Solar Power
(CSP), Solar Thermal Energy (STE) and thermal Desalination of Sea Water (DSW).
Harvesting of the solar radiation is accomplished by the use of heliostats, special mirror assemblies that track the sun and redirect its
radiation onto a fixed receiver. Each heliostat employed at CyI has a five square meter curved mirror and the facility currently consists
of a field of 50 heliostats with a total reflective area of 250 square meters, concentrating the sun’s light more than 800 times on a point,
and delivering a peak power of 150 kilo-Watts of thermal energy. The field of heliostats yields the intensity of 2500 suns, with is capable
of reaching temperatures in excess of 1000 °C. Sunlight is converted into heat and stored for later use, so solar energy can be used
anytime, in the evening or on cloudy days. At CyI it will be used for the co-generation of electricity and desalinated seawater.
The field layout efficiently utilizes the hilly terrain with a high-density placement of heliostats. The heliostats are designed by CSIRO, Australia
and built in collaboration with CyI. A 18m tall tower with multiple experimental stations is available for the central receiver placement and
continuous monitoring of environmental conditions is carried out via a fully automated weather station.
EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation C. Moedas (right) with CyI’s S. Styliaris in the PROTEAS control room
10

Feature
This versatile facility complements the research carried out at CyI’s Athalassa campus, providing a test-bed for testing under realistic
conditions experiments developed through The Cyprus Institute’s various research activities. Additionally, in the spirit of collaboration the
facility is open to the international scientific community on a merit based priority scheme.
In the future, research activities will be broadened to include other aspects of solar thermal energy, such as linear Fresnel or parabolic
trough collector systems, as well as understanding the long-term behavior of components in the harsh-environmental conditions and field
testing of applications for the urban built environment.
The Adopt a Heliostat Initiative
In an effort to promote Green Energy and environmental awareness CyI has launched the “Adopt a Heliostat” initiative which invites individuals,
companies and organizations to become shareholders in solar energy research, by ‘adopting’ the heliostats placed at the PROTEAS
Facility. All proceeds will go towards supporting research in pioneering solar technologies.
The sponsorship is a meaningful way to contribute towards social responsibility and will help advance the promotion of renewable energy
sources and environmental research. So far fifteen organisations and individuals have answered our call and became sponsors. These
include Medochemie, RCB Bank, Alpha Bank, Bank of Cyprus, CDB Bank,Hellenic Bank, IBM Cyprus, Royal Crown Insurance, Muskita
Aluminium Industries,Vestafin Construction& Development Ltd, Chr. Mavromatis pumps, NUAOVA STEIM Italy, Μedcon Constructions Ltd,
George and Androulla Vassiliou, Edmee Leventis in memory of Dinos Leventis, Crown Plaza Limassol.
CyI expresses its gratitude to all sponsors. Their participation in this initiative highlights their commitment to support pioneering programs
and activities that address environmental issues.
11

Highlights
Visit by the European Parliament Committee
on Industry, Research and Energy
A delegation from the European Parliament
Committee on Industry, Research and
Energy (ITRE) recently visited CyI’s premises
in Nicosia. The EU Parliamentarians were
briefed on the innovative scientific activities
carried out at the Institute, especially in the
field of Renewable Energy Resources and
Solar Energy Technologies. The visit to CyI
coincided with the Committee’s official visit
to Cyprus.
The members of the ITRE Committee took
particular interest in the Institute’s Research
in Solar Energy as well as on the work in the
field of High Performance Computing. The
delegates were impressed by the activities
carried out at CyI and by the level of research
and expertise cultivated. They also praised the
Institute’s attempts to bridge Europe and the
neighboring Eastern Mediterranean countries.
The delegation of the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
during their visit to CyI
The delegation also visited the PROTEAS
facility, CyI’s pioneering research infrastructure
for Solar Thermal Energy and Desalination
research.
The delegation, chaired by Ms. Martina
Werner, included Mr. Werner Langen, Mr.
Miroslav Poche, Ms. Cora van Nieuwenhuizen,
Ms. Cornelia Ernst, Ms. Barbara Kappel,
Mr. Béla Kovács and Cypriot Member of
ITRE, Mr. Neocles Sylikiotis.
CyI team wins
Stelios Bicommunal
Business Award
The CyI team of Agapios Agapiou (left), Hakan Djuma (center), and
Marios Georgiou (right) at the awards ceremony
At an official ceremony at the Bi - Communal Café of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation in old Nicosia, the CyI team of Marios C. Georgiou
(PhD student), Agapios Agapiou (Technical instrument Developer), and Hakan Djuma, (PhD student), were presented with a Stelios bicommunal
award. The awards were launched seven years ago by the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation and funded by Easy Jet founder Sir Stelios
Haji-ioannou with the aim of promoting business projects shared between Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot entrepreneurs. A total of 31
awards were presented to the winners by Sir Stelios in person for building Cypriot bi-communal cooperation in the areas of business, arts,
sport, life, music and sciences with each winner receiving €10,000.
The innovative business proposal of the CyI team is a solar bicycle taxi with a driver and two passengers using an integrated hybrid system
of photovoltaics and manpower for pedalling. The “BiCy” taxi will be able to cross the green line from Ledra Street (as it will be registered
as a bike and not a car). Wireless internet and GPS will be installed to provide the possibility to track the bike and also to provide information
regarding monuments and sight-seeing within the walls of Nicosia. The BiCy is expected to be the first bicommunal vehicle participating in
the next Solar Challenge that will be organized by CyI in summer 2016.
12

