On Friday, 9th of April 2021, the Ambassador of Finland in Cyprus, H.E. Mr. Harri Mäki-Reinikka, visited The Cyprus Institute’s premises to discuss the possibility of cooperation in areas with common interest. The discussion centred around the strategic collaboration of CyI with the University of Helsinki, for example as part of the EMME - CARE Project, which has led to the creation of CARE-C, a regional Centre of Excellence for climate and atmosphere research in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region, and in which the University of Helsinki is a major partner.

The Ambassador also met with STARC Assistant Professor Dr. Kirsi Lorentz, a Finnish scientist at CyI who focusses on synchrotron radiation enabled bioarchaeology.

It was agreed that Finland and Cyprus face many similar challenges and interests, such as atmospheric pollution and climate change, as well as science diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Region (EMME), and that there is a strong potential for further reinforcing research ties between the countries.