Partnership opportunity with Paphos Municipality in Cyprus

Acknowledging the important role and status of UK education worldwide, the Municipality of Paphos would like to explore the possibility of a UK university specialized in technology and innovation, to run a common project in Paphos, together with a leading technology company in the UK, as to attract talents from the regions of Middle East, North Africa and the Arab world and create a regional innovation centre, specialized on the development of new innovative products designed for and targeted to the markets of those regions. The regional centre will function as a regional hub for the development of Innovation and Research in the wider area of Eastern Mediterranean, that will host start-up companies, provide executive training programs and masters level programs organized by the British collaborating university or institute. Paphos already has a success story to present with the Paphos Innovation Institute (PII), established as a non-for-profit fully accredited higher education institution registered in Cyprus. PII operates in premises owned by the Municipality, while its programs are being run by the IDC Herzliya University in Israel (now Reichman University). The Institute opened its doors in 2020 and offers master level degrees, fully recognized in Cyprus and all the EU countries, and executive training programs in vital fields for the region, such as innovation, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, food security and water management. Paphos has many benefits which contribute towards achieving this goal, including its low cost of living, direct flight connections to EU, Middle East and North African cities and the Municipality’s commitment to be a fundamental part of the project by providing infrastructure and other incentives to ensure its success.

Action Required

For expressions of interest please contact Pantelitsa Michael Pantelitsa.michael@cy.britishcouncil.org by 24 January 2022