The Chief Scientist of the Republic of Cyprus, Demetris Skourides, participated in a high-level fireside chat at the Women Who Built Europe Summit, held on 17 March at the Council of the European Union in Brussels.
The Summit, organised by the European Female Founders and hosted by Member of the European Parliament, Tsvetelina Penkova, was moderated by the President of the EU Female Founders, Monika Stanisheva, and brought together leading women innovators, entrepreneurs, and founders, from across Europe. Among those in attendance were MEP Penkova, honourable former ministers Milea Stoycheva and Lilyana Pavlova, the Executive Director of Startup Portugal, Miguel Aguiar, Member of the Task Force on Startups and Scaleups in the European Commission Andreea Ticheru, as well as representatives from startups and scaleups across the European ecosystem.
During his keynote address, the Chief Scientist presented the policies implemented by the Research and Innovation Foundation to empower women researchers to take on leadership roles. During the period 2023–2025, the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) launched 90 calls for proposals and signed contracts with a total value of €100 million. These initiatives led to the creation of 739 new jobs in cutting-edge sectors, of which 209 were held by women. At the same time, 372 businesses were supported, 187 collaboration networks were established, and 184 companies partnered with research organisations.
Measures introduced by RIF within postdoctoral research funding programmes led to increased female participation. Specifically, 61.16% of submitted proposals were led by women coordinators, compared to 29.67% in previous calls, while 76.4% of funded projects were awarded to women, compared to 23% in earlier programmes. Reference was also made to alignment with the European Commission’s White Paper on Artificial Intelligence.
He also highlighted Cyprus’s strong performance in gender representation, noting that women account for 42.3% of participation in science, engineering, and STEM fields and 29.3% in ICT, while also highlighting 37% representation in the Cabinet. He further underlined that this progress is underpinned by the Government of Cyprus’ strategic commitment to advancing gender equality, sharing examples of inspiring women leaders across government. Skourides elaborated on how his office, together with the Commissioner of Communications, is actively supporting this agenda, including through initiatives such as Women for Tech and Women for Cyber, which together engage more than 670 active members.
During his keynote, Skourides referenced six inspiring examples of women pioneers and leaders whose intelligence and resilience have inspired many to follow. He reflected on the fact that, for more than 211 years, women have played a defining role in advancing programming languages and exploring concepts such as intelligent systems, cryptography, cybersecurity, intrusion detection systems, and quantum technologies. He referenced pioneering figures including Ada Lovelace, Agnes Meyer Driscoll, Dorothy Denning, Parisa Tabriz, Maddie Stone, and Lisa Mathews.
Skourides acknowledged the performance–funding paradox, referencing research demonstrating up to 35% higher ROI for women-funded companies, and linked this to leadership attributes observed in Fortune 500 companies led by women. He shared examples of leaders who demonstrated resilience and perseverance, a strong sense of purpose, continuous learning and self-development, empathy, collaboration, risk-taking, grit, and the ability to make difficult decisions and act under pressure while prioritising values; qualities that have positioned them as powerful role models.
During his intervention, he noted that closing the gender gap requires both structural policy and cultural transformation. The Chief Scientist emphasised that meaningful progress depends on collaboration between genders, as well as a shared commitment to reshaping mindsets and enabling inclusive growth.
Skourides acknowledged the progress the government is making, and explained how leadership choices are helping address the gender gap, and explained how women leaders are actively fostering the next generation of female leadership.
The Chief Scientist also referenced the intervention of the Commissioner for Gender Equality, Josie Christodoulou, who highlighted the European Union’s renewed commitment to advancing women’s rights through the forthcoming Gender Action Plan, alongside the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030 and the EU Roadmap on Women’s Rights. Her remarks were delivered in Brussels at the event “For a Renewed EU Action Plan for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in EU External Action”, organised by the European Commission and the European External Action Service.
