ii

i

Harnessing the energy coming

from the sun through photovolta-

ic panels or mirrors to concen-

trate the rays, combining energy

production with desalination, un-

derstanding the regional signifi-

cance of the coming climate

change and analyzing the risks

of its consequences for human

health, monitoring the environ-

ment with tiny unmanned air-

planes, understanding how to make a more efficient use of

the precious water resources, using the best science to ana-

lyze, protect and reconstruct the exceptional cultural herit-

age of Cyprus, and building the most modern state of the

art computing facilities are some of the many research top-

ics actively pursued at the Cyprus Institute.

The Cyprus Institute was founded with the goal of conduct-

ing research that is relevant both to the needs of the coun-

try, and considering the geographic location of the island, of

regional significance and international visibility. This goal

was very ambitious: it is always a challenge to build ab initio

a new research Institute, and even more so in a country

where the scientific infrastructure is still very young. Howev-

er this summary of the recent research conducted at the

Institute illustrates how much it has succeeded to fulfill its

mission in its short lifetime.

The ambition of the founders was right: their vision has led

to an exceptional success. This short non-technical research

report will enlighten every inquisitive and honest mind who

would like to know more about the Cyprus Institute.

Recently, I came across a very ele-

gant publication authored by Dr

Pavlos Flourentzos, the former di-

rector of the Cyprus Department of

Antiquities, and published by the

Republic of Cyprus (Ministry of

Communications and Works) on

the two impressive sarcophagi

found in Larnaca with the title:

“Two exceptional sarcophagi from

Larnaca”. In no less than 72 out of

the 119 pages of this book, the

scientific work done on the sarcophagi in collaboration with

the Cyprus Institute and its international partners is de-

scribed.

Renewable energy sources (solar in particular), energy stor-

age, research on future climate changes and their conse-

quences, environmental research, water resources and their

management, technology at the service of archaeology,

protection of archaeological sites and analysis of archaeo-

logical findings, supercomputers for the region are topics

included amongst others in the research/development

programme of the Cyprus Institute for the period 2010-

2011.

Work, which solely on its own merit, puts Cyprus on the

world research map as an «emerging» region.

Professor Edouard Brézin

Chair, Board of Trustees

Dr Andreas Pittas

President of the Executive Committee

Foreword

ii

The Cyprus Institute is an interna-

tional science and technology re-

search and post-graduate educa-

tion organization, in pursuit of re-

gional and inter-regional problems

in the Eastern Mediterranean often

of global significance. In the past

four years, it has grown rapidly fill-

ing an important niche in national,

regional and European research

and targeting some key societal

needs.

There are three Centres currently in

operation at the Institute: the Energy, Environment and Wa-

ter Research Centre (EEWRC), the Science and Technology

in Archaeology Research Centre (STARC) and the Computa-

tion-based Science and Technology Research Centre

(CaSToRC). Each Centre was developed in partnership with

leading international research institutions: EEWRC in part-

nership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

(MIT) and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry; STARC,

in partnership with the Centre de Recherche et de Res-

tauration des Musées de France (C2RMF), headquar-

tered in the Louvre; and CaSToRC in partnership with

the University of Illinois/National Center for Supercompu-

ting Applications (UIUC/NCSA).

It cannot be emphasized enough that the Board of Trustees

and the Scientific Advisory Council specifically designed the

programme of the Institute to augment and complement

the research and employment opportunities of traditional

universities in the country and the wider region, rather than

duplicate their place in society. In other words, filling gaps in

expertise and employment opportunity has been a standard

operating principle of the Institute.

The period 2010 to 2011 was not an easy one for Cyprus,

the Government, and the Cyprus Institute. Amidst a global

and regional political and economic crisis, uncertainty and

drastic reductions in government funding and facility allot-

ment has resulted in a highly variable operating environ-

ment especially for the Cyprus Institute.

It is due to the dedication of our staff as well as the extraor-

dinary quality of our partners that despite these difficulties

the Institute has achieved remarkable recognition and made

important contributions to Cyprus and the region that are

highlighted in this report.

The achievements and progress documented in this report

speak for themselves; they also amply demonstrate the

quality and potential of our Institute.

Professor Leonard Barrie

Vice President of Research

This publication presents, in non-

technical terms, the research ac-

tivities of the Cyprus Institute for

the last two years. Research con-

ducted at the Institute is focused

on key issues facing Cyprus and

the region, some of which have

global significance (e.g. climate

change, solar energy, energy

storage, preservation of cultural

heritage).

In this report, the various research projects carried out dur-

ing 2010 - 2011 are grouped together, and presented ac-

cording to overall research themes.

