The EIT Community Hub Cyprus, hosted at CYENS Centre of Excellence, continues to play a central role in strengthening Cyprus’ innovation ecosystem by connecting research, entrepreneurship, policy, and industry under the framework of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

As part of its activities, CYENS hosted the EIT Community Cyprus Impact Festival, bringing together policymakers, researchers, investors, startups, and innovation leaders to reflect on Cyprus’ innovation priorities—particularly in view of the country’s upcoming EU Presidency in 2026.

A high-level panel discussion explored the opportunities and responsibilities ahead for Cyprus, focusing on innovation, culture, talent development, and international positioning. The discussion was moderated by Styliani Petroudi, EIT Community Officer of Cyprus and Head of Innovation at CYENS, with contributions from:

• Theodoros Loukaidis, Director of the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF),
• Kyriacos Kokkinos, Member of the EIT Governing Board,
• Ioanna Hadjicosti, Director of the Department of Contemporary Culture, Deputy Ministry of Culture.

Key themes included the role of culture in sustainability and inclusion, the need to scale Cyprus’ participation in European programmes, talent development in deep tech and STEM fields, and the importance of fostering a stronger risk-taking culture within the innovation ecosystem.

The Festival also featured a dedicated panel on investment criteria and the evolving startup landscape in Cyprus, offering insights into how the local ecosystem can attract venture capital and support scalable innovation.

A central element of the programme was the High Impact Challenge, where multidisciplinary teams worked intensively on real-world challenges aligned with EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), including urban mobility, food systems, culture and creativity, and digital and deep tech. Teams developed solution concepts and delivered focused pitches assessed on relevance, feasibility, innovation, and impact.

Three teams were recognised for their outstanding proposals:

• AwareMe (1st Prize – €4,000), an AI-powered application increasing awareness of digital manipulation and marketing practices,
• SmartBMS (2nd Prize – €2,000), a predictive safety system for micromobility batteries using sensor fusion and TinyML,
• RELOC8 (3rd Prize – €1,000), a digital and advisory platform supporting tax restructuring and relocation decisions.

Through the EIT Community Hub Cyprus, CYENS continues to support applied innovation, policy dialogue, and ecosystem development—positioning Cyprus as an active contributor to Europe’s innovation agenda and reinforcing the link between research excellence and market-ready impact.

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