The cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the Foundation for Research and Innovation will be the driving force for the development of the research and innovation ecosystem in the fields of dual-use technologies, Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides said today during the signing of the executive regulation for the implementation of the "Dual Use Technologies" and "Classified Laboratories - Dual Use Technologies" research and innovation programmes at the Ministry of Defence today.
The executive regulation, which includes the details of the implementation of the programmes, was signed by the Directors General of the Ministry of Defence and the Foundation, Andreas Loukas and Theodoros Loukaidis. The event included a welcome address by Mr. Petridis and the Chief Scientist for Research and Innovation Dr. Nikola Mastrogiannopoulos.
Mr. Petridis welcomed the signing of the executive regulation and said that it includes the details of the implementation of the projects under the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Ministry of Defence and the Foundation in 2020 and expressed the hope that they will be the driving force for the development of the research and innovation ecosystem in the areas of dual use technologies known as "Dual Use".
He added that it is an objective of the Ministry to practically strengthen the research capacity of domestic academic and research institutions, organisations and businesses by supporting their participation in research and innovation programmes, which fall within the operational interests of the Ministry at national and European level.
He said that 3 million in funding from the Recovery and Resilience Fund has been secured for the implementation of the programmes. In particular, he said, the design and implementation of the programmes aims to develop the local research and innovation ecosystem in technologies both through research and development projects for civilian applications and through the creation and upgrading of classified laboratories that can be used towards the implementation of dual-use research activities.
The Dual-Use Technologies Programme, he continued, has a budget of 2,720,000 to fund at least seven different research and development projects There was, he continued, considerable interest with participation from research and development companies, as well as research organisations from the local research and innovation ecosystem.
Specifically, he said that a good number of proposals were received across all of the themes prioritized by the Department of Defense, which included maritime surveillance, communications networks, unmanned vehicles (Drones and small marine vessels), active protection of critical infrastructure from drone threats, advanced personnel training through simulation, and artificial intelligence applications.
Petridis stressed that through these programmes, the Ministry expects and expects from the research activities of the institutions and development companies, substantial research results, which will offer innovative solutions, will be characterized by a high level of technological maturity and will have the potential for commercial exploitation.
For his part, Mr. Mastrojanopoulos stated that with today's signing of the executive regulation for the implementation of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the Foundation "we are making yet another step forward in the development of a new research programme in the field of artificial intelligence."
For his part, Mr. He noted that research and innovation activities offer great potential in upgrading the capabilities of Cypriot institutions to deal with dual-use technologies, helping to enhance their competitiveness and increase the country's successful participation in European funding programmes.
The significant steps that have been taken in this direction in recent years, said Mr. Mastroyiannopoulos, are already yielding tangible results. By way of example, he said that the Ministry of Defence has announced two funding programmes through the Foundation, with a budget of 3 million euros, the programme for dual-use technologies, under which a total of 34 proposals were submitted and are now in the selection process, and the classified laboratories programme which is open for calls for proposals until September 2023.
In addition, he said, under the Horizon Europe programme "we have so far counted 21 projects by Cypriot entities working in the field of defence and security that have received funding in excess of 7.6 million." He said that in this new era Cyprus is more dynamic and ready than ever before and now, as recognized "strong innovators" of Europe, we have an obligation to continue our upward trend and win the bet for the formation of a modern and dynamic economy, which will have research and innovation as the main pillars of growth.
Mr. Mastroyiannopoulos thanked the Ministry of Defence and the Minister for the cooperation and noted that "together we aim high and lay the foundations for a more competitive Cyprus that claims and gains a leading position in the international arena".
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