Professors at the University of Cyprus are calling on the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy, as the responsible ministry, as well as the government as a whole, to take immediate action to ensure the co-financing of the new Center of Excellence in emerging quantum technologies, to prevent a unique opportunity for Cyprus from being lost.

In a letter addressed to the President of the House of Representatives, the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, and the Auditor General, Professor Epaminondas Leontides, Dean of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Professor Konstantia Alexandrou (on behalf of the 16 academics involved in the project), Coordinator of the QSciTec program, and Theodoros Mourouzis, CEO of ELECTI Consulting and Partner in the project, express their strong disappointment at the Ministry of Finance’s decision to refuse co-financing for the new Center of Excellence in emerging quantum technologies.

They state that the Quantum Computing for Science and Technology (QSciTec) program is the only one in Cyprus to have received approval from the European Commission for funding of 15 million euros over six years, ranking fourth in Europe out of more than 130 initial applications. The Republic of Cyprus had committed, via an official letter to the European Commission, to provide an equal share of co-financing.

"However, the Ministry of Finance is retracting this commitment, undermining the implementation of a strategically significant project, which will be the first quantum computing unit in Cyprus and the Middle East (beyond Israel). This decision is in stark contrast to government statements on supporting excellence and utilizing 'every cent of European funding,'" they note.

If the December 6, 2024 deadline passes without approval of the co-financing, they add, it will be the first time that a Cypriot government has not supported the creation of a Center of Excellence approved under the Teaming program, thus losing 15 million euros in European funding.

It is further mentioned that, according to the information provided to them, the Ministry of Finance, which is not specialized in research and innovation matters, is reported to have only considered the potential need for financial support for the center after 10 years, based on vague and unpublished criteria, which contradict the specialized evaluation by the European Commission and the findings of an extensive feasibility study conducted in collaboration with Deloitte Ltd.

However, they say, other important factors were not taken into account, such as job creation, economic benefits, access to state-of-the-art infrastructure, the exploitation of quantum technologies, human resource training, excellence, and the enhancement of Cyprus as a regional hub.

"The Republic of Cyprus retracting at this stage, after the publication of the results, will irreparably damage Cyprus's credibility and jeopardize its participation in future funding actions for centers of excellence or other programs requiring co-financing from the state. At the same time, Cyprus risks falling behind in a critical sector, while other EU countries are actively investing in quantum technologies," they conclude.