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Cyprus has at last taken the bold decision to go where no Cypriot has gone before …and appoint the first-ever Head Scientist, which, lost in translation is a post most probably similar to the Chief Scientist of Israel.
This is perhaps the third junior ministry that the Anastasiades administration had promised years ago, initiated last year with the upgrade of the Department of Merchant Shipping to the Deputy Ministry for Shipping, and more recently the transformation of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation to the Deputy Ministry for Tourism.
In both cases, the maritime sector and the tourist industry have been the driving force that has determined the state’s policies and strategies, with the government departments following.
However, when it comes to innovation, technology and entrepreneurship, Cyprus lags far behind in all ratings that measure investments in the wider area of R&D – research and development that earlier used to be ‘research and design’.
Gone are the days and efforts of setting up incubator programmes – either because there was no infrastructure and legal fundamentals to support such projects, or the necessary funding was simply not there.
The only pleasant exception to the rule has been the University of Cyprus, that has gone out on a limb and secured the necessary funding (and networking) to establish its own research facilities in energy, maritime and more, a noble and most commendable effort that should not go unnoticed.
Other technology and innovation bodies have also come and gone. Most of the time having fallen victim to the budget cuts and short-sightedness of government and the political parties, where no one has realised the multiplier effect from investing in these areas, whereas not investing significantly in research and innovation has an equally significant negative impact on the economy, the labour market, entrepreneurship and competitiveness.
By the time we got around to setting up the office of the Head Scientist, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship have once again passed us by. The only thing left to do now is not to copy and compete with other jurisdictions that are active in this area but to try and identify a niche where scientists and researchers in Cyprus would stand out in their own field.
The maritime sector needs further thought, especially now with three colleges operational, even though they are focused on management rather than vocational training.
Energy and the environment are fields where the Cyprus Institute could be competing with its peers, had the state provided the necessary funding, in time.
So, the new Head Scientist, Kyriacos Kokkinos, himself hailing from the IT sector in his past life, will need to juggle on two fronts – kick-starting the innovation and R&D sectors and to pinpoint challenges and find solutions to enhance the economy, and mediating with financiers in order to find the necessary funding to make things happen.
After all, the rule of thumb is that barely one or two out of ten cases succeed and offer a return on investment.
Although Cyprus remains unattractive for R&D giants from Silicon Valley or elsewhere to make the bold move here, trying to lure some of these brands would be a great success, but not on the model of the dead-in-the-pan Pentakomo “technology” park, with no roads, no water, no electricity and an unwillingness to cooperate.
For now, let’s make do with attracting smaller-sized Googles and Amazons.
