An official visit was made recently by a high-level delegation of the Hellenic Center for Marine Research (HCMR), to the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI). The delegation consisted of Dr. Antonio Magoulas, Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of HCMR, Dr. Aris Karageorgis, Director of the Institute of Oceanography and Dr. Konstantinos Mylonas, Director of the Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture (IMBBC).
CMMI is a Center of Excellence for Research, Innovation and Technological Development, established in 2019 in Larnaca with funding from the European Union and the Republic of Cyprus. The Institute is a non-profit equivalent to a public body and has ten Research and Innovation Centers, dealing with marine engineering, marine robotics, digital transformation, decarbonization, marine monitoring, marine and coastal ecosystems, maritime cultural heritage and maritime policies.
The HCMR delegation was welcomed with distinct pleasure by Mr. Zacharias Siokouros, CEO of CMMI and researchers of the agency, with the aim of holding a series of meetings in order to get to know each other and identifying common areas of cooperation. At the same time, a visit was made to the Cyprus Marine Aquaculture Research Center of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, which is located in Meneou, Larnaca and is the center of research programs for the development of marine aquaculture in Cyprus and the recovery of injured turtles.
The representatives of HCMR also had meetings with the distinguished members from the CMMI advisory board and a meeting with the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. Andreas Grigoriou and the Director of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, Ms. Marina Argyrou. HCMR has been systematically cooperating for more than three decades with Department of Fisheries and Marine Research on issues of biodiversity and the environment, fisheries and fish farms, and the meeting was particularly useful for the further cooperation of the two bodies and on other newer issues of interest to Cyprus.
Mr. Zacharias Siokouros, CEO of CMMI emphasized that "it is an honor for our Institute to host members of the HCMR administration. I am sure that after this extensive acquaintance between the two organizations there will be many and worthwhile collaborations". The Director of HCMR Mr. Antonis Magoulas stated that "it is with great pleasure that we are visiting Cyprus in an effort to strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation between Greece and Cyprus, two countries linked by centuries-old historical ties. HCMR, for its part, will make every possible effort to strengthen the development of marine research in Cyprus.
The Director of the Institute of Oceanography of HCMR, Mr. Antonios Karageorgis, noted with particular pleasure the existence of many thematic fields of forming cooperation with CMMI. As he mentioned, there are already valuable relationships and joint participations in various research projects, which after a better understanding of CMMI's scope of actions are sure to develop further. So far, there has been an expression of interest from Institute of Oceanography researchers for collaboration on marine pollution and microplastic pollution, installation of floating measuring stations, satellite oceanography / remote sensing / earth observation / marine optics. Also, in matters of monitoring the interaction of artificial reefs and aquaculture units with the environment.
The Director of IMBBC of HCMR Mr. Konstantinos Mylonas (a Cypriot, from Famagusta), said that the visit is of particular importance to him, since for many years he has been trying to create a Marine Biology Center in Cyprus, and he sees with joy and satisfaction that the CMMI has included in its centers and activities all the fields that Cyprus needs to describe, protect and exploit in the best way its marine environment. In cooperation with HCMR, CMMI will play a decisive role in the development of the Blue Economy, and will actively participate with all other modern states in the activities announced by the United Nations for the Decade of Marine Science for Sustainable Development (2020-2030). The Director of IMBBC, presented the institute's activities that may be of interest to CMMI, which include aquaculture and the development of marine fish breeding methods and management, the description and assessment of biodiversity and coastal systems management, the biotechnological utilization of products from marine organisms for pharmaceutical and industrial purposes, and the construction of artificial reefs for the purposes of developing local biodiversity and creating oases for amateur diving. In the near future, there will be a visit by CMMI researchers to HCMR facilities in Anavyssos and Crete.