The Institute just completed four years of operation. The

achievements are nothing short of impressive, as can be

objectively assessed using indicators widely accepted by the

scientific community. I believe that the investment of the

Republic of Cyprus in the Cyprus Institute, and the impres-

sive support of the international scientific community, both

for which we are grateful, are vindicated by the activities

and achievements hereby presented.

Foreword

Professor Costas N. Papanicolas

CyI President

Contents

Harnessing the Power of the Sun to Generate Electricity

and Water ........................................................................................................................ 2

Eastern Mediterranean: A Climate Change Hot Spot .......................................... 4

Environmental Monitoring Takes Off ...................................................................... 8

Research on the Effective Use of Water Resources .......................................... 10

Searching for Coastal Freshwater through Remote Sensing

and Surface Measurements ...................................................................................... 12

Towards a Zero-Energy Building: The Cyprus Presidential Palace ............... 13

3D - 4D Scientific Visualization: A New Look at Old Artifacts ....................... 14

Digital Libraries: The Libraries of the Future ....................................................... 16

People of Cyprus and the Region: New Awareness of the Past

through Science and Technology ........................................................................... 17

Research on the Protection of Cypriot world-class Heritage Sites ............... 18

Colours: Analysis of Painting Matter in Antiquity ............................................... 19

A Supercomputer for Cyprus, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Europe ...... 20

An Imaging Facility for Cypriot Archaeology and Cultural Heritage ........... 22

A Leader in Scientific Computing and Data Intensive Applications .............. 23

High Performance Simulations: Advancing Fundamental Research ............. 24

Capturing and Storing Solar Energy: CyI’s First Patent ..................................... 25

PhD programs and Educational Activities ............................................................ 26

External Funding Track Record for 2010-2011 ................................................... 28

Partnerships and Collaborations ............................................................................. 29

Externally Funded Projects Active During 2010 - 2011 .................................... 30

Research

Highlights

2010 – 2011

2

Harnessing the power of the sun

to generate electricity at competi-

tive prices is one of the grand

challenges of the 21st century, and

is pursued worldwide. The exploi-

tation of solar energy is a signifi-

cant step in an effort to reduce

worldwide CO2 emissions and miti-

gate climate change impacts.

Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean are often suffering

from water shortages, which are projected to intensify as a

result of climate change. Desalination of Sea Water (DSW) is

the only viable, long-term, solution for increasing the fresh

water supply, however this process is very energy (electricity)

intensive. Current electricity production in Cyprus relies over-

whelmingly on fossil fuels (currently heavy oil; natural gas in

the future) and the electricity de-

mand is continuously increasing.

European Union directives, already

in effect, are penalizing Cyprus for

its CO2 emissions through a car-

bon tax.

However, Cyprus is blessed with

an abundance of sunshine, and

has a solar potential similar to that

of southern Spain, a region fa-

mous for its booming solar indus-

try. The Cyprus Institute is active in

this area of research, specifically the utilization of solar ener-

gy for electricity production and desalination. Principal

among its initiatives is its proposal for a novel concept for

the co-generation of electricity and Desalinated Sea Water

(DSW) via Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), which is tai-

lored to the environmental conditions in Cyprus. In the

co-generation project (CSP-DSW), specialized mirrors

(heliostats) track the motion of the sun redirecting its

light onto a target – the central receiver. The receiver

is heated and transfers this heat to a large thermal

reservoir where it is stored. The stored heat is subsequently

used to drive a turbine for the generation of electricity and

to power a thermal desalination plant. A methodology for

optimal use of the available heat, as well as integration of the

power and desalination cycles to increase the overall efficien-

cy of the plant, was established in the design phase of the

project. A thorough techno-

economic study has been produced,

examining the technological feasibil-

ity of the scheme and its economic

viability.

The study also revealed the need to

improve the efficiency of certain

critical components of a CSP-DSW

plant. The following interrelated

research projects are being pursued:

a) a new heliostat is being designed

with the ability to track the sun with

high accuracy, having an optimized mirror for increasing the

amount of heat captured from the sun, and suitable for de-

ployment in the hilly terrain of coastal Cyprus; b) an innova-

tive design has been proposed for integrating the receiver

and storage systems into a single device, in a concept

termed “Integrated STOrage and Receiver” (ISTORE), which

simplifies the operation of a solar-thermal plant significantly;

and c) a Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) system for sea water

desalination, also driven by thermal energy, has been con-

structed and is being tested to increase the efficiency of the

Work at the Desalination Laboratory: testing a Multiple

Effect Distillation (MED) module (K. Charalambous and

A. Bonanos)

The solar PV collectors of the PV-RO Fraunhoffer desalination

experiment at Pentakomo

ADDRESSING

WATER AND

ENERGY

NEEDS

IN CYPRUS

Harnessing the Power of the Sun to Generate

Electricity and Water

3

Related Projects : CSP-DSW (Cyprus Gov’t); MED-CSD (FP7); STEP-EW (INTERREG GR-CY)

