General Info

CYENS is Cyprus’s  Research and Innovation Centre of Excellence focusing on Interactive media, Smart systems and Emerging technologies aiming to empower knowledge and technology transfer in the region. A joint venture between three public universities (University of Cyprus, Cyprus University of Technology, Open University of Cyprus), the Municipality of Nicosia, and two renowned international partners, Max Planck Institute for Informatics De and University College London UK.

The research expertise at CYENS spans the areas of Interactive Media and Visual Sciences. Within this spectrum it is not only technology centric businesses that will be supported through knowledge transfer, training and state-of the art solutions provided by the team at CYENS, but also businesses and individuals in the cultural and creative sectors. From small-scale creators, artists and graphic designers to architects, engineers and animators, CYENS will be a hub for the development of innovative ideas and solutions.

CYENS will be housed in two building in the heart of Old Town Nicosia, a few meters from the Municipal Building, in proximity to exhibition and performance spaces, small creative stores, museums and galleries, and cultural heritage sites. Apart from the office spaces and laboratories and common areas for CYENS’s researchers, the buildings will host spaces designed to cater to the needs of a wide variety of interested parties: students, researchers, small-scale creators, artists, architects, engineers, designers, inventors and many more, with the ultimate goal to support all of them to bring their ideas closer to realization, and to bring theoretical ideas to innovative creations.

The location of STOA and OLD MARKET in the heart of Old Town, within-the-wall, city of Nicosia, greatly contributes to the success of CYENS in achieving its goal of becoming an Innovation Hub and a point of reference on the scientific and innovation map of Cyprus. The state-of-the art, purpose-designed facilities will play host to the currently dispersed Cultural and Creative Industry community to whom the research expertise at CYENS is most relevant. This “organic” collaboration will create both economic societal value.

CYENS seeks a strong impact and constructive long-term relationships with stakeholders that belong in four categories: academia/universities, industry/businesses, governmental policy makers and the general public/civil society. The creation of the Thinker Maker Space, Co-working Space and the rest of the facilities that foster the creation of new research-industry collaborations, start-ups and spin-offs at STOA will allow CYENS to achieve its goals.

More specifically, the facilities at STOA will give CYENS the opportunity:

• To act as a platform for collaboration and foster the development of an inclusive innovation and creativity ecosystem at the heart of Nicosia
• Help focus and integrate existing fragmented activities and push towards creating a cluster of research and innovation
• Help foster collaborations with innovators, entrepreneurs, incubators and other entities that gear towards establishing CYENS as an innovation hub
• Help the Centre to act as an innovation web to provide services for startups, SMEs and enterprises further contributing to the development of the country’s ecosystem
• Offer support to businesses, especially SMEs and startups by bridging the gap between the business community, policy makers and financial institutions.
• Help involve civil society and the general public

Target groups for the use and inclusion in activities of the facilities at STOA include:

• Students
• Researchers
• Entrepreneurs
• Small-scale creators/ amateurs
• Start-ups
• Small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs)
• Cultural and creative industries
• Industry/large corporations

The contribution that CYENS wishes to make through the Maker Space and Co-working space is multifold and targets the scientific, creative and overall society: it aims to educate, train, inform and give opportunities to these groups to explore new capabilities and obtain higher goals.

More specifically, the Maker Space and co-working space provide the opportunity to:

• Help creators discover new and develop existing skills using an array of tools that they would otherwise not have access to; experiment with new ideas, equipment and materials
• Encourage visitors to open a dialogue and interaction with academics to gain knowledge that will give them new insights in their work
• Help bring new ideas to practice. The premises and equipment will be valuable to many different businesses seeking to test and develop their innovative ideas in different environments and markets.
• Encourage the exploration of new areas and new ways to look at problems at hand to create and find solutions, through multidisciplinary collaborations
• Help achieve scientific excellence: Operational support and access to the sophisticated equipment and state-of-the-art facilities at STOA will help advance researchers’ progress.
• Create a critical mass of entrepreneurial and innovation driven RTDI activities: The services and infrastructure offered at STOA will are unique in Cyprus. They allow its scientists, collaborators and visitors the opportunity to put research into practice and to facilitate the incubation of new ideas and start-ups.
• Train and support local entrepreneurship: CYENS will offer training, networking, support and business plan competitions to start-up companies in its own areas of expertise and help participation in entrepreneurship events and networks. These can take place in these labs.
• Increase the social engagement in innovation activities. “Outreach activities” will aim to:
• inspire the public to the opportunities offered by science, technology and entrepreneurship
• encourage technology-led innovation (through supporting workshops, competitions, school visits) and
• deliver Knowledge Exchange supporting businesses to increase their research and innovation activities a
• Encourage technology-led innovation through supporting workshops, competitions, school visits.
• Entrepreneurs from all backgrounds will get the support they need to formulate and promote their ideas and bring them closer to realization
• Start-ups or teams setting up a start-up will have support and guidance on how to form business plans