Cyprus sets up national council on research and innovation

The Council of Ministers approved on Tuesday the establishment of a National Council for Research and Innovation.

In statements after the Cabinet`s meeting, Minister of Finance Harris Georgiades said that the Council has taken a series of decisions aimed at enhancing the ecosystem for research and innovation.

He added that they approved the establishment of a National Council for Research and Innovation as the top advisory body for this strategy. Head of the Council will be former Health Minister Philippos Patsalis, while the members of the Council will be announced in the coming weeks.

Georgiades also said that the Cabinet decided the establishment of an equally important institution on the basis of best practices from other countries such as Israel and the UK. The institution of the Head Scientist will serve the coordinating and decisive role of promoting research at national level. Kyriakos Kokkinos, Vice President of the Research Promotion Foundation was chosen to undertake the role.

The Minister noted that the Cabinet also decided to finance with state resources every Cypriot research proposal selected by the EU within the framework of the financial program under the 2020 Horizon.