CyI People: A. Bonanos, J. Georgiadis, M. Lange, K. Michail, I. Mitra, C. Papanicolas, M. Tsampas, P. Tsiartas, G. Tzamtzis

Key Partners: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US); University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (US); Electricity Authority of Cyprus

Selected Publications: The Cyprus Institute, “Research and development study for a concentrated solar power – desalinated sea water (CSP-DSW)

project”, Project Final Report, 2010.

A. Ghobeity, C. Noone, C. Papanicolas, and A. Mitsos, “Optimal time-invariant operation of a power and water cogeneration solar-thermal plant”, Solar

Energy, Vol. 85, pp. 2295 – 2320, 2011.

A panoramic view of the Pentakomo solar test facility

process and to minimize or even eliminate auxiliary electri-

cal energy needs, so that desalination is driven solely with

thermal energy.

A Solar Energy Desalination Laboratory has been estab-

lished at the Athalassa Campus, where a Multi-Effect Distil-

lation experiment for sea water desalination is currently be-

ing conducted. At Pentakomo, a Solar-Thermal Processes

Laboratory is being established for the testing of various

solar-driven systems under realistic conditions. A parallel

project, also aiming to address potable water needs

through desalination, is being carried out in collaboration

with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE

(Germany). This project employs an entirely different tech-

nology (photovoltaics and reverse osmosis, PV-RO) and

involves a pilot plant which has already been installed at

Pentakomo, and will be used to demonstrate under realistic

conditions the economic and technical performance of this

particular technological approach. Its operation is expected

to commence before the summer of 2012.

Water and energy are both critical and mutually dependent

resources, so it makes sense to pursue innovative ways to

manage them in tandem - the so called energy-water nex-

us. Increasing the penetration of solar energy in Cyprus’

energy portfolio contributes towards the energy security

and independence of the country, and satisfies greenhouse

gas emission reductions in order to align with European

Directives, which demand that by 2020, 13% of Cyprus’ total

energy consumption is derived from renewable sources. At

the same time, this project promises to develop new tech-

nologies capable of dramatically reducing the cost of sup-

plying the population with clean fresh water, which can aug-

ment the gains from management and conservation of wa-

ter resources in Cyprus. The research pursued at CyI is of

relevance not only to Cyprus, but also to other coastal and

island environments of the region. It has placed Cyprus on

the frontier of solar energy research in Europe as one of the

few places that addresses the challenge of the energy-water

nexus.

Our novel approach for the cogeneration of electricity and desalinat-

ed water using solar energy was highlighted in the exhibition «Water

Wars: fight the food crisis» at the Science Museum in London

Harnessing the Power of the Sun to Generate

Electricity and Water

4

The Eastern Mediterranean and the

Middle East is made up of two dozen

countries with some 400 million in-

habitants. After many years of in-

tense industrialization, rapid popula-

tion growth, and extensive land con-

version, the region is expected to become a global climate

change ‘hot spot’ based on model results from global cli-

mate simulations. To understand the implications of shift-

ing weather patterns and changing climate conditions for

this region, we have carried out studies using regional cli-

mate models with a much finer spatial resolution com-

pared to global models. Results from our regional climate

models can provide insight into likely changes for the 21st

century, confirming and underlining the notion of the re-

gion as an evolving ‘hot spot’, with much dryer and warm-

er climate conditions in the years to come.

More specifically, our model output indicates mean tem-

perature rises of about 1 to 3°C over the next three dec-

ades, 3 to 5°C by mid-century, and 3.5 to 7°C by the end

of the century, placing the Eastern Mediterranean and

the Middle East ahead of most other places on the

globe in terms of projected temperature changes. To

make matters worse, precipitation is expected to de-

cline with reductions in mean annual rainfall of 10-

50% in northern parts of the Middle East, Turkey,

Greece, and Southern Italy. Most of the decrease in rainfall

will be evident in the spring and summer seasons.

Looking in more detail at model results for Cyprus over

the period 2020 to 2050, one of the most striking changes

is the increase, by an additional two weeks per year, of

extremely hot summer days with maximum temperatures

exceeding 38˚C. In addition, the region will experience

warm 'tropical' nights with minimum temperatures above

25˚C for an additional one month, as compared to current

conditions. By the end of the century, the number of hot

days per year in Nicosia will increase by two months, re-

sembling conditions currently experienced in cities like

Cairo and Bahrain.

