Excelsior2020

International Day for Monuments and Sites: Webinar organized by ICOMOS Cyprus
2020-04-24 00:00 (Europe/Athens)
As part of the International Day for Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS Cyprus organized a webinar on 24 April 2020 on “Digital Cultural Heritage: Technologies and Challenges”. The seminar was organized by ICOMOS Cyprus and co-οrganized by the Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK), the UNESCO’s Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage, the Department of Antiquities, the Cyprus University of Technology, the EXCELSIOR.eu H2020 Teaming funded project, the Cyprus Remote Sensing Society, the European Archeology, the European Common Culture and the OPHERA.
The seminar was greeted by the President of ICOMOS, Mr. Chrysanthos Pissarides, and the President of ETEK, Mr. Stelios Achniotis, while Dr. Marinos Ioannides, Dr. Kyriacos Themistocleous and Mr. Simos Georgiou discussed the role and characteristics of new innovative technologies in geo-informatics within the field of challenges and prospects of the 21st century.

Scientific lecture in the framework of the EXCELSIOR H2020 Teaming project by TROPOS Senior Researcher, Dr. Ulla Wandinger
2020-03-09 00:00
The Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics of the Cyprus University of Technology in cooperation with project EXCELSIOR H2020 Teaming, held an open scientific lecture on Monday, March 9, 2020 with the internationally recognized senior researcher Dr. Ulla Wandinger. During the lecture, the dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Prof. Phaedon Kyriakides, addressed a brief greeting.
Dr. Ulla Wandinger is a Senior Research Scientist and Deputy Head of the Institute’s Department of Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Processes for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Leipzig, Germany. She has gain more than 30 years of experience in aerosol and cloud remote sensing and published more than 90 articles in peer‐reviewed journals. Over the last decade, she has been strongly involved in the construction of the European Aerosol, Clouds, and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS). Ulla Wandinger is coordinator of the German ACTRIS consortium and member of the ESA‐JAXA EarthCARE Joint Mission Advisory Group, the ACTRIS Executive Board, and the EARLINET Council.

The lecture entitled “The European Research Infrastructure ACTRIS and the ERATOSTHENES Center of Excellence: Exploring the Importance of Atmospheric Sensing for the EMMENA Region” was organized as part of the actions of the EXCELSIOR H2020 program [GA: 857510] for the transfer of know-how and enhancing Research and Innovation.
In her presentation, Dr. Ulla Wandinger referred to the importance and necessity of the ACTRIS European Research Infrastructure for the study of Atmosphere, Climate Change and Air Pollution as well as the strategic role of the Atmospheric Observatory Research Infrastructure for the area. It is worth noting that ACTRIS is a pan-European research infrastructure for providing on short‐lived atmospheric constituents and the processes that control their life cycles.
To download the invitation to the Open Lecture please Click Here

In addition to the open lecture, a second lecture entitled “Ground-based remote sensing of aerosol and clouds: Lidar and radar measurements of climate-relevant processes in the atmosphere” was delivered. Dr. Ulla Wandinger, mainly targeting doctoral candidates, master students and young researchers, introduced new trends, techniques and methodologies for studying atmospheric and climate parameters. At the end of the presentations the students had the opportunity to ask questions and talk to Dr. Ulla Wandinger on future research trends and opportunities offered through the newly established ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence.
To download the invitation to the Seminar for MSc, PhD students and Researchers please Click Here

Presentation of EXCELSIOR project at the Limassol Chamber of Commerce & Industry
2020-03-04 00:00
The Limassol Chamber of Commerce & Industry, in collaboration with the Limassol Municipality and the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), successfully organized the event entitled “Research and Innovation in Space Technology and Geoinformation through the Horizon2020 Teaming EXCELSIOR Project and the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence”. The event took place at the premises of the Limassol Chamber of Commerce & Industry on the 4th of March 2020.
Mr. Costas Galatariotis, President of the Limassol Chamber of Commerce & Industry, during his welcome speech stressed out that the EXCELSIOR project will contribute to the development of new business ideas, attraction of new investments and creation of new jobs by supporting the economic development of our country.
A welcome address followed by the Mayor of Limassol, Mr. Nikos Nikolaidis emphasized his support to the EXCELSIOR project and the benefits that the city of Limassol will have from the creation of the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence. He also mentioned the expectation of the Limassol Municipality to receive important support related to important issues in the fields of blue growth, tourism, cultural heritage, transport, environment and smart city technology by the EXCELSIOR project.

