by Marios Dikaiakos
The University of Cyprus (UCY) is delighted to join ERCIM as its 19th member. UCY is represented in ERCIM by both the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering through the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering respectively. Dedicated to producing and promoting high-end research, UCY strives to establish a position at the forefront of European research. In that respect, participation in ERCIM is expected to further enhance the strong links that UCY has with other European academic and research institutions.
The University of Cyprus was established in 1989, as the first public University of the country, and admitted its first students in 1992. Since then the University has developed fully fledged undergraduate and graduate programmes within all its departments and managed to host an academic community of 424 faculty members, 6240 students (4691 of whom are undergraduates and 1549 postgraduates) and 352 administrative staff members. Research is the basic strategic element for the University´s continuous growth. During the last few years the University of Cyprus has managed to acquire important research funding mainly from external sources with the major contributor being the European Union (circa 40%). The quantity and quality of the research programs present stable and high indices of growth, which shows the efficiency and effectiveness of the research activities sustained at the University.
Research at the Unviversity of Cyprus.
The Department of Computer Science (http://www.cs.ucy.ac.cy) undertakes world-class, high-impact research in many areas of Computer Science, including:
- Artificial Intelligence (knowledge representation, planning, agents, cognitive neuroscience, neural networks)
- Computer Architecture (multicore processor architecture, power and temperature aware micro-architectures, dataflow)
- Databases and Information Management (mobile and wireless data management, sensor networks, information retrieval)
- Computer Graphics (virtual and augmented reality, graphics)
- Computer Networks (fixed, wireless, ad hoc and vehicular networks)
- Distributed Computing and Web Technologies (cloud & grid computing, content distribution networks)
- Software Engineering (context-aware services, middleware, component-based software engineering)
- Theoretical Computer Science (distributed algorithms, fault-tolerance, algorithmic game theory, concurrency theory, formal methods).
Over the last 6 years, the Computer Science Department has been involved in more than 130 research projects funded by both the European Union and the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation with a total funding of over 13 million Euros. Currently, the Department has 21 faculty members and 64 research staff members. The Department offers a Bachelor degree in Computer Science, four Master degrees in Computer Science, Internet Computing, Intelligent Systems and Advanced IT (professional), and a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science. It hosts an advanced research infrastructure including cloud, grid and high-performance computing resources, advanced virtual reality and visualization equipment, and wireless sensor network and mobile computing facilities.
Students at the Department of Computer Science.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) was established in 2003. In a relatively short period of time it has managed to establish high quality research, teaching and outreach activities in numerous fields, namely:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Computer Networks
- Digital Hardware Design and Embedded Systems
- Electronics and Microelectronics
- Robotics, Instrumentation
- Sensors, and Nanotechnology
- Intelligent Systems and Control
- Microwaves and Photonics
- Power and Renewable Energy
- Signal and Image Processing
- Telecommunication Systems
- Trustworthy System Design.
As of December 2010, it has 15 full-time academic staff, and this number is projected to rise over the coming years. In the first few years of the department´s existence, the faculty was awarded more than 75 research projects and grants in the aforementioned fields, with a combined budget of approximately €15 mil., 60% of which coming from the EC. This funding success continues, and is considered essential to the future aspirations to be a leading centre of ECE in Europe.
UCY considers research as a basic strategic element for its continuous growth. In joining ERCIM, we anticipate that UCY will advance its research prospects and capabilities. Evidently, ERCIM can act as the medium to strengthen partner ties and expand strategic collaborations. Moreover, it can provide great assistance in the attraction of, and participation in EC funded projects. Indirectly, via increased research activity, both departments can shape their research and teaching curricula in a way that reflects modern academic and industrial thinking and state of the art technology. Consequently, the University of Cyprus is delighted to join ERCIM and looks forward to being an active participant. Three members of staff will represent UCY in ERCIM, professor Marios Dikaiakos as the representative in the ERCIM general member assembly with Dr. Theocharis Theocharides as his substitute. Professor George Papadopoulos represents UCY on the ERCIM News editirial board.
Link:
http://www.cs.ucy.ac.cy/
Please contact:
Marios Dikaiakos
University of Cyprus
E-mail:
