Statement by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, at the end of his visit to the “KOIOS” Research Centre of the University of Cyprus

 

6 December 2021, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

An AKEL delegation, headed by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of AKEL S.Stefanou, visited the “KOIOS” Research Centre of the University of Cyprus. The delegation included the General Coordinator of the Party’s Policy Bureaus, Neoklis Sylikiotis, the Head of the Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Bureau of AKEL, Dr. Angelos Kassianos, the member of the AKEL Nicosia District Committee Constantinos Christoforou and the Secretary of the Student Section of EDON Youth Organisation Andreas Solonos.

The General Secretary of AKEL made the following statement:

“Today we visited the Research Centre of the University of Cyprus, “KOIOS”. I must say that we are impressed by the scientific work that is being carried out in very important areas of the Cyprus economy and Cypriot society.

Research and technology quite clearly open up horizons and create prospects for every country. At the same time, research and innovation constitute an essential pillar of a sustainable and modern, robust economy.

Innovation and research can promote quality jobs and harness science. Cyprus has many and good scientists whom we must make use of in order to create and build our country’s present and future. The University of Cyprus Research Centre is a very good example of how all this can operate.

Research and innovation need both a vision and good planning. The activity that ‘KOIOS’ is developing and the recognition it has gained internationally with the awards it has received, shows that Cyprus has potential in this area. We need to cultivate this potential. Specific policies are needed to support research and technology. We need the state, and especially the government, to ensure their funding and utilisation from abroad, especially funds from the European Union. We also need the government to create conditions for equal access to funding for scientific work in research and innovation.

AKEL, evaluating the issues of research, innovation and excellence very highly, has formed a specific Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Bureau of the C.C. Our aim is to work both inside and outside Parliament to create the necessary framework so that Cyprus, in a very difficult and competitive sector, can invest and develop these sectors and ultimately Cyprus can benefit from the efforts made.

We congratulated those at the forefront of this effort at the KOIOS Science Centre. AKEL will always be at their side so that we can move forward. In doing so, we are also contributing so that we can build the Cyprus of tomorrow in a very difficult world.”