Finally, Mr. Nikolas Iordanou, Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus University of Technology Board in his welcoming remarks emphasized that Cyprus University of Technology considers the EXCELSIOR project to be the most important success in the short history of the University. He emphasized that Cyprus University of Technology will support the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence, which will be established through the EXCELSIOR project.
The event was concluding with the presentations by Professor Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis, Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering and Geo-informatics of the Cyprus University of Technology and Coordinator of the EXCELSIOR Project and Dr Panayiotis Philimis. CEO of Cyprus Research & Innovation Center (CyRIC) and Gravity Ventures Incubator and President of the Cyprus Association of Research and Innovation Enterprises.

Invited talk by Prof. Hadjimitsis at the ACTRIS IMP Kick-off meeting in Larnaca, Cyprus: The EXCELSIOR H2020 Teaming project
2020-03-03 00:00
From 2nd to 6th of March 2020, the ACTRIS community gathered at the Sun Hall Hotel in Larnaca, Cyprus, to kick-off the ACTRIS Implementation Project (IMP). This week-long meeting was attended by over 90 participants, including remote attendees, and it presented the community with the goals and actions planned for the next 4 years to take ACTRIS to a new level of maturity and reach the operational phase. On the 3rd of March the two H2020 Teaming projects in Cyprus ‘EMME-CARE’ https://emme-care.cyi.ac.cy/ & ‘EXCELSIOR’ https://excelsior2020.eu/ have been presented from their coordinators Prof. Jean Sciare & Prof. Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis.

To visit the page event of the ACTRIS Community / IMP Kick-Off Meeting please Click Here

Stakeholders' Event of the H2020 Teaming project Phase 2 “EXCELSIOR”
2019-11-22 00:00
The EXCELSIOR stakeholders’ event was organized by the Cyprus University of Technology and took place on the 22nd of November 2019 at the Senate room, “Rector’s Building in the Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus. The stakeholders’ event was open to the Project participants, the EC/REA representatives and the members of the External Advisory Board.

A welcome address and a presenation related to the EXCELSIOR stakeholder engagement were given by the Project Coordinator, Prof. Diofantos Hadjimitsis and the EXCELSIOR Liaison Officer, Associate Prof. Chris Danezis. Brief presentations were given by Committing Organisations including Mr Charalambos Panayiotou on CEO of Atlantis Consulting Ltd, Mr Antonis Hadjiantonis on behalf of CYRIC, Mr Antonis Antoniou representing CYTA, Mrs Vasiliki Charalampopoulou on behalf of Geosystems Hellas S. A. and HEXAGON, Prof. George Zalides representisng i-BEC, Prof. Ioannis Gitas on behalf of the Aristotle University, Mrs Alexandra Chudnovsky Linzon representing the Tel Aviv University and Mr George Georgiou representing NOVATEX.

At the end of the event the participants had the opportunity to participate at the Discussion and Closure session of the event where interesting discussion and suggestions were mentioned from the audience related to possible ways of collaboration between the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence and several governmental departments and private organisations representatives such as Mr Kostas Papageorgiou from the Department of Forests and Mr Dinos Nilolaides the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber.

Launching of the H2020 Teaming project Phase 2 “EXCELSIOR”
2019-11-22 00:00
The public inauguration event of the strategic research project ‘EXCELSIOR’: ERATOSTENES: Centre for Excellence in Land Surveillance and Environmental Monitoring was successfully held on the 22nd of November 2019. The event took place at the Cyprus University of Technology under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, in the presence of officials and elected personalities from the diplomatic, political and academic community of Cyprus and abroad.
During his speech President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades mentioned that ‘Despite the extremely competitive process, the EXCELSIOR Project has successfully secured the EU Horizon 2020 funding. I take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the European Commission for this decision, in addition to the funding of five other Centres of Excellence in Cyprus. This constitutes further evidence of the competitiveness Cyprus enjoys in the field of research and innovation, both at European and international level. I wish to express my sincere respect and appreciation to Professor Diofantos Hadjimitsis, the project coordinator, and his dedicated team for their hard work and for succeeding in this highly competitive procedure, as well as extending my best wishes for every success in your future endeavors.’

The European Research Program EXCELSIOR, through a highly competitive process, secured € 15 million of seven-year funding from the EU Horizon 2020 Program ‘Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation – Teaming Phase 2’, with a view to creating a sustainable and autonomous Centre of Excellence for Earth Observation and Space Monitoring of the Environment. The project has also received € 15m in funding from the Republic of Cyprus for 15 years and € 8m for 15 years from the Cyprus University of Technology (Coordinator).

