The Cyprus research and innovation ecosystem has grown steadily over the past few years, and is now included amongst Europe's Strong Innovators, said on Wednesday the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Nicodemos Damianou, following a meeting with the President of the European Research Council (ERC), Professor Maria Leptin, at the Presidential Palace.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Education Athena Michaelidou, the Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki and the Chief Scientist for Research, Innovation and Technology Demetris Skourides. The meeting discussed ways to strengthen the Cypriot research and innovation ecosystem and to enhance the capacity of Cypriot institutions to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Horizon Europe funding programmes, with a focus on the ERC. After the meeting, Damianou and Leptin made statements to the media.

In his statement, the Deputy Minister of Innovation said that Leptin's visit marks the European Research Council's commitment to strengthen links and promote cooperation across Europe's research community.

He pointed out that "the Cyprus research and innovation ecosystem has grown steadily over the past few years, and is now included amongst Europe's Strong Innovators", noting that "the passion and dedication of our researchers, scientists and innovators are the key drivers of the significant progress of our ecosystem. As a government, we are committed to maintaining an environment conducive to research and innovation."

At the same time, he said that excellence in research is on the rise, as evidenced, among other things, by the 32 European Research Council grants secured so far, 7 of which in the last 3 years.

For her part, Leptin said that "I am here for two purposes, to work with the scientific community in Cyprus, to learn from them and where I can help and support them". She noted that during her visit she met researchers who were able to put their ideas into practice contributing to research and innovation.

Asked to comment on the fact that the labour market cannot easily absorb people with PhDs or post-doctorates, Leptin said there should be more flexibility on the part of employers, noting that academic careers are not the only direction young people can take.

Moreover, according to a press release from the Ministry of Innovation, in the framework of the visit, Leptin participated in a lecture at the University of Cyprus, which was organised by the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts and held meetings with members of the academic and research community of the country.

It is reported that the Deputy Ministry also organised a dinner in her honour, in the presence of representatives from the country's academic and research institutions, as well as ERC-funded researchers.

Finally, it is added that the State's aim is to provide the stakeholders of the Cypriot ecosystem with all the necessary tools for its further development and to maximise the impact of research and innovation on the economy and society of the country.