Cyprus aspires to become a technology center

Cyprus is already on the technology map and aspires to become a regional hub for science and technology companies, said today the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Kyriakos Kokkinos, calling on young people in the industry to believe in themselves and claim from this State that they deserve.

Kyriakos Kokkinos today welcomed the opening ceremony of the three-day technology festival "Reflect 2021", which began in Limassol, with the participation of over three thousand people from Cyprus and abroad and 80 speakers from around the world.

In his greeting, the Undersecretary stated that Cyprus is already on the technological map and pointed out that this can be seen from the organization of the festival in Limassol and its great impact.

Cyprus, he continued, has a friendly business environment and aspires to become a regional hub for science and technology companies, while noting that through trust and cooperation, Cyprus is already a regional player.

He expressed his confidence that the three-day festival will prove that Cyprus is high on these issues and is ready for cooperation and alliances, so that together with other European countries, the sector can be further developed, for a better future, with prosperity for citizens and especially for young people "who deserve more".

He noted that Europe needs to reverse the problem of the loss of its science and technology young people, who end up in the US or China, due to a lack of support, encouragement and funding.

"We, as policy makers, need to listen to you, get the message across and come closer and support you," he said, urging young people to be critical and demanding of the decision-making centers that concern them.

He said that the new generation has the best prospects, but at the same time the fewest opportunities, since, as he explained, citing Cyprus as an example, while 75 to 78% of young people graduate from universities and are "big minds", not there are the employment opportunities they deserve.

He also called on young people to believe in their dreams and use their energy to create what they dream of, while noting, at the same time, that no start-up company is considered a failure if we learn from the mistakes and experiences we make.

The Undersecretary also announced that, after the end of the three-day festival, he will convene a meeting with those involved in the field of science and technology, to hear their views and expectations from the State, in order to provide solutions to any problems identified.

In addition, in his short greeting, the Chief Scientist for Research and Innovation of the Republic of Cyprus, Dr. Nikola Mastrogiannopoulos, assured that the Government supports in every way the "new minds" and innovative ideas.

He continued, we try to achieve this through various ways, with financial support, by financing new ideas and creating infrastructure for the introduction of technology in our country.

"We can give our knowledge to large companies and vice versa, these companies can offer us the step for further development and greater international recognition," he said, stressing that the State will be a helper and supporter, not only with ideas but through acts, the creators of the new era.

The festival, which took place online last year due to the pandemic, returned this year with a physical presence of the participants and is considered one of the largest events of Technology and Innovation in Southern Europe and the Middle East, which aims to highlight the latest developments in the field and be networking center between the main players in the sector, from Europe and the Middle East.