On 5 June 2016, I was invited to participate in a Panel Discussion arranged by the Oxford College Culture Cyprus and the MBA Program of the College of Cyprus on the topic of “Research, Advancement and Entrepreneurship in Cyprus of 2020” The other panelists were: Kyriakos Kokkinos, National Principal Scientist for Research Study & & Innovation, Republic of Cyprus; Christodoulos Agastiniotis, President of the Cyprus Chamber of Business and Market; Angela Panagiotou, Supervisor of the Concept Accelerator of the Bank of Cyprus; Vassilis Tsakalos, Director General of the Study Promotion Foundation of Cyprus, and Yoav Yair, Dean of the College of Sustainability, IDC Herzliya. The panel and the ensuant discussion was worked with by Charles Dodd, Oxford University Culture of Cyprus.
The panel happened in the Knowing Resource Centre-Library “Stelios Ioannou” of the University of Cyprus in Nicosia.
Complying with are 3 -minute solutions I gave to the questions positioned to the panel:
Question 1: What will certainly study, technology, and entrepreneurship be like in Cyprus after 2020
Ι will try to address the concern by informing some narratives; some are Cypriot, some not.
According to a report from the united state National Academies (2012, the majority of the technologies that form today’s landscape, from Broadband, the Net, the Internet and the Cloud, to Mobile Computing, Enjoyment, Layout, Robotics and AI, map their roots to university-led study done back in the 60 – and 70 s to the beginning of the new millennium.
In 2012, Peter Droell, head of policy development and industrial technology at the European Compensation was priced quote by Reuters saying that there was a noticeably solid correlation in between R&D investing in the European Union in the duration 2004– 2009 and financial growth in 2011
In 2014, a Cyprus-based telecoms firm was gotten by a Japanese company for a reported quantity of $ 900 M. The firm currently is based in Luxembourg. The business was run from Israel, early capitalists were Israeli endeavor funds (with over 20 M USD) and a lot of the development was performed in Belarus.
In an article published by Athens’ Kathimerini newspaper in 11/ 1/ 2019, “Alibaba bought the start-up of a Greek business owner for 90– 100 million euros.” This was the FlinkForward start-up, developed in Berlin as a spinoff from the research task Stratosphere, led by prof. Volker Markl. Volker, speaking at the CCGrid 2019 meeting in Larnaca, in May, revealed a diagram of the “innovation pipe” that brought about the establishment of FlinkForward. Job began in 2008 and involved standard research activities from 2008– 2014, used research activities from 2011– 2015, and commercialization initiatives starting in 2015
So, if we intend to address this question, I assume we need to review what took place in Cyprus in basic and employed study, in the period 2000– 2010 We also need to see where does the top talent of the country goes currently, and what does it do? Last, however not the very least, we need to prepare to approve that a Cypriot “success story” might not materialise right here in Cyprus, or that a success tale we celebrate in 2020 is, actually, the result of initiatives taken on in other places.
Concern 2: What is mosting likely to aid get us there effectively?
Given that 1992, Cyprus has been progressively and steadily creating a world-class research infrastructure. Although we often talk as if the research study facilities– human, institutional and material– is totally created, we still have a lengthy method to go. This has to be created even additionally and at a much faster pace, thinking about that a boosting number of countries around the globe aggressively establish their research study and advancement potential. Unfortunately, fairly frequently, we see inconsistencies from specified principles, purposes, and international finest techniques, leading to hold-ups and setbacks, to fragmentation of sources, and to unnecessary replication of initiatives. We see bureaucratic treatments and national politics taking spotlight and displacing scientific and technical quests. This eliminates technology and moves the program and effort from substance to trivia.
For decades, governance of Research and Technology has been fragmented throughout numerous ministries and services. This scenario was altered very recently. It is an essential enhancement in the right instructions that we applaud. We really hope that all branches of federal government, administration, legislature and other stakeholders will certainly embrace and sustain this modification.
There is requirement for regular and sustained funding for standard and employed research, and for technology actions. The government must not subsidise profit-making entities, however provide instead a clear reward structure for private endeavor, possibly with matching funds based upon meritocratic evaluation under clear principles protecting the general public great.
Question 3: What are the challenges which need to be faced?
In 2 words: Critical Mass and Society
There is absence of critical mass in skill, specifically in IT and STEM. We need to build it, beforehand, from the institutions.
As a society, we have a traditional society that is not dedicated to true excellence and does not welcome risk-taking and failure. The most effective minds frequently desire to enter the general public sector and work as public servants.
Short-termism is another issue in our mindset. It is additionally a problem in other western societies. If you incorporate this with political inertia and red-tape, you can barely accomplish any favorable adjustment!
There is a scarcity of “wise” cash that is willing to accept risk, and can demonstrate a real understanding of international markets.
Question 4: Call one action which any kind of agency/individual in government/business/sponsors/ universities/others could do to make 2020 a really memorable year for research, technology and entrepreneurship
Do not copy campaigns from below and there.
Layout and establish a comprehensive program for promoting basic, applied research, development, integrated with clear rewards for private funding from ‘smart’ cash and a worldwide overview.
Let it run for 15 years, with sustained financing systems.
Preserve its principles and testimonial and change its execution every 5 years.
Check out Yozma in Israel (20 years ago), Singapore (country of an extremely small dimension, globe leader in innovation however not so successful in start-ups), however additionally Egypt and countries that in spite of their difficulties have actually developed positive and extensive plans resolving their requirements.