cyi-logo-spotThe Cyprus Institute (CyI) is a non-profit research and educational institution with a strong scientific and technological orientation that was established in 2005. It is an issue-orientated institution, emphasizing international collaborations and cross-disciplinary research and education. The Institute operates under the aegis of the Cyprus Research and Educational Foundation (CREF), which is governed by a Board of Trustees that is comprised of leading personalities from the international academic, political and business spheres. It is currently chaired by Professor Edouard Brézin, former president of the French Academy of Sciences and Professor at the Ecole Normale Supérieure. The principal objectives of CREF are the advancement of knowledge and its humane and benevolent application and the establishment of a new research and educational public-benefit organization which shall generally promote research and education in Cyprus and abroad for the public interest.

The CyI is being developed by establishing research centres which address challenging problems that are important at both the regional and international levels. These are developed in partnership with leading institutions in the respective thematic areas. The Energy, Environment and Water Research Center (EEWRC) is developed in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the Science and Technology in Archaeology Research Center (STARC) in partnership with the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF), headquartered in the Louvre; and the Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center (CaSToRC) in partnership with the University of Illinois.  Each of the Centres is led by a Director or an Interim Governing Board and is guided by an international Scientific Advisory Committee.  In its fully developed phase, the institute is expected to include at least seven research centres, each employing 65-100 people. While at present the CyI is still developing (numbering 82 as of 2010), it is rapidly growing and already successful in attracting competitive funding. Having launched its first centre in 2007, it has secured a large number of research projects, including an ERC Advanced Grant (the only one in Cyprus). With only a few years of operation it has demonstrated its ability to attract scientists of international repute at all levels. The research centres will also provide graduate education in the thematic areas of their concentration through the stewardship of the Graduate College.

The Cypriot Government has endorsed both the vision and the planning of the CyI and is providing seed funds for launching the first research centres.  The Government is also committed to continuing to support the CyI as part of its own long-term planning for the development of research and innovation in Cyprus, and its intention to transform Cyprus into a regional educational and research hub.

Role in the project

  • Content provider
  • Responsible of WP3 (Metadata model, mapping and ingestion)
  • Responsible for setting up the Virtual Exhibition (T2.6)