MaRITeC-X sets sails for establishing a Marine and Maritime Research, Innovation, Technology Centre of Excellence in Cyprus.


Official MARITEC-X project kick-off

The MaRITeC-X kick-off meeting was held on the 5th of October 2017 at the House of Arts and Literature, in Larnaka, Cyprus. All partner organizations from Cyprus, UK and Ireland attended the event which was welcomed warmly by Municipality of Larnaka officials. The kick-off meeting took place back to back with ground-breaking initiatives shaping the future of marine and maritime science, innovation and industry landscape in Cyprus and was celebrated among local and international stakeholders.

During the meeting, hosted by Larnaka Municipality, partners discussed all essential steps towards submitting a successful business plan for the Teaming Phase 2 aligned to the overall Smart Specialization Strategy for Cyprus (S3Cy) and the European priorities on specific pillars with competitive advantages to the Cypriot economy.

1st plenary meeting of the International Academic and Industry Advisory board (IAIAB) of MaRITeC – X

The 1st plenary session of the MaRITeC – X International Academic and Industry Advisory board (IAIAB) was held on the 6th of October 2017 at the House of Arts and Literature in Larnaka, Cyprus.

The (IAIAB) of MaRITeC – X is an advisory body of prominent Cypriot and International stakeholders on marine and maritime issues, specifically formed to provide guidance and valuable input to help formulate an inclusive, innovative and sustainable vision for the new centre of excellence. During the 1st plenary session the IAIAB was present with 18 representatives of marine and maritime, science, innovation and industry.

The MaRITeC – X IAIAB will have the following objectives:

  • Provide the opportunity to the MARITEC-X consortium to give an overview of the MARITEC-X project vision, goals and activities
  • Define the role of the Board and extent of its involvement in the project activities and beyond
  • Define structure and governance of the Board for efficient management and communication with the project consortium
  • Allow for Board members to express their individual research and innovation priorities regarding future marine and maritime challenges.

The 1st plenary session of the IAIAB and MaRITeC-X consortium underlined the importance to integrate needs and priorities of all stakeholders in Cyprus as well as the broader East Mediterranean related with marine and maritime issues.

1st plenary session of the MaRITeC-X IAIAB: establishing an inclusive, innovative and sustainable vision for the new centre of excellence
1st plenary session of the MaRITeC-X IAIAB: establishing an inclusive, innovative and sustainable vision for the new centre of excellence

Official presentation of the project at the Larnaka Municipal Art Gallery

MaRITeC-X was officially introduced during an open event at the Larnaka Municipal Art Gallery and presented the project’s objectives to a wide range of decision makers, politician, and marine and maritime stakeholders. Among other distinguished guests the event was attended by representative of Mr Marios Demetriades, Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, the Irish Ambassador, Ms Deirdre Ní Fhallúin, and George Georgiou, Permanent Secretary of Directorate General for European Programmes, Coordination and Development.

The Mayor of Larnaka, in his opening statement stressed the importance of the project as an investment for the entire country

Moreover representatives by from the Cyprus Shipping Chamber and the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber – ETEK provided their insights on the importance of MaRITeC –X to meet future socioeconomic demands in marine and maritime related issues.

Mrs. Constantina Makri, Officer of the Research Promotion Foundation and National Contact Point of Cyprus for ‘Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation’ under HORIZON 2020 program presented the scheme as a whole and underlined determining factors for a proposal to be funded within such competitive calls.

Finally, the project was presented by the coordinator Mr Andreas Karakatsanis providing impressive dimensions on the vision of Larnaka as a “Blue City” and representatives of MaRITeC-X Consortium partners presented state of the art technologies to be integrated wthin the activities of the newly found centre.

During the Q&A session that followed, Mr Siokouros of MarInEM and Mr Smagas of GeoImaging Ltd addressed key aspects of the how an inclusive, competitive and sustainable vision for the new centre of excellence will unfold.