The event was attended by representatives of the project consortium, which consists of the Cyprus Technological University (Remote Sensing and Geo-Environment Laboratory – Department of Civil and Geo-informatics Engineering); the German Aerospace Centre (DLR); the National Observatory of Athens (NOA); the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS); and the Department of Electronic Communications of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works (MTCW-DEC).
The Director of the Department of Electronic Communications Mr. George Komodromos, Dr. Haris Kontoes, Research Director of the National Observatory of Athens and Director of the BEYOND Center of Excellence, the Deputy Director of the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Mr. Gunter Schreier. Albert Ansmann from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) developed the roles that partner organizations will play in the project. It is important to mention that the EXCELSIOR project is supported by more than 95 organizations from Cyprus and abroad (eg NASA, ISPRS, NEREUS, GEO, ACTRIS, CYTA, ETEK, I-BEC, Aristotle University, National Technical University of Athens) including 6 Ministries, 19 governmental departments, municipalities (including Limassol, Ayia Napa, Peyia and Geroskipou) and research and innovation enterprises. The support of the Municipality of Limassol in the creation of the ‘ERATOSTHENES’ Centre of Excellence is vital, aiming in implementing space technologies and geo-informatics to solve the problems of the Municipality and participate in joint events.

The event was also welcomed by the Welcome addresses were given by the Counsellor of Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Cyprus, Mr. Ulrich Peitz and the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Greece in Cyprus, Mr. Ioannis Mallikourtis.

The importance of the Centre for Cyprus and the geographical area was emphasized by representatives of the EXCELSIOR External Advisory Committee and the ERATOSTENES Centre of Excellence such as Mr. Vincent Ambrosia (NASA / University of California); Mrs. Simonetta Cheli (European Agency for Space Agency); Mr. Marcello Maranesi (freelance consultant with experience in space organizations such as Telespazio in Italy), Prof. Lena Halounova (Czech Technical University in Prague and ISPRS Secretary – International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing); Dr. Peter Zeil (Spatial Services GmbH from Austria); and Mr. Daniel Barok (Independent Consultant with previous work experience at the ISRAEL SPACE AGENCY).

The Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the Cyprus University of Technology and Professor Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis, coordinator of the EXCELSIOR project, said in his speech that the project “aims at conducting a high level of basic and applied research in the sectors related to the combined use of space, remote sensing and geo-informatics technologies for systematic and in-depth monitoring of the natural and built environment. He also stressed the importance of using SENTINEL satellite data from COPERNICUS presenting various satellite data usage applications in Cyprus. Some of the examples he cited was the systematic monitoring of water quality in reservoirs, marine pollution, air pollution, water leak detection, agricultural applications (crop disease detection, irrigation management, etc.), study of unexcavated archaeological sites and detection of unexcavated buried remains, natural hazard management, forest fire detection, support through educational and training programs, etc.”

The President of the Republic, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, welcoming the event, emphasized that the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence will become a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship in our country and a protagonist in the Eastern Mediterranean region, with great economic and social benefits for Europe.
The Rector of the Cyprus University of Technology and Professor Andreas Anayiotos said that this is perhaps the most ambitious project secured by the “young” Cyprus University of Technology and assured of the high quality of services offered by the Centre at national, European and international level. He also stressed that it is important to transfer the gained expertise from academia and research to the industry for the commercial development of related services.

The representative of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG-RTD), Mr Stefan Weiers; and the Head of Unit Spreading Excellence, Widening Participation, Science with and for Society, The Research Executive Agency (REA), Mr. Ales Fiala stated that the EU has high expectations of the implementation and results of the program, but also of the impact on Cyprus and at European level of promoting science and innovation, which it is expected to create opportunities for economic growth.

The Chief Scientist for Research & Innovation Dr. Kyriakos Kokkinos mentioned that internationally recognized centers are working on this project to achieve excellence. Dr. Kokkinos emphasized the extensive experience of the consortium partners as well as the active involvement of various stakeholders from industry, society, academia and the wider public sector which ensure the success of the project. Finally Dr. Kokkinos stressed that the EXCELSIOR project opens a new horizon for Cyprus and the wider area of space.