The need for air-conditioning and space cooling during

the days but also at nights will increase, causing higher

consumption of electricity on the island. Climate change in

Cyprus is expected to result in additional reductions of

rainfall of 10-15% over the 2020 to 2050 period, continu-

ing the decreasing trend observed over the last three dec-

ades. This will cause additional demand for potable and

irrigation water, thus necessitating additional seawater

desalination plants and placing an emphasis on enhanced

water-use efficiencies.

Extended periods of hot summer days will give rise to an

increasing number of summer heat waves, which will have

Increasing daytime summer temperatures by mid-century. A rise

of three to five degrees may be expected

The change in the number of dry days/year by mid-century

CYPRUS AS

A CLIMATE

CHANGE

HOT SPOT

Eastern Mediterranean: A Climate Change Hot Spot

5

particularly grave consequences for the majority of the

populations living in ever-growing cities. This will increase

the risk of heat strokes and other heat-related illnesses,

posing a major threat to public health in the countries of

the region. Changes in climate and weather patterns are

likely to cause increases in vector-borne parasitic and viral

diseases, adding additional stress to local and regional

public health authorities.

Other public-health concerns linked to the anticipated

changes in climate in the region are related to increased

air pollution. As is already evident today, hot summer

months generally cause the deterioration of air quality,

and are responsible for high ozone levels that regularly

exceed EU health protection limits, particularly in urban

environments. Moreover, anthropogenic activities and a

growing number of episodes of Sahara-dust transport to

northern parts of the Mediterranean region, lead to in-

creases in atmospheric mineral dust and aerosol concen-

trations. The associated increase in the number of cases

of respiratory illnesses is progressively recognized as a

serious public health concern, both in Cyprus and the

region.

But there are additional potential impacts of climate

change. Milder winters in the north may lead to lengthen-

ing of the growing season. The apparent positive conse-

quences for agricultural production are likely to be over-

shadowed by the increasing number of hot days and de-

creasing soil moisture, leading to reduced agricultural

yields. Marine ecosystems and commercially viable fish

stocks will be affected by decreasing nutrient availability,

The Mediterranean and Middle East are hot spots of ozone air pollution

A dust storm carrying dust from the Sahara to the Eastern Medi-

terranean

Eastern Mediterranean: A Climate Change Hot Spot

6

and an overall deterioration of marine food webs. With the

Mediterranean attaining conditions more similar to tropical

or subtropical oceans, we will see an enhanced influx of

tropical marine species, with as yet poorly known effects on

existing marine ecosystems.

The atmospheric and climate modeling group at the Energy,

Environment, and Water Research Center (EEWRC) of the

Cyprus Institute addresses the complex interactions between

atmospheric chemistry and climate in order to better under-

stand the phenomena described above. Scientific tools em-

ployed by the group comprise sophisticated Earth system

models, data from ground-based, air-borne and satellite

measurements, as well as meteorological observations. In

addition, we are using a host of environmental observations

helping us to assess the impacts of climate change on Cy-

prus and the Eastern Mediterranean. Our results to date

indicate that a large part of the observed summer air pol-

lution in Cyprus is related to trans-boundary transport of

key chemical substances and the atmospheric circulation

of the region, which is controlled by distant climatologi-

cal regimes such as the Indian Monsoon.

Results of our climate modeling work are combined with

appropriate biomedical and public health expertise to assess

climate-change-related threats to human well-being. This

supports the management and possible containment of as-

sociated risks to public health. Our initial results, derived

from model exercises on both the global and continental

scale, indicate an increase in premature mortality with en-

Observed (black) and model-calculated (red) temperature trends in selected Eastern Mediterranean capitals

Eastern Mediterranean: A Climate Change Hot Spot

In an article and related video, CNN has prominently featured CyI’s

work on climate change impacts on Cyprus

7

Related Projects: C8 (FP7/ERC); CLIMRUN (FP7); DARECLIMED (FP7); COMBINE (FP7)

CyI People: M. Astitha, C. Barlas, T. Christoudias, A. De Meij, A. De Vries, M. Abd El-Kader, M. El Maayar, P. Hadjinicolaou, C. Hannides,

S. Kerkezian, K. Klingmüller , M. Lange, J. Lelieveld, Z. Levin, C. Oikonomou, A. Pozzer, Y. Proestos, L. Smoydzin, M. Tanarhte, P. Tsout-

sanis, E. Tyrlis, J. Waldock, G. Zittis

Key Partners: Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany

Selected Publications: Hadjinicolaou, P., Giannakopoulos, C., Zerefos, C., Lange, M.A., Pashiardis, S., and Lelieveld, J. (2011), Mid-21st

century climate and weather extremes in Cyprus as projected by six regional climate models, Reg. Environ. Change, 11, 441-457;

de Meij, A., and Lelieveld, J. (2011), Evaluating aerosol optical properties observed by ground-based and satellite remote sensing over

the Mediterranean and the Middle East in 2006, Atmos. Res., 99 (3-4), 415–433

Christoudias, T., A. Pozzer and Lelieveld, J. (2011), Influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on air pollution transport, Atmos. Chem.

