Statement by the General Secretary of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou during his visit to the Cyprus Institute (CyI)
AKEL: Cyprus needs to invest in research and innovation
16 November 2023, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia
The importance of investing in research and innovation was underlined by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, during the visit of a Party delegation to the Cyprus Institute.
After thanking the Institute for the invitation, Stefanos Stefanou said that “this is the second time I have visited the Institute. From my first visit I was really impressed with the very remarkable work that the Institute is doing as a centre of excellence which has managed in a short period of time to be recognized for its work internationally”.
This praise, he noted, “belongs to the work of the Institute’s contributors, the researchers, the scientists, all the staff of the Institute and of course the Institute’s leadership, which in practice shows that it has a comprehensive plan and that this helps it to carry out very important work”. So when the Institute receives praise and recognition for its work abroad, this means both praise and recognition for Cyprus.
The General Secretary of the Central Committee of AKEL described the Institute “as an ambassador of Cyprus internationally that promotes our country, but at the same time it also promotes its potential in a very crucial sector for the economy and for society, namely that of research and innovation”.
Stefanos Stefanou agreed with the President of the Cyprus Institute, Stavros Malas, “that countries that have invested in research and innovation have managed not just to register impressive growth, but to have a sustainable economy too.” He added that “sustainable economy is characterised by a very important fact that we have to keep in mind. That there is investment, there is growth, but the resources that help us to have this growth are not exhausted, they are not wasted, but that we have for future generations the material and the possibility to continue this growth.
This is what is required in Cyprus, to have a sustainable economy, a strong economy that invests, among other things, in research and innovation, so that we can have the ability as a state to support society and especially the young generation. After all, whenever we talk about research and innovation, our minds go first and foremost to the young generation.
S.Stefanou concluded by telling the President of the Institute that “it is very important that we politicians and political forces are invited to come to the Institute, because we must understand and realize the importance of supporting the Centres of Excellence, supporting the effort to invest in the field of research and innovation, both within and outside Parliament”.
AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou stressed, “has always done this and will continue to do so, because we value and appreciate your work very much, but also the importance of investing in research and innovation as a country”.