Dr. Haris Kontoes, Research Director of NOA and Director of the European Center for Space Monitoring of the Earth ‘BEYOND’, presented services of continuous observation, recording of information and the extraction of scientific knowledge about natural disasters around the world. Mr. Gunter Schreier presented DLR’s contribution to the project through the transfer of know-how to install satellite data antenna in Cyprus. Dr. Albert Ansmann from TROPOS presented the importance of Cyprus’ geographical position in climate change monitoring and atmospheric study through satellite observations. Concluding, Dr. Ansmann presented the benefits of setting up a ground-based atmospheric remote sensing station in Cyprus. The Director of the Department of Electronic Communications, Mr. George Komodromos emphasized the importance of the space sector for the Republic of Cyprus, referring to various actions taken to date such as the participation of Cyprus in the European Space Agency and presented his Department’s contribution to the project for promoting space technologies to all interested parties in Cyprus.

The Environment sector was recognized by the Smart Specialization Strategy for Cyprus (S3Cy) as the first horizontal priority for the future development of the island. The project is fully aligned with Smart Specialization Strategy for Cyprus in many areas, significantly enhancing the impact of targeted regional and national investment, namely the environment and ICT. The Centre of Excellence that will emerge through the existing potential of the ERATOSTHENES Centre, with its experience and infrastructure, will become a hub for Earth Observation activities in the Eastern Mediterranean region, due to the geostrategic position of Cyprus.

The Centre will be based in Limassol with research infrastructures in the coastal municipalities of Cyprus. In the coming years, the Centre of Excellence is expected to employ 112 people in research, management and technical positions to develop new research activities and collaborations with companies and government organizations. The Centre of Excellence will become a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship in our country and in the Eastern Mediterranean region, with great economic and social benefits for Cyprus and Europe. Also important is the transfer of know-how from the NOA through the European Earth Observatory ‘BEYOND’, which aims to continuously collect information from the planet about evolving natural phenomena, and in particular natural disasters, in order to inform the authorities and the citizens to take appropriate safety measures in a timely manner. In addition, the contribution of DLR to install an Earth Observation Satellite Data Antenna at CYTA’s facilities and TROPOS Research Institute to establish a ground-based atmospheric remote sensing station which will be the national infrastructure of the ACTRIS-ERIC network are very significant.

To download the Agenda of the Public Event please Click Here

EXCELSIOR joined the signing ceremony for Coordinators’ Teaming projects winners in Brussels
2019-09-24 00:00
Dr Haris Kontoes PI of the EXCELSIOR Project from the National Observatory of Athens (advanced partner), on behalf of the Coordinator of the EXCELSIOR Project Prof. Diofantos Hadjimitsis from the Cyprus University of Technology, joined the signing ceremony which took place on the 24th of September 2019 in Brussels. During the event Jean-Eric Paquet, Director-General for Research and Innovation congratulated the 14 Teaming projects winners on this outstanding initiative and their contribution to bridging the research and innovation divide in Europe. Teaming projects under the Horizon 2020 Widening Programme aim at setting up and developing new ‘centres of excellence’ in low R&I performing Member States.

Director-General Jean-Eric Paquet congratulated these winning projects, stressing the importance of autonomy and good-quality governance that they need to enjoy and sustainability plans for continuation after the grant period. Jean-Eric reminded the project coordinators and representatives from advanced partners present at the meeting of their responsibility, in partnership with the European Commission, to share their excellence with the R&I community; he encouraged them to reach out to the previous generation of Teaming projects to build on past experiences and, once in full swing, to help others being equally successful.

Together with the project coordinators, Jean-Eric signed the certificates acknowledging that each of these 14 projects will establish a Centre of Excellence in their countries and receive for that a corresponding phase 2 Teaming grant of around 15 million euros. The signature of the certificates was followed by a shared meeting gathering the responsible units for policy development in DG RTD and for project implementation in REA. Both Heads of Units, Magda de Carli and Ales Fiala, as well as the Director of REA Marc Tachelet addressed the audience.

Following the official congratulations, policy officers from RTD and project officers from REA met project representatives and discussed the upcoming stages of project implementation. Commissioner Carlos Moedas and the Chair of the Committee on industry, research and energy (ITRE), MEP Adina-Ioana Vălean congratulated the winners at the end of the R&I days session ‘Bridging, widening, sharing: let’s advance Europe together’ on the same day, in the presence of the new Commissioner-designate for Innovation and Youth, Mariya Gabriel.

Visit at the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (12.02.2020)
2026-05-26 07:38
