Press Release: Launch of the TWIN4MERIT project funded by the EU and coordinated by the University of Cyprus

RM Roadmap Project / Co-Creation Session 1
November 1, 2023
Research Support and Assessment: The TWIN4MERIT project and the Cyprus CoARA National Chapter
December 12, 2023
RM Roadmap Project / Co-Creation Session 1
November 1, 2023
Research Support and Assessment: The TWIN4MERIT project and the Cyprus CoARA National Chapter
December 12, 2023

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The University of Cyprus (UCY) announced the official launch of the programme “Twinning for Excellence in Management and Economics of Research and Innovation” with the acronym TWIN4MERIT, an ambitious research initiative that aims to strengthen the research excellence of the University of Cyprus in the interdisciplinary field of Management and Economics of Research and Innovation (MERIT).

The TWIN4MERIT project, with a total budget of €1.5 million funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme “Widening Participation and Strengthening the ERA”, brings together a consortium of leading European research institutions: Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology at Maastricht University (UM-MERIT) and the University of Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M). The project aims to stimulate research excellence and innovation capacity in the field of MERIT at the University of Cyprus, to improve research management and support capacity in Cyprus and promote interdisciplinary research and networking in the MERIT field. The participation of the European Office of Cyprus as a partner, ensures systemic R&I impact at the national level, especially with view to improve research management and support capacity of Cypriot research institutions.

The project will enhance research excellence in the MERIT field by bolstering the scientific competence of UCY staff and Early Career Researchers (ECRs), elevate research capacity in the MERIT field, improve UCY’s international visibility, and strengthen participation in research funding proposals.

The project will have a significant impact on the wider scientific community, addressing key meta-research concepts related also to the European Research Area priorities, such as the reform in research assessment and the implementation of Open Science, as well as the role of important horizontal aspects of R&I such as gender, equal opportunities and diversity. Through the utilisation of advanced theoretical models, experimental approaches and empirical/econometric methodologies utilising both existing and new datasets, the project will foster interdisciplinary research activities, develop innovative methodological tools, and explore in depth the identified key concepts of the MERIT field.

TWIN4MERIT will last for three years and includes inter alia capacity building, training and networking activities, staff exchanges between the project partners, workshops, webinars and intensive summer schools, with the aim of strengthening the scientific and research capacity of the staff of the University of Cyprus and the researchers of Cyprus as a whole in the MERIT field. The TWIN4MERIT consortium is expected to engage and discuss with local stakeholders in Cyprus the benefits of scientific evidence in R&I policy making.

The TWIN4MERIT project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No. 101079196

For more information about the TWIN4MERIT project, visit the project website at https://www.ucy.ac.cy/twin4merit/

Contact: Marios Demetriades, Project Coordinator, [email protected], +35722894286-7

Note to editors:

  • TWIN4MERIT has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No. 101079196
  • The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). The European Union and REA cannot be held responsible for the views expressed.
  • The University of Cyprus is the coordinator of the TWIN4MERIT project.
  • The project partners are the University of Cyprus, the Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology at Maastricht University (UM-MERIT), the University of Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M) and the European Office of Cyprus.
  • The project will run for three years from 01/01/2023-31/12/2025.
  • The total budget of the project is €1,500,000.