Cyprus Science and Research Centre Gets Closer To Reality

€ 400.000 funding through TEAMING – HORIZON 2020 Scheme gives UCY the green light to prepare the business plan

The University of Cyprus announces that the proposal submitted by all the Cypriot universities, with the acronym CSRC – Centre for STEAM Education Research, Science Communication and Innovation – has been qualified in the competitive call of the strategic program “Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation – Teaming” of the “HORIZON 2020”.

The € 400.000 funding will enable the project’s consortium to proceed with the development of the business plan for the creation of the Cyprus Science and Research Center to benefit Cyprus and the broader region. CSRC will focus on the promotion of science communication, teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, through interactive tools. It aspires to become a Center of Excellence in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, for improving research, innovation and entrepreneurial culture in the areas of technology, especially the technology for teaching and learning in science and the innovative communication of scientific achievements.

The proposal coordinated by the University of Cyprus – particularly the Learning in Science Group (UCY Department of Education) – was ranked eighth among the 30 proposals submitted.

Commenting on the great news, Prof. Constantinos Christofides, Rector said: “Securing this funding required strong partnership and the effective coordination of our University. Nurturing successful partnerships is a key priority and strength of the UCY.”

Additionally, Prof. Constantinos P. Constantinou, UCY Vice-Rector for International Affairs, Finance and Administration, congratulated all the universities of this partnership stressing that “this success demonstrates the high level of the academic and research community in Cyprus and the quality of research conducted in the region”.

It is the first time that all Cypriot universities (University of Cyprus, Cyprus University of Technology, Open University Cyprus, University of Nicosia, European University Cyprus, UCLan Cyprus, Neapolis University Paphos, Frederick University of Technology) are joining forces to create a Center of Excellence and Innovation in Cyprus, in cooperation with Cypriot companies and with the guidance of internationally renowned Science Centers, like Fondazione Idis-Città della Scienza (Italy) and Universcience (France), as well as the contribution of other entities such as the Science Education Research Center of the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), the Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics of the University of Kiel (Germany), the Knowledge Lab of UCL (United Kingdom), and the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Laboratory of ICS- FORTH (Greece). The project is expected to begin in July 2017.

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