Dr PANAYIOTIS PHILIMIS, President of Cyprus Association of Research and Innovation Enterprises (CARIE)
Interview to Dr Georgia Kouta, Post-Doctoral Researcher, ERC
How do you perceive the impact of the establishment of an Earth Observation Center of Excellence in Cyprus on both the domestic and international level?
Earth Observation (EO) has demonstrated a growing scientific, social, economic and political importance in recent years. With Cyprus strategic position located in an area with a geographical and political significance, we strongly believe that a Center of Excellence (CoE) will have a huge impact both at national and international level. Our association has a number of innovative SMEs operating in the Earth Observation and data services industry; taking into account the high increase of research and innovation potential of Cyprus in the recent years, we highly recommend the creation of a CoE for Earth Observation and Spaced based Applications.
Considering that the ERATOSTHENES CoE objectives fully comply with the Smart Specialisation Strategy for Cyprus, which would you consider to be the economic benefits from the establishment of the CoE for Cyprus in the forthcoming years?
The number of useful applications both in public and private sectors are numerous. We envisage the creation of new innovative SMEs and startups while existing SMEs and related industry can benefit from new technological innovations and infrastructure offered by ERATOSTHENES CoE. All smart specialization sectors such as Energy, Health, Tourism, Maritime etc. are directly linked with services in EO and space based applications. We estimate that the impact on Cyprus economy within the next decade could lead to an increase of GDP by 2%.
ERATOSTHENES CoE envisions the establishment of a modern, innovative and autonomous research Centre in Cyprus which can bridge the gap between academic research and entrepreneurial innovation. How would you consider the role of CARIE to be in this objective?
CARIE association is the ultimate link between Cyprus academia and industry since our members are focused in producing innovative products and services by investing in research and development. CARIE could take the role of bridging this gap by ensuring constant transfer of knowledge and technology from ERATOSTHENES to both CARIE members but also other relevant industries. Our members are the most active SMEs in the European research and innovation competitive funding programs, being ranked first in EU with a 40% share of SMEs in the country’s R&I budget.