Phys., 12, 869-877.

Lelieveld, J., Hadjinicolaou, P., Kostopoulou, E., Chenoweth, J., El Maayar, M., Giannakopoulos, C., Hannides, C., Lange, M.A., Tanarhte,

M., Tyrlis E., and Xoplaki, E. (2012), Climate change and impacts in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, Clim. Change, doi:

10.1007/s10584-012-0418-4.

hanced pollutant concentrations (ozone and particulate

matter).

Increasingly, our global and regional climate modeling tools

and results provide clues and insight into the likely impacts

of climate change on Cyprus and in the region. By assessing

these impacts and quantifying their economic and social

"costs", we aim to provide guidance and advice to Cypriot

policy makers in their efforts to employ effective and com-

prehensive adaptation strategies to address the pressing

problems of climate change in the region.

Cairo by night. Urban air pollution is particularly severe in emerging megacities

By the end of the century, the

climate in Nicosia is predicted to

resemble conditions currently

experienced in cities like Cairo or

Bahrain

Eastern Mediterranean: A Climate Change Hot Spot

8

The Earth's environment is always in a state of flux and con-

tinuously changes. Today, however, we are witnessing

changes at an unprecedented pace and extent compared to

previous developments. This applies primarily to climate and

environmental changes, but has repercussions to other

parts of the Earth system, and to humanity at large. To de-

vise measures that will help us manage and adapt to the

changes that are bound to occur, we need to have a better

understanding of the Earth system. Therefore, a major pre-

requisite for gaining more insight

would be to obtain extensive

observations of the surrounding

environment.

Traditionally, such observations

have been carried out through

direct field measurements. Alt-

hough very reliable, this requires lots of time and patience

yet still leaves significant gaps in the coverage of quanti-

ties to be known and places to be monitored. The advent

of the satellite era opened a new chapter in the science

of Earth observations. Satellites have provided unprec-

edented observations of environmental parameters

on a global scale and over long stretches of time.

However, both the spatial detail of the observations as well

as the availability of measurements for a particular time and

place are hampered by restrictions inherent to satellite op-

erations. The employment of manned airplanes has partly

reconciled this deficit. However, airplanes are expensive to

operate and pilots can only fly so many hours. Thus, the

spatial and temporal coverage of airborne observations also

leaves significant gaps.

Unmanned airplanes, also called "unmanned aerial vehicles",

or "unmanned aerial systems" (UAV or UAS, respectively)

offer a promising alternative to manned airplanes. They are

very flexibly utilized and quite versatile in terms of the in-

struments they can employ and the missions they can carry

out. In fact, they can go where manned airplanes would

hardly fly, namely at extremely low altitudes, in stormy, dan-

gerous weather, or in volcanic ash clouds, to name but a

few examples. Moreover, they can be flown autonomously

through an autopilot system, enabling precise flights along

predefined transects and over long hours.

The APAESO ("Autonomous Flying Platforms for Atmos-

pheric and Earth Surface Observations") project at the Cy-

prus Institute's (CyI) Energy, Environment and Water Re-

search Center (EEWRC), funded by the Cyprus Research

Promotion Foundation aims at addressing two distinct, but

related observational tasks: (a) to carry out detailed meas-

An APAESO plane on show at the "Environment Week" of the

Grammar School in Nicosia

Environmental Monitoring Takes Off

An APAESO plane in flight A

UNIQUE

MONITORING

TOOL

FOR CYPRUS

9

urements of atmospheric parameters and to understand

basic processes related to weather and climate on the one

hand and (b) to monitor and detect changes in Earth surface

conditions through remotely sensed observations over Cy-

prus and the adjacent near-coastal seas, on the other.

To that end, four UAVs have been procured and have been

equipped with a variety of instruments to carry out these

observational tasks. Now that these instruments have been

expertly integrated into the platforms, the time has come to

start flying. In addition, we designed and realized a “Control

and Operation Facility”, a dedicated, fully autonomous vehi-

cle (trailer) that serves as our mobile mission control unit

during the operation of the APAESO platforms. This enables

us to be very flexible in operating the airplanes almost any-

where on the island.

