Enhancing cooperation between Cyprus and France in the sectors of marine and maritime security, space technologies, cybersecurity, disaster and risk management was the main focus of the Cyprus-France Innovation and Cooperation Forum, organised in Nicosia by the French Embassy in Cyprus and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In his welcome address on 13 November, CCCI Secretary General Philokypros Roussounides said that Cyprus and France share a natural synergy when it comes to innovation, with the sectors of focus at the Forum being maritime technologies, cybersecurity, spatial innovation and earth observation, as well as disaster and risk management.
“These are not simply topics of interest, they are key drivers of Europe's competitiveness, resilience, and long-term prosperity. Our partnership is not theoretical, it is already happening, it is real, it is visible, it is impactful”, he added, citing as an example the EONIOS programme, “a flagship French-Cypriot cooperation project that has delivered the world's first resident autonomous underwater vehicle swarm system”.
Defence and security innovation
He also referred to the growing collaboration between Cypriot and French companies in the defence and security innovation sector, with partnerships formed over the past few years leading to joint participation in European development programmes, shared technology development, and coordinated R&D efforts, as well as to the long-standing cooperation between Cyprus and major French research institutions in climate and atmospheric science.
“These examples are proof that when Cyprus and France work together, we create technologies, solutions that matter regionally, European-wide, and globally. I also want to acknowledge the Cyprus-French Business Association, whose commitment and dedication have played a crucial role in building and maintaining these bridges between our business communities”, he noted.
Maritime domain awareness
The Ambassador of France to Cyprus, Clélia Chevrier Kolačko, said in her remarks that while the sea represents freedom of navigation and openness to the world, it also offers a wide range of potential targets, including vessels, offshore platforms, and submarine cables.
“This is why it has become critical for Cyprus, a sea-faring nation and major shipping hub in the eastern Mediterranean, to develop and consolidate its maritime domain awareness, like France did with the MICA Centre. This includes the protection of offshore and underwater critical infrastructures, the fight against illegal migration by sea, and enhanced maritime surveillance and information sharing”, she added.
In the sector of space technologies, the stakes are immense, technological, military, environmental, and legal, she continued, adding that we need to consolidate European space-based intelligence and expertise, building on existing European tools, such as Copernicus and Galileo.
“The development of Earth observation tools, remote sensing technologies, satellite imagery, telecommunications satellites, are critical to assert Europe's spatial sovereignty and safeguard our strategic interests and security”, she noted in that regard.
Cybersecurity
On cybersecurity, the French Ambassador said that in recent years, cybersecurity threats have increased significantly in terms of level, complexity, and scale.
“While the European Union has taken on this matter, the threat seems to always be one step ahead of the solution. Today, I believe that by bringing French and Cypriot expertise together, we can find ways to better shield us from this menace and ensure European sovereignty”, she underlined.
Year after year, Cyprus and France both face a recurring and increasing problem with natural disasters, especially forest fires, that despite their recurrence, they remain difficult to manage and still have devastating consequences, as we sadly witnessed last summer in both countries, she continued.
“This is why we need smart, innovative, and sustainable solutions for better preparedness by modernising early warning and response systems, strengthening our aerial firefighting capabilities, and set up a smart forest management”, she added on the subject.
“Through the drivers of innovation, we hope to see new forms of interaction and cooperation emerge between our two nations, bringing France and Cyprus closer together, together as a French-Cypriot team. Together we can achieve great things, as was demonstrated by the EONIOS Consortium”, continued Chevrier Kolačko.
Joint security and solidarity
“In these troubled times, with conflict and war at Europe's doorsteps, chosen interdependence, reliability, loyalty, and respect of the sovereignty of the other are the path to follow. This message of cooperation for joint security and solidarity against foreign threats resonates particularly today, as this day marks the 10th anniversary of France's worst terrorist attacks in Paris that left 132 dead and hundreds wounded”, she said in closing.
“The aim is clear: security and stability can only be achieved by bringing our minds and ideas together, and I hope that today's discussions and meetings will foster new partnerships and bring us closer to our goal”, she concluded.
Building world-class partnerships
On his part, Dr Demetris Skourides, Chief Scientist of the Republic of Cyprus, said that Cyprus's research and innovation ecosystem has transformed dramatically over the past few years, becoming home to world-class universities and seven centres of excellence, climbing to 25th in the Global Innovation Index and entering in the top 50 startup ecosystems worldwide.
A key strategic focus is building world-class partnerships with nations and organisations that can help drive Cyprus's economic and scientific future, he continued, adding that the country is building a pipeline that moves from basic research to applied research, to innovation, and ultimately to commercialisation.