Highlights
Hubert Curien Memorial Lecture 2015
“The Future of Economic Growth”
The future of economic growth and the
common issues of economic development
were analyzed by Daniel Cohen, Professor of
Economics at the École Normale Supérieure
and Université de Paris-I and at the École
d’économie de Paris, during the «Hubert
Curien Memorial Lecture 2015». Prof. Cohen
explained the relationship of technology to the
different development models and its effect on
the labor market and the relevant economic
challenges.
Prof. Cohen is a member of the Council of
Economic Analysis of the French Prime
Minister as well as a senior advisor to the bank
Lazard.
The event was attended by state and civic
officials, ambassadors, and distinguished
personalities from the scientific and business
world.
Prof. Daniel Cohen
Scientific Day,
in honor of
Prof. Edouard Brézin
A Scientific Day was organized by The Cyprus Institute to honor Prof.
Edouard Brézin on the completion of two terms (2006-2015) as Chair
of the Board of the Cyprus Research and Educational Foundation
(CREF). Edouard Brézin is a renowned theoretical physicist, an Emeritus
Professor at the Pierre and Marie Curie University and member
of the Theoretical Physics Laboratory at École Normale Supérieure
(ENS). He was elected as a member of the French National Academy
of Sciences in 1991 and served as its President from 2004 to
2006. He is the recipient of many distinctions and awards, both from
the US and many European Academies, including the Dirac Medal in
2011 for his scientific contributions to theoretical physics.
In December 2012, the President of the Republic of Cyprus presented
Prof. Brézin with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Cyprus
Prof. Edouard Brézin
for his contributions to science, technology and education in Cyprus
and the wider region. In January 2013 he was named “Commander
of the French Legion of Honor”, one of the highest distinctions of
the French Republic. Edouard Brézin is now serving as the Chair of
CREF-CyI’s Scientific Advisory Council.
The program comprised of five sessions on the topics ‘E. Brézin’s
contribution to The Cyprus Institute’, ‘Fundamental Physics’, ‘Climate
Change in the Middle East and North Africa’, ‘Scientists in the Quest
of Peace’ and ‘Europe at Crossroads: Perspectives of Southern Europeans
and Academics’.
13

Community
New Vice President for Research and new Director for the
Energy, Environment and Water Research Center
Prof. Euripides Stephanou assumed his duties as the new Vice President for Research in October 2015.
He received his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Zurich and has been a Professor of Environmental
Organic Chemistry at the University of Crete where he served as Rector (2011-2015), Dean
of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (1996-2002) and Chairman of the Department of Chemistry
(1989-1994).
His research focuses on the study of Atmospheric Aerosols, the Biogeochemical Cycles of Organic Pollutant,
and the study of Human Exposure to Toxic Contaminants. He is the author and co-author of more
than 110 peer-reviewed papers and has served as editor in a number of leading international scientific
journals.
Prof. Jean Sciare is the new Director of the Energy Environment and Water Research Center (EEWRC)
as of September 2015.
He received his PhD in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics from Paris VII University in 2000 and following
a post-doctoral position at the Max Planck Institute of Chemistry in Mainz (Germany) he joined
CNRS eventually becaming CNRS Research Director in 2013, leading the Atmospheric chemistry group
at LSCE from mid-2012 to mid-2014.
Prof. Jean Sciare is (co-)author of about 100 international refereed publications and more than 150
presentations at international conferences devoted to atmospheric chemistry and physics. His main
expertise covers the experimental characterization of atmospheric aerosols and addressing issues related
to their impacts on air quality, health and climate.
Six new Members for the CyI Board of Trustees
Prof. Michael Cates is the Lucasian
Professor of Mathematics and a world
leading theoretical physicist at the University
of Cambridge where he heads the Soft
Matter research group. He holds a PhD in
physics from Trinity College, University of
Cambridge.
Dr Günay çerkez is an Electrical Engineer
and Businessman. He served as
President of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber
of Commerce and is currently an active
member of the Chamber. He obtained his
PhD in Electrical Engineering from Brunel
University in the UK.
Dr Janez Potočnik is a Slovenian politician
currently serving as co-chair of the UN
International Resource Panel. He was
previously European Commissioner for the
Environment, and European Commissioner
for Science and Research. He has also
served as Slovenia’s Minister for European
Affairs. He received his PhD in Economics
from the University of Ljubljana.
Ms Egly Pantelakis is the Permanent Secretary
of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus.
She previously served as Permanent Secretary of
the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and
Environment. She studied Economics at the London
School of Economics and holds a Master’s degree
from City College, London.
Prof. Wajih Owais is a senator in the Jordanian Senate
who previously served as Minister of Higher Education
and Scientific Research. He was Professor of Genetics,
researcher, and Chairman of the Board of Directors
of King Abdullah University Hospital, and President
of Jordan University of Science and Technology.
He obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from
Washington State University.
Prof. Harold Varmus is a Nobel laureate and the Lewis
Thomas University Professor of Medicine at Weill
Cornell Medical College, and a Senior Associate at the
New York Genome Center. He has previously served
as Director of both the National Institutes of Health and
the National Cancer Institute, and as President of the
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He received
his MD degree from Columbia
14

