Address by the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Τourism Mr. Yiorgos Lillikas
at the at the  Third International Symposium on Nanomanufacturing

Mediterranean Beach Hotel, Limassol November 3, 2005

(Was read by the Limassol District Officer Mr. Agathoklis Kerrimis)

Distinguished Professors,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is really, a great honour for me to be here today, to address such a distinguished audience on the occasion of the Third International Symposium on Nanomanufacturing.  I consider it also to be a great honour for Cyprus to host the works of this International Symposium, which was initiated at MIT in the USA in April 2003 and continued at KAIST in Korea in November 2004) and has emerged as the main global forum to address manufacturing issues at the nanoscale.  It is also very encouraging for Cyprus to be ranked as an emerging leader in manufacturing among the European nanotechnology community, with mass production facilities for carbon nanotubes, nanocomposites and nanosensor development.

We live in an era where the production of knowledge and innovation is one of the basic elements which determine the economic development of the world and of each individual country.

Cyprus΄ strategic location, at the crossroads of three continents and its close proximity to the busy trade routes, linking Europe with the Arab World and the Far Eas , has been a major factor shaping its history throughout the centuries.

After our accession to the European Union, our vision is the development of such initiatives that will make Cyprus a Regional Centre of Excellence for Research and Innovation.

Our new Strategic Development Plan aims mainly at achieving a satisfactory rate of sustainable development and at gaining the biggest possible benefit from the accession of Cyprus to the European Union, thus contributing to a greater convergence with the EU member-states.

To achieve its strategic objectives, my Government places special emphasis to the extension and the upgrading of infrastructures in the fields of energy, research, telecommunications and transport and to the connection of Cyprus with the Inter - European Transport Networks.

Strong encouragement is given to the area of research both within and outside businesses as the present level of research and innovation is considered to be one of our weaknesses for further development.

In view of the above, the Government of Cyprus aims at creating the necessary infrastructure for research and attracting researchers from big Research Institutes or Research Units of multinational enterprises and reputable Universities, thus placing Cyprus on the world map of research.

For the implementation of the Government policy with regard to the enhancement of research and the creation of high technology industries in Cyprus, the Government of the Republic through the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism has already taken the following initiatives:

1.      Under an agreement signed with the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) the Cyprus International Institute for the Environment and Public Health has been established in Cyprus as an independent non-profit entity and in association with HSPH envisages to be a leading regional research and academic institution in the fields of environment and public health.  I am certain that this Initiative will hold benefits not only for Cyprus and HSPH but also for all other countries since the environment does not have borderlines and the solutions in the pollution of the environment must have a global application.  The same applies for the field of public health, as the results and the benefits that will arise from the research in this sector at the Cyprus International Institute for the Environment and Public Health will be shared with all other countries for the benefit of their people.

2.      It is promoting the international cooperation in the emerging and frontier areas of science and technology under bilateral, multilateral or regional framework. This is achieved through interactions between governments, academia, institutions and industries with specific focus on areas of common interests through a reciprocal arrangement that will benefit both Cyprus and the partner country.

3.      It has introduced two Programs for the Creation of New Enterprises of High Technology and Innovation through the Institution of Business Incubators.  Within the context of these programs the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism has signed contracts with four private companies for the establishment and operation of an equal number of business incubators.  The Technology-Incubating Program is an innovative system designed to assist entrepreneurs and inventors in the development of new technology-based companies. The program is addressed to individuals or small groups of individuals who present a business plan for the development of an innovative idea.

4.      In cooperation with the French Riviera Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the authorities of the Sophia Antipolis Science Park, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism is promoting the establishment of a Technology Park in Cyprus which will host research centres of International repute and esteemed high tech enterprises.  The project is now at the stage of the preparation of the feasibility study.

In addition to all above initiatives, it is to be noted that a Competent Ministerial Committee is in the process of evaluating the existing research, technological development and innovation system in Cyprus as well as the relevant administrative structures and management mechanisms in an effort to determine any weaknesses, deficiencies or overlapping between the functions of the public bodies, the broader public sector and the private sector and will soon submit to the Council of Ministers suggestions for the restructuring of the sectors under the Mediterranean Institute of Research and Technological Development, based on successful models in this field and its upgrading in the context of the broader economic and social environment.

In concluding, I would like to thank you for the opportunity you have given me to address this very important International Symposium on Nanomanufacturing and I congratulate everyone who was involved with its organisation.  I wish you every success in your deliberations and I express the wish this symposium to promote cooperation between our countries in the field of nanomanufacturing and research and technological development in general.