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Distinguished
guests,
Ladies
and Gentlemen
It
is indeed a great pleasure for me to be here this morning to address this
Seminar, the importance of which is clearly evidenced by the presence of
such a distinguished audience representing a very wide range of economic
and professional activities.
I would like to take this opportunity
to congratulate and thank the organisers of this seminar, namely the
Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Cyprus Employers´
and Industrialists Federation. I would also like to thank the Cyprus
Development Bank for undertaking the role of the Project Leader.
Last but not least, I would like to
thank the High Level Delegation from the French Riviera Chamber of
Commerce and Industry and from the Sophia Antipolis Science Park for their
support and assistance in our efforts to establish a technology park in
Cyprus.
Today Research, both basic and applied, and Innovation generate the
environment for development and progress and create possibilities and
opportunities for equal participation in the world market, even to small
countries like Cyprus.
The European Union, recognizing the importance of research and innovation
and the exploitation of knowledge, has placed as a minimum target the
investment of 3% of GDP in research activities. To meet this European
objective, the Government of Cyprus has set as a goal for the next few
years, the spending of 1% of its GDP in research.
To this effect, the Government is promoting a comprehensive strategy which
will create the environment and the necessary infrastructure for the
attraction of investments in research and technological development which
aims primarily at achieving a satisfactory rate of sustainable development
and to gaining the maximum benefit from the accession of Cyprus to the
European Union.
Within the framework of this strategy, strong encouragement is given for
research and technological development both within and outside businesses
as well as for the utilization to the maximum degree of the possibilities
opening up by the information society.
In this connection, the Government of Cyprus has taken various initiatives
such as:
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The
agreement signed with the Harvard School of Public Health for a Joint
International Initiative on the Environment and Public Health by which
the Cyprus Research Institute for the environment and public health
will be established in Cyprus.
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The
establishment and operation of four business incubators in Cyprus for
fostering innovation. These incubators have successfully started their
operation and fourteen teams of inventors submitted their applications
to the Competent Program Committee, which has approved six projects,
and three of them have already entered the incubators and started
their operations. By the end of 2004 it is expected that another ten
to fifteen teams of inventors will join the Program.
I am sure that the Director of one
of these incubators will give you more details later during this
seminar about the Program for the Creation of New High-Tech and
Innovative Enterprises.
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Cooperation
with the French Riviera Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the
authorities of the Sophia Antipolis Science Park in the field of high
technology and in particular for establishing a Technology Park in
Cyprus to host research centres of international repute and esteemed
high tech enterprises.
All
these initiatives, in combination with the existing research centres, like
the Institute of Neurology and Genetics, the Agricultural Research
Institute, the research units of the University of Cyprus as well as of
other academic institutions of tertiary education, will form the core of
the necessary research infrastructure for the promotion of the high
technology industry in Cyprus and will support our efforts for
transforming Cyprus into a regional research Centre and a bridge between
the European Union, the East Mediterranean and the Middle East Region.
Fundamental objective of today’s
seminar is to have an interactive exchange of information, views and
experiences between the participants with regard to the basic aspects and
parameters that are essential for the successful creation and operation of
a technological park in Cyprus. You will be invited to address various
issues that should be considered for the inception and implementation of
this project, like:
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What
kind of technological park is required in Cyprus?
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What
kind of services will be offered?
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What
kind of activities will be allowed to enter the park?
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Which
authority or body will undertake its establishment and its management?
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Criteria
for the selection of the most suitable location for the technological
park,
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Who
will be the prospective customers of the park, and
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Incentives
for the attraction of enterprises to this park.
All
these will form the necessary input for the preparation of the terms of
reference for the feasibility study, which will be the next phase
following this seminar.
In concluding, I would like to wish you all every success in your
deliberations and to assure you that I will be waiting with great interest
the conclusions of the seminar.
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