The Government is preparing intensively for better utilisation of EU funds during the next programming period 2014-2020 to the benefit of research and innovation, President Nicos Anastasiades has said.
Addressing the Cyprus Innovation Awards Ceremony, the President noted that research and innovation promote productivity and growth and are essential for job creation. He added that research and innovation are key pillars of all EU policies to strengthen competitiveness of businesses and the economy.
Anastasiades said the state would support businesses in their effort to be innovative.
In his address the President noted however that there is still much to be done by everyone.
With excellent cooperation between the Government and the businesses and with the Government’s willingness to give private initiative a leading role and promote research and innovation, Cyprus will soon be among the top innovative countries in the EU, the President said.
He noted that Cyprus has all the means and tools to create a proper environment for research and innovation that will not only activate rapid development of innovative enterprises, but will also attract international investments from the EU, Russia, China, Israel and the Arab countries.
President of the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation Philios Zachariades said that despite the negative climate, implementation of innovation has not been diminished, but there is a tendency among entrepreneurs to diversify their practices and there are young ambitious entrepreneurs willing to create something innovative and different.
The “Cyprus Innovation Award”, established by OEB in 2006, is presented to companies, organisations and services in the private and the wider public sector which proved to be successful in the implementation of innovative ideas or practices.
Four individual awards were given for innovation in the primary sector, the manufacturing sector, the services sector and the public sector.
The “Cyprus Innovation Award” is supported by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism and the Research Promotion Foundation.
