Funding innovation at centre of ICEIRD in Cyprus

The 7th International Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Regional Development (ICEIRD 2014) was held in Nicosia, supported by Cyta, which focused on two themes, “Igniting Regional Economies: Knowledge, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in South East Europe” and “Energy Enabled: The Innovation and Cooperation Hotbed of South East Europe”.
ICEIRD 2014 was organized in order to provide a channel of communication among government agencies, enterprises and researchers who will discuss topics of current interest concerning national competitiveness and regional development. It is aimed at academics and researchers, those involved in regional growth, chambers, technology parks and incubators as well as innovative companies and consultants on innovation and technology issues.
ICEIRD 2014 presented 50 international research papers and included a round table discussion on the main topics of the conference. A workshop was held in the framework of the Innofun (Funding Policies to Bring Innovation) Project, which was funded by the EU’s Interreg IVC programme (http://www.innofun.org ).
The conference was opened by the Minister of Finance, Harris Georgiades, and the Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry & Tourism, Yiorgos Lakkotrypis.
The two keynote speakers at the conference were George Peroulakis – Senior Desk Officer in EC-DG Regio and a member of the working group on issues pertaining to smart and sustainable growth, and George Georgiou – Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Cyprus.
Cyta support ICEIRD 2014 based on the recognition that innovation is a strategic pillar for pioneering enterprises with the goal of the sustainable growth of the economy. The strategic collaborations between Cyta and universities, “business angels” and investors, its support for young people and university graduates, and the creation of its Innovation Centre, all lead to optimism that new ideas can be transformed into start-ups with the aim of feeding the country’s future growth.