However, our plans are going even beyond this already ex-

citing prospect. We are currently taking steps to develop the

APAESO project into an operational CyI UAV Facility, which

will be unique to Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean.

Once implemented, the "sky is the limit" as far as possible

applications are concerned. They range from repeated sur-

veys of air chemistry and aerosol characterizations, to moni-

toring of changes in land vegetation and contaminant detec-

tions in water reservoirs or the ocean, to forest fire monitor-

ing and to the assessment of health and growth of cultivated

plants and trees for precision farming operations. With such

a facility, unmanned airplanes and their employment will

serve to safeguard Cyprus' natural environment and to ena-

ble the sustainable and effective use of arable lands. In addi-

tion, carrying out adaptation and miniaturization of exceed-

ingly specialized instrumentation, their integration into au-

tonomous measurement modules as well as their seamless

integration into unmanned airplanes represents a unique

opportunity to boost the high-tech industry in Cyprus.

Related Projects: APAESO (RPF), COST Action ES 0802 "Unmanned Aerial Systems in Atmospheric Research"

CyI People: L. Barrie, S. Ioannou, C. Keleshis, M. Lange, Z. Levin, A. Teller

Key Partners: Max-Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz (Germany); CNE Technology Ltd. (Cyprus)

Selected Publications: Lange, M. A., Teller, A., Ioannou, S., and Keleshis, C., Employing Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Assessing

Changes in the Hydrological Regime in the Eastern Mediterranean, US-Egypt Workshop on Space Technology and Geo-information

for Sustainable Development, Cairo, Egypt, 14-17 June, 2010

CyI Researcher C. Keleshis at the controls of the APAESO Control

and Operation Facility during a mission

Instrumentation to be flown on APAESO planes. From left to right: condensation particle counter, cloud droplet probe, gimbal

camera system. On the far right, a 3D rendering showing the proposed placement of these instruments on the plane

Environmental Monitoring Takes Off

10

Water is a key ingredient for the development and pros-

perity of the arid and semi-arid countries of the Mediterra-

nean basin. Rainwater, which represents the primary

source of replenishment for most of the region, is highly

variable in space and time, while climate change is posing

additional challenges. Water scarcity paired with uncertain

rainfall occurrences have already affected the livelihood of

rural families, forcing many of them to migrate to the re-

gion’s ever growing cities. These changes are threatening

the landscape, cultural heritage, and food security of the

region, leaving land and water

managers, urban planners and

policy makers with a complex

set of problems.

Since its independence in

1960, Cyprus has undertaken a

concerted effort to develop

and harness its water resources

to ensure water availability and to support its economic

development. More than 100 dams and reservoirs have

been built, irrigation-water-use-efficiency programs have

been implemented, thousands of kilometres of pipelines

have been installed and five permanent desalination plants

have been commissioned. Our water research aims to an-

alyze the various sources of water and their utilization in

order to contribute to the development of climate-resilient

water management strategies for Cyprus and the Mediter-

ranean region.

The water sector has traditionally focused on the devel-

opment and exploitation of water from dams, streams,

lakes and groundwater bodies (so-called blue water). In

semi-arid environments, however, 80-90% of the rain

that falls on the land does not end up as blue water,

but returns back to the atmosphere through evapo-

ration and plant transpiration from the Earth's

land surface and its vegetation cover (green water). The

terms green and blue water have been recently introduced

in global water research to shift our thinking from a supply

-driven focus on water resources to a more holistic think-

ing about precipitation as the primary water source, with

both green water and blue water providing society with

the necessary ecosystems services and resources.

We developed a detailed model that computes the green-

and blue-water consumption of 87 crops cultivated in 431

communities in Cyprus, in relation to the varying local

weather conditions for the years 1981 to 2009. Our results

indicate that during this period green water, which comes

at a zero price tag, contributed on average 340 million

cubic meters per year (Mm3/yr), providing 64% of all water

consumption for crop production. In comparison, blue

water demand averaged 190 Mm3/yr. Thus, agriculture

requires almost three times the water consumptions in

private households. But while the irrigated area covered

only 23% of the cultivated land on Cyprus, it yielded 65%

of the total crop production. The annual crop production

derived from green water peaked at 535 000 tons in 1988,

whereas the production from blue water reached a maxi-

mum of 490 000 tons in 1995. The analysis clearly showed

that the water productivity (crop per drop) of irrigated

WATER RESEARCH:

GAINING

UNDERSTANDING,

PROVIDING

ADVICE

Research on the Effective Use of Water Resources

Professor N. Mihalopoulos and PhD student H. Djuma on a field

trip at the Peristerona watershed

11

Related Projects: CLICO (FP7); AGRICLIM (Cyprus University of Technology/Agricultural Research Institute)

CyI People: A. Bruggeman, K. Charalambous, M. Lange

Key Partners: Cyprus Meteorological Service; Cyprus University of Technology; Water Development Department; Agricultural Research

Institute; Water Board of Limassol; Sewage Board of Limassol – Amathus.

