Chief Scientist Delivers Keynote at E-SUMMIT IIT BOMBAY, INDIA, on how AI is Redefining Innovation Across Cyprus and India
Cyprus Chief Scientist Demetris Skourides Delivers Keynote at E-Summit, Asia’s largest university-led entrepreneurship summit, hosted at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay.
Chief Scientist of the Republic of Cyprus, has concluded a strategic visit to India aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in innovation, artificial intelligence and startup ecosystems.
The visit underscored the growing convergence between India and Cyprus across technology, research and entrepreneurship, while reinforcing Cyprus’s role as a strategic innovation bridge connecting India, the Middle East and Europe. Particular emphasis was placed on emerging global connectivity frameworks such as the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which is increasingly shaping new pathways for trade, technology and innovation.
As part of his visit, Mr. Skourides was invited as a distinguished speaker at E-Summit, Asia’s largest university-led entrepreneurship summit, hosted at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. The summit brought together more than 50,000 participants and featured over 100 speakers, including senior government officials, global CEOs, leading venture capital firms and startup founders from India and international markets.
At IIT Bombay, Mr. Skourides participated in a high-level panel discussion titled “Build for Billions – Bridging Innovation and Startups via the IMEC Corridor.” The discussion focused on how governments, academic institutions and startups can collaborate to develop scalable, globally deployable solutions, leveraging IMEC to accelerate innovation, economic growth and cross-regional technology flows. The panel included prominent industry leaders such as Avinash Mudaliar, Co-Founder and CEO of OTTplay, and Raajh Singh, former Country Head of Dailymotion India.
In addition, the Chief Scientist delivered a dedicated address on “How AI is Redefining Innovation Across Cyprus and India,” highlighting Cyprus’s national artificial intelligence and digital transformation agenda. The session explored concrete opportunities for collaboration between the two countries across deep-tech startups, research and innovation institutions, enterprise innovation and policy frameworks.
Beyond public engagements, Mr Skourides held a series of high-level strategic meetings during his visit. These included discussions with the Deputy Director of IIT Bombay on advancing long-term Indo-Cypriot collaboration in research, innovation and academic exchange, as well as an exchange with Shaina NC, spokesperson of India’s ruling coalition, focusing on innovation diplomacy and international cooperation. He also met with Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari, reflecting on shared perspectives around advanced engineering, technology-driven innovation and global leadership.
Further engagements explored potential partnerships at the intersection of sports, education and technology with the family behind one of India’s universities and sports academies, as well as discussions with a leading Indian law firm on facilitating cross-border innovation, startups and institutional collaboration.
The visit reinforces Cyprus’s expanding role in global innovation diplomacy and reflects a shared commitment between India and Cyprus to build scalable solutions for global markets, strengthen startup ecosystems and deepen cooperation along the IMEC corridor. As both countries continue to invest in innovation-led growth, the engagement marks an important step toward a more connected, collaborative and forward-looking Indo-Cypriot innovation partnership.
