 | |
| Type | Private (Non-profit) |
|---|---|
| Established | 2005 |
| Chair | Didier Roux |
| President | Stavros Malas |
Academic staff | 100[1] |
| Location | , |
| Campus | Athalassa campus |
| Website | www.cyi.ac.cy |
The Cyprus Institute (CyI) is an international scientific organization and postgraduate educational institution located in Nicosia. It was established in 2005 under the auspices of the Cyprus Research and Educational Foundation (CREF). As of 2026, the institute serves as a regional center of excellence for the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME), focusing on climate change, environmental sciences, high-performance computing, and cultural heritage. The institute is governed by an international board of trustees chaired by French physicochemist Didier Roux and is led by President Stavros Malas.[2]
History and Foundation
The planning for the Cyprus Institute occurred between 2000 and 2004, led by a team of international scholars including former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, former CERN Director-General Herwig Schopper, and founding president Costas N. Papanicolas.[3] The vision for the institute was endorsed by a 2002 convocation of world leaders and academics chaired by Hubert Curien. Operations formally commenced in 2007 with the launch of its first research center.
Research Centers and Innovation
The institute's research activity is organized into five specialized centers, each developed in collaboration with major international partners. The Energy, Environment and Water Research Center (EEWRC) was created in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to address environmental challenges in the Mediterranean. The Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center (STARC) works with the Louvre (C2RMF) to apply advanced imaging and materials science to cultural heritage. In late 2025, the institute inaugurated the A.G. Leventis Archaeological Materials Science Laboratories to further this work.[4]
The Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center (CaSToRC) operates in partnership with the University of Illinois and manages the region’s Tier-1 supercomputing facility. In 2025, CaSToRC researchers, in collaboration with the Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C), published the first-ever global maps of ultrafine air pollution using machine learning models.[5] The Science and Technology Driven Policy and Innovation Research Center (STeDI-RC) focuses on sustainability challenges, while CARE-C, a European Center of Excellence established in 2020, leads regional efforts in climate observation and policy development for the EMME region.
Education and Academic Programs
The Cyprus Institute Graduate School offers accredited postgraduate programs that are integrated into its research centers. For the 2025–2026 academic year, the institute offers specialized MSc and PhD tracks in Digital Cultural Heritage, Environmental Sciences, Energy Resources, and High-Performance Computing and Machine Learning.[6] The school maintains a high faculty-to-student ratio and emphasizes international mobility through programs like Erasmus+.
Institutional Framework
The institute is a private, non-profit organization under the institutional umbrella of the Cyprus Research and Educational Foundation. Its international Board of Trustees includes world-renowned scientists, civic leaders, and former presidents of the Republic of Cyprus. In 2025, the foundation signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the French Academy of Sciences to enhance scientific cooperation between Cyprus and France.[7]
References
- ^ "The Cyprus Institute: Faculty and Staff". The Cyprus Institute. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
- ^ "Board of Trustees". The Cyprus Institute. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
- ^ Schopper, Herwig (2024), From Science to Science Diplomacy, Springer Nature, doi:10.1007/978-3-031-51042-7_8, ISBN 978-3-031-51042-7
- ^ "The Cyprus Institute Inaugurates the A. G. Leventis Archaeological Materials Science Laboratories". The Cyprus Institute. 2025-11-15. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
- ^ Georgiades, P. (2025-12-02). "Global High-Resolution Mapping of Ultrafine Particles". Nature Scientific Data. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
- ^ "Graduate School Prospectus 2025-2026". The Cyprus Institute. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
- ^ "French Academy of Sciences and CREF Formalize Ties". The Cyprus Institute. 2025-10-20. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
External links
- Official website