The Chief Scientist emphasized the importance of leadership mindset and highlighted a strong cohort of 35 Cypriot women whose leadership mindset inspires others across public sector, enterpreurship, innovation, research, security, retail, and healthcare. Within government, these include senior leaders such as Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki, President of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou, Deputy Minister of European Affairs Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Clea Hadjistephanou-Papaellina, Deputy Minister of Shipping Marina Hadjimanolis, Minister of Education, Sport and Youth Dr. Athena Michaelidou, Deputy Minister of Culture Dr. Lina Kassianidou, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Maria Panayiotou, Commissioner for Gender Equality Josie Christodoulou, Commissioner for Personal Data Protection Marina Christofides, Law Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus Sofia Kleopa Hadjikyriakou, Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights (Ombudsman) Maria Stylianou-Lottides, Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights Eleni Pericleous, and Financial Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus Valentina Georgiadou.
Across Cyprus’ technology, innovation, and STEM ecosystem, he referenced leading figures including Maria Militsopoulou, Global Thought Leader in Transcendent Leadership and Founder of the WEWiLL Organisation; Dr. Antigoni Komodiki, CEO of Junior Achievement Cyprus (JA Cyprus) and Chair of the Executive Board of Junior Achievement Europe (JA Europe); Evgenia Herodotou, CEO & Co-Founder at EnergyIntel and Member of the LDES Council; Rina Houlliotis, CFO of Zara and Director at Inditex; Chrystalla Charalambous, CEO of Larnaca & Ammochostos Hospitals; Christiana Aristidou, Transnational Technology Lawyer and Head of National Delegation, ISO/TC 307 Blockchain Committee; Evangelia Athanasiou, Research Associate at Neo-Move and CCAPPS research groups; Elena Strouthos, Co-Founder & CTO of Cocoon Creations and CITEA Board Member; Georgia Solomidou, Managing Director at OSPHERA and Founder & President of Women4Cyber Cyprus; Tanya Romanyukha, General Manager of TechIsland and Leader of the Women in Tech Cyprus Chapter; Monica Ioannidou Polemti, Partner & Managing Director, TKI EMEA and President of ICC Cyprus Women; Anna Pittalis, Commercial Director at Intergaz Ltd and President of WISTA Cyprus; Dr. Margarita Zachariadou, Associate Scientist at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics (CING), Founder of Women in Mathematical Sciences Cyprus and National Ambassador for Women in Mathematics; and Maria Stylianou, Tech & Leadership Consultant, Founder of Google Developer Group Cyprus, Mentor of the Girls in STEM Academy and Mentor of the Young Female Academy.
He further highlighted a group of inspiring researchers and entrepreneurs, including Dr. Kyriaki Michailidou, Associate Professor and Head of the Biostatistics Department at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics and lead member of the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) and the Evidence-Based Network for the Interpretation of Germline Mutant Alleles (ENIGMA); Maria Terzi, Co-Founder of Malloc; Dr. Marianna Procopi Demetriades, Co-Founder of Theramir / Promed Ltd; Dr. Despo Fatta-Kassinos, Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus; Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri, a globally renowned mathematical economist, and member of the National Research Council, who has pioneered human-centred, interdisciplinary modelling systems for the sustainable interaction between nature, society, and the economy; Dr. Soulla Louca, Head of the Department of Digital Innovation at the University of Nicosia (UNIC); and Eleni Charitonos, Cyprus’ First female to complete Astronaut analog training.
Skourides elaborated that there are many more examples; however, those highlighted demonstrate extraordinary leadership attributes such as resilience and grit, trust, collaboration, a commitment to growth, and a collaborative, can-do approach to achieving results. What sets them apart is their continuous engagement, investment in personal development, mindset and leadership across the community and society, acting as role models who inspire younger generations and support a shift in leadership mindset.
Concluding his intervention, the Chief Scientist emphasised that continued progress depends on amplifying leadership stories, strengthening collaboration, and leveraging global alliances such as the G100, a global network of women leaders across 100 sectors. He highlighted the importance of allyship and the need to harness the distinct competencies and capabilities that each gender brings in order to drive inclusive, innovation-led growth. As he noted, “Don’t wait for an invitation to the table. Step up and lead fearlessly.”
The participation of the Chief Scientist in the Women Who Built Europe Summit further reinforces Cyprus’ growing role as a regional hub for research, innovation, and inclusive technological advancement, aligned with its broader national vision for sustainable growth and international engagement led by the Commisioner of Gender Equality Josie Christodoulou.