Community
CyI awarded the Certification of Employer
of Gender Equality
At an official ceremony CyI was awarded the
certification of “Employer of Gender Equality”
from the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social
Insurance. Dr. Michalis Yiangou, Associate Vice
President of Operations, received the certification
from the Minister of Labor, Welfare and Social
Insurance of the Republic of Cyprus, Ms. Zeta
Emilianidou.
Following an open invitation by the Ministry of
Labor, Welfare and Social Insurance CyI applied
for the specific certification. The Institute went
thorough an assessment of its HR practices
and working conditions. The final stage of the
assessment included an on site visit by officers of
the Ministry of Labor. The aim of the assessment
was to evaluate whether the Institute provides
a workplace that foster fairness and gender
equality through its environment and practices.
(From left to right) CyI’s Michalis Yiangou. Ms. Zeta Emilianidou, Minister of Labor,
Welfare and Social Insurance. Mr. Andreas Assiotis, Permanent Secretary Ministry of
Labour and Social Insurance
CyI receives award for its pioneering
research in the Renewable Energy
Resources
During the 5th Environmental Awards, organized by Green Dot Cyprus
in cooperation with IMH and IN Business, The Cyprus Institute was
granted the award in the category ‘Renewable Energy Resources’ for its
pioneering research in the Field of the Renewable Energy Resources
and especially Solar Energy. The Awards strive to reward and promote
forward-thinking businesses and organizations that create environmentally
friendly products or services, and recognize revolutionary
plans and proposals that foster practices that promote the protection of
the environment. The candidates were selected by an Evaluation Committee,
which consists of people who are actively involved in the protection
of the environment and the promotion of ‘green’ practices.
The award constitutes yet another recognition for the successful research
work being carried out at CyI in this very important research
area.
CyI’s Nic Jarrand at the award ceremony with Green Dot Chairman
Kyriacos Parpounas
15

Opinion
Cyprus and The Cyprus Institute,
Leaders in Securing Competitive
EU Research Funding
In late January 2016 the official evaluation of
the 7th Framework Program (FP7), the EU’s
research funding program for 2007 to 2013,
was released by the European Commission.
The main findings, based on a report by an
independent group of high level experts†, reveal
that FP7 was effective in boosting scientific
excellence and strengthening Europe’s
industrial innovation and competitiveness,
contributing to growth and jobs in Europe.
The evaluation report utilizes a number of
indicators to assess the performance of the
28 EU Member States (EU28). In absolute
numbers, Germany and the United Kingdom
were the leaders in acquiring FP7 competitive
funding in the range of €7 billion each,
followed by France with approximately €5
billion. Cyprus was in the 22nd position, with
a total funding of €93 million.
However, when the total FP7 funding is normalised
per researcher per year, Cyprus had
the best performance compared to all 28 EU
member states. In fact, Cyprus with an average
€15.313 per researcher per year was by
far the best performer whereas the second
best, the Netherlands, averaged €8,194.
The Cyprus Institute became fully operational
after FP7 was launched. Despite this,
it had outstanding success in securing FP7
funding and has uniquely contributed to Cyprus’
achievements mentioned above. The
average annual FP7 funding per researcher
at The Cyprus Institute amounts to €45.862,
which is three times the Cyprus average,
and more than twelve times the EU28 average
(€3.642). In this regard, Cyprus and The
Cyprus Institute have been leaders in securing
competitive EU FP7 funds among all EU
member states.
These impressive numbers demonstrate
the great recent success of The Cyprus Institute
in securing competitive funds and
they are a concrete indication of its potential
for further success in the current EU funding
program, Horizon 2020. Indeed, during
the first two years of the Horizon 2020 programme,
The Cyprus Institute has secured
funding in excess of €6 million, with an even
better average per researcher amounting to
€55.749.
†https://ec.europa.eu/research/evaluations/pdf/fp7_final_evaluation_expert_
group_report.pdf
20 Konstantinou Kavafi Street, 2121, Aglantzia, Nicosia, Cyprus
Tel. +357 22208600, Fax. +357 22208625
Email: info@cyi.ac.cy www.cyi.ac.cy
16