Selected Publications: Bruggeman, A., C. Zoumides, S. Pashiardis, P. Hadjinicolaou, M.A. Lange and T. Zachariadis. 2011. Effect of cli-

mate variability and climate change on crop production and water resources in Cyprus. Report.;

Charalambous, K., A. Bruggeman and M. A. Lange. 2012. Assessing the urban water balance: the Urban Water Flow Model and its

application in Cyprus, Water Science and Technology, in press.

crops was higher and more stable than that of rain-fed

crops. But it also indicated that rain-fed crops are very

effective water users! The different crops in the different

seasons and communities showed highly variable water

productivities, indicating that there are various opportuni-

ties for adapting agriculture and water management sys-

tems to climate change, which is being addressed in on-

going studies.

To assess the water uses, losses and inefficiencies of the

ever growing towns and cities in Cyprus and the region,

we developed the Urban Water Flow Model. The model

quantifies and visualizes all sources and users of water

entering and leaving an urban area. The model was tested

and applied to the town of Limassol, in cooperation with

the local water and sewage authorities. We found that

during the hydrologic years 2003/04-2008/09, the rain

falling on the city accounted for more than twice the pota-

ble water supplied to the town. The main water losses in

Limassol were surface runoff, which constituted 30% of all

outflows from the city, and evaporation from paved areas

and roofs, which made up another 22% of the water lost.

The model includes an interactive water savings applica-

tion, which indicated that the implementation of house-

hold water saving measures and devices, rainwater har-

vesting and grey water use could reduce potable water

demands by 50%. The model can be applied to any other

city in Cyprus, thus providing useful insight and advice to

water authorities and city managers.

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Water productivity

(kg/m3)

Water use

(million m3)

Green water, rain-fed crops Green water, irrigated crops Blue water, irrigated crops

Water productivity, rain-fed crops Water productivity, irrigated crops

Green and blue water use for crop production in Cyprus during the past 29 years and the water

productivity of rain-fed and irrigated crops

Research on the Effective Use of Water Resources

12

A large fraction of the worlds’ freshwater is found in under-

ground aquifers. Water from coastal formations is some-

times lost to the ocean either by seepage through porous

layers overlying the aquifer or directly through off shore

sub-sea springs. In some places, it may be possible to tap

this water for the benefit of both domestic and agricultural

needs. Countries like Cyprus are already notorious for

freshwater scarcity, and proper management of freshwater

resources is a high priority. Yet, the existence of Subsea

Groundwater Discharge (SGD) sites and their volume out-

put are poorly known for Cyprus.

One promising way of detecting and quantifying SGD relies

on the differences between the usually warmer and saltier

surface water compared to SGD. Local differences in

ocean-surface temperature can be detected through im-

aging in the infrared (IR) bandwidth of the electro-

magnetic spectrum. IR cameras have been flown recently

on a manned airplane in waters off the western coast of

Cyprus. Once a promising location had been identified,

standard oceanographic measurements of salinity gradients

across such spots were carried out. The observations were

conducted by Katy Olesnavage, a graduating senior in the

Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT

(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA) under the su-

pervision of Prof. C. Chryssostomides. Supported by scien-

tists from EEWRC, Katy carried out pioneering work that

earned her the ‘2012 Dean A. Horn Award’ for Undergrad-

uate Study in Marine Research by the MIT Sea Grant Col-

lege Program. The prize was given for her senior thesis,

entitled, “The Design and Testing of a Procedure to Locate

Fresh Submarine Groundwater Discharge in Cyprus”.

This study is seen as a precursor to much more extensive

investigations that will rely on the employment of CyI's un-

manned aerial vehicles to develop and test methods to

map the coastal waters around Cyprus for detecting SGD.

