Chief Scientist -Polish-Cypriot Cybersecurity Forum- POLCYBER 2024

28/06/2024

The Chief Scientist for Research Innovation and Technology, Mr. Skourides presented the Cyprus Vision, Mission, and Ecosystem at the 2^nd Polish-Cypriot Forum on Information Security (POLCYBER 2024). The event was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Nicosia and the Polish-Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, and with the support of Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), Polish Investment & Trade Agency PPFR Group (PAiH), Commissioner of Communications, Cyprus Cybersecurity Coordination Centre and Enterprise Europe Network.

The forum was inaugurated by Mr. Marek Szczepanowski, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Cyprus, Mr. Przemysław Pokorny, President of the Polish-Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, and Mr. Stavros Stavrou, Head of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI). They welcomed the participants and expressed their support for enhancing the bilateral relations between Poland and Cyprus in research, innovation, and digitalization.

The opening remarks were followed by keynote speeches by Mr. Nikodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Michał Pukaluk, Deputy Director of the Department of Cyber Security of the Ministry of Digital Affairs of the Republic of Poland, and Mr. Demetrios Skourides, Chief Scientist for Research Innovation and Technology of Cyprus.

In his presentation, Mr. Skourides showcased the impressive performance and growth of the Cyprus R&I ecosystem, which has achieved remarkable results in the European Innovation Scoreboard 2023, the Global Innovation Index 2023, and the Greenfield FDI Index 2023, ranking among the top performers in the region and globally.

The Chief Scientist also highlighted the main thematic areas and industries that the Cyprus R&I ecosystem focuses on, such as digital technologies, advanced materials, dual-use technologies, agrifood, maritime and shipping, renewable energy, space, health, and environment. He emphasized the attractiveness of Cyprus as a destination for startups, investors, researchers, and entrepreneurs, offering a favorable tax regime, a startup visa, a digital nomad visa, a highly educated and skilled workforce, and a vibrant community of support structures, accelerators, and incubators.

Mr. Skourides highlighted that one of the main advantages of the Cyprus R&I ecosystem is the existence of seven Centers of Excellence, which are hubs of excellence for research and innovation that work with top international partners and tackle societal and economic challenges. The Chief Scientist elaborated on the Center of Excellence, and mentioned KIOS, which deals with intelligent systems and networks, ERATOSTHENES, which concentrates on earth observation and space technologies, CYENS, which investigates interactive media, smart systems, and emerging technologies, BIOBANK which concentrates on biomedical research, genetic diseases and molecular medicine, Phaethon, a center of excellence about energy solutions, CMMI which focus on marine technology and sciences, and EMME-CARE, which focus on climate and environmental research.

The Chief Scientist also presented the RIF tools to accelerate progress, which are competitive funding schemes that support the entire innovation cycle, from pre-seed to disrupt, as well as research in enterprises, co-development, and excellence hubs. He mentioned the participation of Cyprus in seven EU Partnerships, covering key domains such as key digital technologies, clean energy transition, driving urban transition, sustainable blue development, agroecology, rare diseases, and Eurostars/Innovative SMEs.

Finally, Mr. Skourides presented the vision of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCC), which is to make Cyprus a pioneer in the field of Cybersecurity services, while ensuring a reliable and protected cyberspace for businesses and the wider civil society, while their mission is to maintain and enhance the level of Cybersecurity in the Republic of Cyprus, by providing knowledge and facilitating access to expertise on industrial, technological and research cybersecurity issues. At the end, the Chief Scientist invited the Polish participants to visit the NCC website and to contact the NCC for further information and collaboration.

The keynote speech of Mr. Skourides was followed by a presentation from Polish Cybersecurity companies, as well as meetings and networking sessions between Polish and Cypriot entrepreneurs and innovators. Among the Polish Cybersecurity companies that presented their products and services were AUTHOLOGIC, BILLIONGROUP, IDENTT, NASK-PIB, PREBYTES, RUBLON, SOC360, SYCOPE, TESTCLIX, and 4PRIME. These companies showcased their innovative solutions for various cybersecurity challenges, such as authentication, identity management, threat detection, incident response, compliance, and testing. They also expressed their interest in collaborating with Cypriot partners and expanding their market reach in the region.