Public Launching Event for the Eastern Mediterranean Middle East – Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre (EMME-CARE)
On Tuesday, October 8th 2019, The Cyprus Institute organized the public launching event for the Eastern Mediterranean Middle East – Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre (EMME-CARE). The event was under the auspices and was addressed by, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Dr. Costas Kadis.
The event was held at CyI’s premises in Athalassa and was attended by distinguished personalities from the political, academic and diplomatic communities of Cyprus and abroad, including the Ambassador of Italy, Andrea Cavallari, the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Mohamad El-Fayez, the Ambassador of Finland, Timo Heino, the Ambassador of the State of Israel, Shmuel Revel, and the Ambassador of the Netherlands, Nathalis Jaarsma. Also attending were the Director of the French Institute, Emmanuel Mouriez, the Head of European Commission Representation in Cyprus, Mr. Ierotheos Papadopoulos, the former European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou, the former Foreign Minister and member of the Friends of the Cyprus Institute Association, Erato Kozakou-Marcoulli, and many others.
In his welcoming address, Prof. Costas N. Papanicolas, President of The Cyprus Institute, noted that the establishment of the Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre comes at a perfect timing with the recent regional Climate Change Initiative put forward by the President of the Republic, and in which Cyprus and The Cyprus Institute will play a leading role.
The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Costas Kadis, noted the importance of establishment of EMME-CARE. “There is no doubt that The Cyprus Institute will successfully tackle this enormous challenge in cooperation with the excellent network of leading foreign Institutions, as well as local institutions and government departments, including some from my own Ministry”, he noted.
On behalf of the European Commission, Mrs. Federica Roffii said: “The establishment of the Center is a historical milestone not only for the Institute, but for Cyprus and Europe. The European Commission has high expectations both for the implementation of the program, but also for the scientific results and the impact it will have on Cyprus and in Europe, in promoting science and innovation, which in turn will provide economic opportunities and development”.
EMME-CARE will provide scientific, technological and policy solutions through the establishment of a world-class Research and Innovation Centre of Excellence, focusing on environmental challenges. To address these, the existing Atmosphere and Climate Division of the Cyprus Institute will be upgraded, its partnerships with world-renowned Institutes will be strengthened, and its status and contributions to regional/global networks in the field will be enhanced.
The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the Cyprus Government and own resources, and aims to implement a combination of Research, Education, and Innovation activities that involve laboratory studies, instrument development, continuous comprehensive atmospheric observations, field experiments and computer modelling of the regional climate and chemical composition of the atmosphere. The programme focuses on the atmospheric environment and will address climate change and air pollution impacts.