“This is where France becomes an indispensable partner. France is both a scientific and an innovative powerhouse. Its contributions to aerospace, defence, cyber security, maritime engineering, energy, space, are globally renowned. The companies and the research institutions present here today bring world-class expertise that can actually complement what Cyprus is developing. Let me also add that it is not just world-class expertise, it is also commercialisation pathways”, he stressed in that regard.
He further explained that in maritime technologies, France's engineering tradition aligns perfectly with Cyprus' maritime centres of excellence, in cyber security, French leadership complements Cyprus's rapidly expanding cyber sector, in space and innovation, France's heritage connects naturally with Cyprus-based research ambitions, while in disaster and risk management, solutions offered by French innovators align closely to Cyprus’s national priorities in climate resilience and emergency response. “When you place our ecosystem side by side, the complementarity is striking”, he commented.
“Between our two governments, we can do more to support the growth of the ecosystem. Together, Cyprus and France can turn ideas into impact, research into prosperity, collaboration into legacy that strengthens our region and our continent beyond”, he concluded.
Space and defence FDI added to Invest Cyprus mandate
Invest Cyprus CEO, Marios Tannousis, in his presentation, focused on the organisation’s work on foreign direct investment in space and defence, “one of the most important sectors that we have added to our mandate with the support of the industry clusters, the Ministry of Defence and from the call of our president, Nikos Christodoulides. It is a very important sector growing globally”.
He referred in this context to Cyprus’s accession to the Artemis Accords with the United States and NASA, adding that in the last few days Cyprus hosted the International Space Research Symposium, with France contributing a lot in these discussions and agreements with space.
He also said that military spending has almost doubled since the early 1990s, while global military spending surged to $2.7 trillion last year, he continued, adding that the space economy is expected to reach the $1 trillion mark as soon as 2032.
“Defence and security are important for investments because they provide a stable environment for economic growth, protect critical infrastructure, foster technological innovation. Investing in this sector can also boost national and regional competitiveness and may offer opportunities for sustainable investing”, continued Tannousis.
“We are basically committed to contribute and willing to work, especially with French companies, to achieve our President's vision to transform Cyprus from a consumer of defence products into a producer that actively contributes to shaping the European defence landscape through innovation, development of cutting-edge technologies, and the production of high-quality defence systems”, he stressed.
“Cyprus is a land of peace. We do not want war, but peace requires strong economy and military to be secured in the long term”, he concluded.
A clear and practical commitment
Finally, Dr Panagiotis Hadjipavlis, Director of General Procurements and Defence Capabilities Development at the Ministry of Defence, said that through joint military exercises, operational cooperation, and the participation in European initiatives, Cyprus and France have demonstrated a clear and practical commitment to strengthening Europe's collective capability and technological autonomy.
“As a European Union member state, we recognise that our strength lies in partnerships, innovation, and collaboration. We see cooperation with France, a nation with profound expertise, industrial capacity, and global leadership in the defence and technology sectors as a cornerstone of our own national strategy”, he continued.
“Cyprus is strongly and genuinely committed to deepening its bilateral cooperation with France in the fields of research, innovation, capability development, and, of course, defence and security. We believe that by working together, pooling resources, and aligning our initiatives, we can multiply and expedite the effectiveness of our outcomes for the sake of our common interests”, he stressed.
He added that such cooperation can take several forms, from joint research projects connecting universities, research centres, and startups, to industrial partnerships allowing Cypriot and French companies to innovate together, as well as joint participation in EU programmes through frameworks such as the European Defence Fund, the Dual Innovation Hub, or the SAFE Regulation, advancing projects that contribute directly to Europe's technological sovereignty.
“France has been at the forefront of this transformation, advocating strong and technologically sovereign Europe. Cyprus fully shares this vision and stands ready to contribute as an active, constructive, and reliable partner to these collective European efforts. we are investing in strengthening our national innovation ecosystem, encouraging partnerships between universities, research centres, and industry, both local and international”, said Dr Hadjipavlis.
“Our objective is clear, to make Cyprus a reliable partner and a valuable contributor to European technological and defence initiatives. Working hand-in-hand with France, with its vast experience, its industrial base, and its strategic vision, we can achieve concrete progress in areas such as maritime surveillance, robotics, space technologies, cybersecurity, energy resilience, and crisis management. The Mediterranean region, where our two countries are national partners, presents unique challenges, but also immense opportunities. Together, we can transform these challenges into drivers of innovation, contributing not only to our security and prosperity, but also to the broader peace, stability, and resilience of the region”, he concluded.
(Source: CNA)
