On July 7, 2022, The Cyprus Institute and the University of Cyprus, the Cypriot partners of the strategic ENI CBC MED project U-SOLVE, organised a public event aimed at raising public awareness and for informing various urban stakeholders about the upcoming ‘Innovative Ideas Call’ funded by the project. The event brought together representatives from the Municipality of Strovolos, including the Mayor of Strovolos, Mr Andreas Papacharalambous, researchers and academics from The Cyprus Institute (CyI) and the University of Cyprus (UCY), as well as civil society representatives and potential entrepreneurs.

CyI Assistant Vice President of Strategy and Development, Dr Konstantinos Kleovoulou and CyI Innovation Coordinator, Dr Anixi Antonakoudi applauded the goals of the U-SOLVE Project and its efforts to contribute towards the local economy, society and environment. “The Cyprus Institute via the U-SOLVE project, provides with a new, unique, innovative and sustainable idea the residents of Nicosia. Enhancing the participation of all people, and by further promoting the imagination and creativity in our actions and ideas, we can bring the change in attitudes and culture on issues related on urban sustainability”, Dr Kleovoulou noted in his opening statement.

CyI Innovation Assistant, Constantinos Kritiotis elaborated on the Innovative Ideas Call and presented the general guidelines and rules. CyI Head of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Office, Mr Fabio Maria Montagnino, provided further insight into the long-term goals and overarching vision of the Project and the innovation activities at CyI.

The funding call is essentially a competition that gives the opportunity to natural persons and/or legal entities to receive funding, training, and innovation-related support (including access to an expertly designed Innovation Hub) targeted toward turning these ideas into tangible products, services, or processes. The objective is that winning ideas will rise from the creative industries and support the shift of culture of the urban communities towards the adoption of sustainable ways of living. With environmental, social, and economic sustainability in mind and targeting local (City of Nicosia) sustainable development challenges, the U-SOLVE Project is expecting that such innovative ideas will bring a breath of fresh air to the distressed urban environment.

The event was a unique opportunity to bring together urban actors from different industries and backgrounds, to disseminate valuable information and to show appreciation towards the Municipality of Strovolos that endorsed and actively supported the U-SOLVE endeavour from the beginning. On the latter, Mr Papacharalambous commended the Project and said “when we first heard about U-SOLVE, our team here at the Municipality of Strovolos immediately felt the need to support this endeavour. We hope that the ideas that will come out from the competition will serve as best practice and influence sustainable behaviours”.