A comprehensive sustainability and strategic plan for the establishment of the School of Maritime Sciences, Technology, and Sustainable Development at the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK) in Larnaca will be presented before the President of the Republic by the end of January.
Panagiotis Zafiris, the Rector of the Cyprus University of Technology, announced that the study has been completed and will be presented to the relevant bodies of TEPAK in the next two weeks.
Subsequently, it will be delivered to the President of the Republic, examined by the Ministries of Finance and Education, and if approved, brought before the Council of Ministers.
The creation of a university school in Larnaca is a pre-election commitment of the President of the Republic, who had requested a sustainability study from TEPAK last August.
Speaking to Phileleftheros, the Rector of TEPAK stated that the study mainly contains economic data, closely aligned with the initial proposal submitted to Nikos Christodoulides in May by the Larnaca Development Committee.
According to the initial proposal, the estimated cost for planning, construction of the buildings, and equipment was €16 million. Additionally, it was calculated that €4 million per year would be needed for operational expenses.
TEPAK, as Mr. Zafiris mentioned, agrees with the Municipality of Larnaca that the ideal location for the construction of the university school is a Turkish Cypriot plot in the Mackenzie area, next to the old Larnaca airport.
“We discussed with the mayor, and we believe that the Mackenzie area is suitable because it is close to the sea and the airport. The buildings of the CMMI Excellence Center (Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute) will also be constructed there, and it is crucial for them to be close. The study includes material provided by CMMI regarding the equipment and infrastructure it will develop, which is very useful for resource savings.”
Asked whether the new university school, assuming it gets the green light, can be operational by 2027, as desired by the Municipality of Larnaca, the Rector of TEPAK mentioned that everything will depend on how quickly decisions will be made by the state. “If they decide this year, I think we can make it,” he noted.
Initially, departments related to marine sciences and sustainable development will operate.
“The technology aspect, in terms of engineering, will not be developed immediately,” Mr. Zafiris said, emphasizing the importance of creating the university school.
“The fields of green and blue economy have seen significant growth in recent years, both in Cyprus and globally. Surveys conducted internationally and by the Cyprus Human Resources Development Authority demonstrate an increase of 30-35% in employment in the near future. Cyprus does not have such subjects in tertiary education, and there will be employment needs. Additionally, these are important sectors because we are an island. Regarding sustainable development, it is an area that all countries are interested in for the future, how we use energy sources, how we ensure the environment, etc. All these issues are interconnected with our social action, and local factors, such as a municipality, play a significant role. We, at TEPAK, have shown interest in these areas for seven or eight years now.”
