Dr Christoforos Hadjikyprianou: Clear targeting and rigorous quality assessment needed for proper education expansion

Addressing the 17th INBusiness Awards, Dr. Christoforos Hadjikyprianou, CEO & Chairman of the Council of European University Cyprus called for due care to be taken when expanding Cyprus’ education sector.

While noting that “knowledge is not just a prerequisite for development - it is development itself,” Hadjikyprianou also cautioned that there is “already institutional inflation in Cyprus.”

“The message is clear: more universities do not automatically mean progress — unless they are accompanied by clear targeting and rigorous quality assessment,” Hadjikyprianou said.

His full speech, translated from the original Greek, can be read below:

Your Excellency President of the Republic of Cyprus, Distinguished guests,

Allow me, Mr. President, to begin my intervention tonight with a reference to your speech at the recent General Assembly of the Cyprus Employers & Industrialists Federation (OEB):

"Our goal is a sustainable, competitive economic model — a model based on innovation and knowledge"

This goal can be realised with a dynamic and quality university education. Because knowledge is not just a prerequisite for development - it is development itself.

University Education already contributes 7% of the country's GDP. It is a sector with enormous economic, social and cultural value.

To ensure that the sector remains sustainable in the long term, strategic planning is required.

Cyprus, a country of one million, has 13 universities.

By analogy, the UK should have over 900 universities — it has 165.

This clearly shows that there is already institutional inflation in Cyprus.

At the same time, we constantly hear about new universities, branches, and programmes in every corner of the country, without institutional planning and strategic documentation.

If we continue at this pace, the quantitative oversupply risks turning into a qualitative degradation.

The example of Bulgaria is indicative: the anarchic establishment of universities without quality control led to a mass production of graduates without professional prospects, the devaluation of titles and an intense brain drain.

Even more characteristic is the example of Greece: from 1980 to 2010, the anarchic establishment of Technological Educational Institutes and university departments without a strategy and connection to the market led to departments with low demand, understaffing and academic decline. The result was a discredited system that, instead of producing quality degrees and retaining talent, fed the brain drain and also collapsed institutionally.

The message is clear: more universities do not automatically mean progress — unless they are accompanied by clear targeting and rigorous quality assessment.

At the same time, the country needs a national mapping of higher education, based on essential criteria:
• What specialties does the economy and society really need?
• Where is there oversupply and where are there critical shortages?
• Which programmes are aligned with the challenges of the future?

Ireland, through its National Skills Strategy, aligned higher education with the needs of the economy, turning it into a development policy tool.

Cyprus needs universities closely linked to the national economy and the real needs of society — with internationalised programs that attract students and boost national income. A simple but indicative example: today over 400 French students study at the European University Cyprus.

Mr. President

It is particularly encouraging that your government has placed the return of talent at the heart of national planning. This is why you are going to London next week. At the same time, the European Union is supporting this effort. As part of the Choose Europe for Science initiative, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week,
“Science is an investment – and we need to offer the right incentives. This is why I can announce that we will put forward a new €500 million package for 2025-2027 to make Europe a magnet for researchers.”

The example of Estonia shows the way: with a population similar to Cyprus, it succeeded in the return of thousands of scientists through the Talent Return programme, combining tax incentives, opportunities at universities and startups, and actions such as “Back to Estonia Week.”

For Cyprus, the tax incentives that have already been announced by the government constitute a very positive step. Additionally, universities can play a crucial role through targeted collaborations with institutions abroad, creating exchange programmes, joint research structures and “return bridges” for Cypriot researchers and diaspora academics. At the same time, the establishment of a special fund for start-ups and green businesses, and the adoption of reconnection actions — along the lines of Estonia — would substantially enhance the effectiveness of this effort.

Ladies and Gentlemen

If we want a Cyprus that stands out, Higher Education and Knowledge is not an option. It is a National Strategy.

In closing, I will again quote the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, "science is the driving force of European power in the world."

Cyprus has this strength. The challenge is one: to turn it into a national advantage.

On behalf of the European University Cyprus, I express my warmest congratulations to all the awardees, as well as to those who participated in the INBusiness Awards. With your work, dedication and creativity, you inspire and promote business excellence in our country.

Thank you very much.