Research and scientific knowledge are the most important tools we have to successfully address the issues facing our societies today, President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday evening noting that using the country’s scientific capital is a strategic priority and that the goal is to employ Cypriots in well-paid jobs currently filled by foreign staff.
In that context he announced that in a few days he will be travelling to London, Birmingham, the USA and the United Arab Emirates "to bring Cypriot scientists back to our country."
President Christodoulides was speaking during the graduation ceremony of doctoral students of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), expressing his joy at participating once again in what he described as "a special celebration" for the CUT, for the academic community of our country and more broadly for the future of the nation.
After praising the work of CUT, especially in research and innovation, the President said its multifaceted contribution, confirms the correctness of the investment being made by the state, assuring that it will continue.
“For us it is a necessary condition that the economic development we are experiencing be translated into investments in three main areas. Because one reason a state must exist is to invest in Education, Health and the welfare state,” he said, and assured that “we continue to invest in CUT, in Education and in training.”
President Christodoulides said Cyprus' comparative advantage and most important wealth is its human resources "and we invest and are ready to invest even more through collaborations and synergies in the field of research and innovation."
"All of you, then, are not simply carriers of specialised knowledge, you are the people who can turn knowledge into solutions, innovation into growth, and scientific excellence into social benefit," he said, adding that "Cyprus needs you."
The President continued noting that we are a country in which 83% of our university graduates are employed immediately in the field in which they graduated, and we are a country that has a significant number of foreign workers in very well-paid jobs.
“For all those jobs, our aim is that at some point-of course we encourage foreigners to come to our country to work-Cypriots will be employed in those very well-paid positions,” he said, and recalled the government's initiative to repatriate Cypriot scientists from abroad.
Saying that this effort began in London in May 2025, "with very significant results so far,” he added that "in a few days we are going to London again, we are going to Birmingham, we will go to the USA, we will go to the United Arab Emirates to bring Cypriot scientists back to our country."
He also assured that the Government is implementing policies that create an environment allowing young researchers to develop their work in Cyprus, to find opportunities for professional development and to participate actively in shaping the future of the country.
