The enhancement of cooperation between Cyprus and Austria in the field of research and innovation was the focus of a meeting held on September 5, 2024, at the offices of Austria’s national R&I funding organization, FFG, in Vienna. The meeting was attended by the Director-General of the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF), Mr. Theodoros Loukaidis, the Director-General of FFG, Ms. Henrietta Egerth, and other senior officials from both organizations.

During the meeting, the R&I ecosystems of the two countries were presented, along with their performance at both the national and European levels. This was followed by a discussion on methods of designing and maximizing the impact of national funding programs, and an exchange of views on specific actions implemented by the two organizations to support each country's participation in the EU’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, "Horizon Europe."

The Director-General of RIF and his delegation also held a meeting with the Head of the Department for European and International Programs of FFG, Ms. Margit Noll, along with other senior officials from the organization. Among the topics discussed were common challenges and potential actions to strengthen cooperation between Cypriot and Austrian entities, with the aim of jointly submitting proposals to the "Horizon Europe" program.

In a statement, the Director-General of RIF mentioned: "Our intention is to broaden and further strengthen our cooperation, both in terms of knowledge exchange and in providing meaningful support to entities in our countries for the development of more collaborations between the two ecosystems, particularly within the framework of the Horizon Europe Program."

On her part, the Director-General of FFG, Ms. Henrietta Egerth, stated that "RIF has been a long-term partner of FFG and has shown impressive growth in recent years. We look forward to continuing our knowledge exchange and strengthening the ties between our national ecosystems. There is much we can learn from each other to improve our services and provide stronger support to our R&I communities."