R&D up but Cyprus still lags behind EU

TOTAL expenditure on scientific research and development on the island reached £31.9 million in 2005.

According to the latest figures released by the government’s Statistical Service, this corresponded to 0.41 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product.
Despite an increase of 17 per cent recorded in R&D expenditure relative to 2004, the share of the GDP of Cyprus devoted to R&D activities continues to be low compared to other countries.

The average share of R&D expenditure to the GDP of EU Member States stands at 1.84 per cent.

By sector, higher education institutions accounted for £12.4 million or 38.9 per cent of the total, the government 31.8 per cent, business enterprises 22 per cent and private non-profit institutions 7.2 per cent.

In the business enterprise sector, computer and related activities constituted the principal source of R&D activity, with a total expenditure of 2.6 per cent.
The biggest part of R&D expenditure was devoted to the natural sciences at £11 million.

The number of persons engaged in R&D activities in 2005 stood at 2,470, compared to 2,235 in 2004.
In full-time equivalent terms, this number is estimated at 1,157 people, of which 38.2 per cent were women. Of these, 25.1 per cent were holders of PhD level degrees.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.