Christodoulides: UCY is a strategic partner for transforming Cyprus into a regional university centre

The Government recognises the University of Cyprus as its strategic partner in the joint effort to make Cyprus a regional research and university centre of quality education, President Nikos Christodoulides has said.

He was making an address at the Graduation Ceremony of UCY's Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering on the evening of 24 June.

According to the President of the Republic, the University of Cyprus is today rightly recognised as aliving cell of research and innovation, while its graduates adorn postgraduate programmes and research centres throughout the world.

With cutting-edge research projects, international collaborations and close connections with industry and society, the University is not limited to offering education, but produces knowledge and leads, as its function implies, in the progress of local and international society, he added.

"As a state, we will continue to support the strengthening and development of the University of Cyprus, which is a Centre of Excellence in our country. The Government recognises the University of Cyprus as its strategic partner in the joint effort to make Cyprus a regional research and university centre of quality education. In the great effort we are making to change our country, to expand the productive base of the economy, to connect education with the labour market, to make our homeland the ideal place for someone to live, work and progress in, the University of Cyprus is our closest partner. This is why we are consistently moving forward in supporting and further strengthening his work," he noted.

Christodoulides added that in this context, the Government has proceeded with the development of a national strategy under the coordination of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and the participation of other Ministries, a Strategy that, as he said, among other things, aims to ensure the quality of Higher Education, its connection with the labour market and its internationalisation.

Referring to the great, as he characterised it, wager on the immediate professional placing of young people, with the ultimate goal of their being able to remain and work in the country, in conditions that will allow them to utilise their skills and knowledge to the maximum extent, the Government seeks, through its plans, the correlation and interconnection of the offered Higher Education programmes, both with the lower levels of education and with the labour market.

He added that under the same reasoning, at the heart of the plans is the modification of the institutional framework that governs the conversion of know-how into marketable products and the participation of Universities in start-ups and spin-offs.

"I assure you that we are very aware of the obligation we have towards all of you. We will continue to work with dedication to create the opportunities you deserve and are entitled to. In turn, all we ask you as a state to do is to continue to take advantage of the opportunities given to you and, with a sense of responsibility, to transform your knowledge and experiences into an offering for society as a whole," the President noted.

"The future of our homeland depends on you, we invest in you, in responsible professionals and scientists, with vision and ethos. We invest in you as the inspiring agents of change and the strong bridge of Cyprus with the world," Christodoulides added.

He went on to say, "You are the generation that has the responsibility to reshape the image of Cyprus: to place it firmly on the map of knowledge, innovation, technology, and green development. With your contribution, only with your contribution, we can create a society that is more resilient, more enlightened."

"The State, society, and your University will be by your side, to support your dreams and your ideas, with actions and not with words, to give you the space you need to achieve great things," the President of the Republic concluded.