Introducing the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI)

0
5407
CMMI – Cyprus Marine & Maritime Institute

(www.MaritimeCyprus.com) The Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI) is an independent, international, scientific and business Centre of Excellence for marine and maritime research, technological development and innovation.

It is driven by the needs of the industry and society in addressing the major challenges that the marine and maritime sectors face. The CMMI addresses these global challenges by transforming them into concrete, measurable, and achievable objectives which are aligned with the European aims for shipping and the sea.

A mission-driven, problem-solving approach for all the activities of the CMMI is critical for its competitiveness and for all blue economy sectors. It seeks to be the link between knowledge and experience to facilitate science and innovation.

The CMMI is based in the city of Larnaca in Cyprus, a country with some important competitive advantages. Cyprus is an island with a strong maritime tradition, and a dynamic maritime industry, located on the crossroads of three continents and major maritime routes.

As an international Centre of Excellence, the CMMI will develop globally excellent, purpose-built facilities, technological and human infrastructure, to support all blue economy sectors. Discussions on the creation of the CMMI started in 2016 and led to the submission of a project proposal, the MaRITeC-X, under the "H2020 Programme, Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation Call".

Following a highly competitive evaluation process at EU level, it was announced in spring 2019 that the proposal was successful. CMMI was awarded €30 million funding from the European Commission and the Cyprus Government, while additional funds are to be provided by partners and industry and academia stakeholders, mainly as in-kind contributions over a 7-year period. After that period, the CMMI is expected to become a self-sustaining entity, while it is estimated that the Centre will be able to engage in income-generating activities within its first years of operation.

The CMMI is an important and much-needed entity in Cyprus. The Cyprus maritime cluster is a dynamic and continuously evolving one. To maintain its success, it needs to further increase and safeguard its sustainability. This can be achieved by investing in research, technological development and innovation (RTDI) and this is where the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute fits in. The CMMI will perform world-class, business-relevant, and applied multidisciplinary RTDI activities, as well as training, education and entrepreneurship support activities, in order to respond to the real needs of the shipping industry and society.

To this end, it will develop partnerships and synergies with various stakeholders; namely businesses of all sizes and RTDI entities locally and overseas, the public sector and civil society. By doing that, the CMMI will contribute to job creation and greater investment in human capital and infrastructure for the shipping industry. In this way, it is expected that it will re-engineer the RTDI and entrepreneurship ecosystem and contribute to the social, and economic transformation of Cyprus and the region.

In addition to that, CMMI has great ambitions to contribute positively to the global objectives for a greener and more sustainable maritime industry and the Blue Economy in general.

The CMMI aspires to dose a Research and Innovation gap in Cyprus. Investments in RTDI, education, training and entrepreneurship support activities guarantee the sustainability and continuous success of the Cyprus maritime cluster, thus there is room for synergies between the CMMI and the Cyprus cluster in those areas.

Since its establishment, the CMMI has been in close cooperation with the Cyprus Foundation of the Sea (Cy-FoS) - which is the Blue Economy Cluster of Cyprus - as well as with the Shipping community on the island. The CMMI is already working with members of the Cyprus maritime cluster and international strategic partners on joint projects in the areas of Decarbonization and Digitization in Shipping.

For more information about CMMI, visit their website: www.cmmi.blue

Source: CMMI

 

 

[Total: 4]