The government should support all Cypriot proposals for the Teaming research programme
Statements by AKEL MP Christos Christofides after the meeting of the Parliamentary Education and Culture Committee
10 November 2021
Today we discussed in the Committee on Education an issue that our AKEL Parliamentary Group registered for discussion, which concerns research activity and innovation in our country. We registered this issue because there seems to be some problem with the ‘Teaming’ research programmes, which aim to transfer scientific knowledge, know-how and innovation to the less developed EU countries, including Cyprus, from more developed European countries. These programmes are co-funded. This means that for each programme, €15 million is funded by the EU and another €15 million by the Cypriot government. The problem lies in the fact that there is no pre-commitment by the Republic of Cyprus that if a programme is approved it is committed to paying its own contribution, which creates problems and complications.
Our view is that investing in Teaming programmes has at least a 100% return on investment. In other words, we put in a sum, we get the corresponding amount from the EU and, as we have been informed today by Universities themselves, a lot more money comes back in other ways. These programmes employ young scientists and researchers. We bring scientists from abroad and stop the brain drain from Cyprus to abroad, so the benefits – scientific, research, economic, social – are multiple.
We urge once again on the government to support all the proposals for the Teaming programme, with the commitment that if approved by the EU, the Cypriot government will cover the necessary co-funding.