Related Projects: SGD (Internal Funding)

CyI People: A. Bruggeman, S. Ioannou, C. Keleshis, M. Lange

Key Partners: MIT (Prof. C. Chryssostomides, Katy Olesnavage)

Selected Publications: Katy Olesnavage, The Design and Testing of a Procedure to Locate Fresh Submarine Groundwater Discharge

in Cyprus, Senior Thesis, MIT 2012 Dean A. Horn Award for Undergraduate Study in Marine Research

CyI Researcher S. Ioannou and MIT student K. Olesnavage on

board a data acquisition flight along the Cyprus coast

Subsea groundwater discharge has been known since antiquity;

the picture above is from a gravure taken from ‘Le fond de la

mer’ by Léon Sonrel (1880)

Searching for Coastal Freshwater through Remote

Sensing and Surface Measurements

13

CyI People: L. Kalisperis

Key Partners: Professor Ute Poerschke (Penn State University, USA); Professor Mattheos Santamouris & Dr. Anastasia Spanou

(University of Athens )

Selected Publications: Greening the Republic of Cyprus Presidential Palace, Report of Architectural Design Strategies, April 2010

Poerschke, U., Kalisperis, L., Santamouris, M., Spanou, A., “Design Approaches for Upgrading Historically Significant Architecture

Toward Zero-Energy: The Republic of Cyprus Presidential Palace.” PLEA Presses Universitaires de Louvain July 2011

Towards a Zero-Energy Building:

The Cyprus Presidential Palace

Concerns regarding the shortage of energy, rising de-

mands, and the effect of irrational use have made the topic

of energy savings and sustainable design almost ubiquitous.

Sustainable design and historic preservation offer opportu-

nities of mutual development: re-using materials, rediscov-

ering and capitalizing on buildings’ sustainable attributes,

and installing new, more efficient systems.

The Cyprus Institute undertook an energy study and pre-

sented design interventions to the Cyprus Presidential Pal-

ace. The objective was to develop solutions to retrofit the

historically and politically important building towards Net-

Zero-Energy-Buildings (ZEB), i.e., a building that applies

intensive energy-

conservation measures

and uses its own re-

newable energy-

generating sources to

produce, over a certain

period of time, the

same power it con-

sumes. The project

evaluated a series of

high energy-efficient

innovative technologies and measures in the Cyprus Presi-

dential Palace and documented the proposal generation of

the retrofit solutions for this historic monument.

The complex was seriously damaged on July 15, 1974 dur-

ing the coup. Most of the structure was burned down, ex-

cept the standing stonewalls. The Public Works Department,

and the Philippou Brothers architectural firm restored the

Presidential Palace in 1977. Since then, it has been continu-

ously used to house the official office and residence of the

Republic’s President.

The building’s energy performance and indoor environ-

mental quality were evaluated via monitoring and simula-

tion. The monitoring included the following measurements:

Indoor air quality measurements using tracer gas; Particu-

late matter measurements; Indoor temperature and relative

humidity measurements; outdoor climatic conditions; ther-

mal imaging of the building envelope; indoor illuminance

measurements; and

collection of energy

consumption bills and

data.

In the end, ten energy

efficiency measures for

the Presidential Palace

project were selected

and tested. The integra-

tion and combination of

these solutions in a

carefully designed manner led to the desired ZEB, and the

proposed architectural interventions, measures, and scenar-

ios were analyzed and tabulated in a final report.

An in-door illuminance analysis of the Presidential Palace

14

STARC has been active in supporting and promoting innova-

tion in the development of technologies and methodologies

for the implementation of scientific visualization (including

3D) aspects of research and communication of Cultural Herit-

age. By securing approximately half a million Euros for a peri-

od of 6 years via a number of EC funded initiatives, STARC is

conducting internationally recognized, innovative research in

defining new paradigms in Cultural Heritage. We are devel-

oping research methodologies that take full advantage of

existing visualization technologies, developing new ones or

adapting existing ones, and training young researchers and

PhD candidates in a highly innovative research environment.

This is of high relevance for Cypriot society: it improves and

modernizes the research and presentation of its history and

the remains of its past, which in turn supports tourism. In Cy-

prus, heritage and culture are a main attraction for visitors

according to the World Tourism Organization. STARC has laid

the foundation in Cyprus for the creation of virtual museums

with the rich material available in museums, monuments,

churches and archaeological sites on the island. The strong

cooperation in this field with leading institutions in the world,

among them NCSA at the University of Illinois, Fraunhofer

IGD Institute of Germany and CNR-ISTI in Italy will lead to the

development of state-of-the-art infrastructure, innovative

research methodologies and visionary technologies in the

field of archaeology and cultural heritage.

3D scientific visualization is an efficient method of visualizing

a large amount of heterogeneous data, thus enabling visual

problem-solving. Because it is possible to visualize concepts

and ideas (translated into a quantifiable and measurable geo-

metric language) and archaeological ‘facts’, visualization is an

ideal means for validating hypotheses, running tests, per-

A digitally reconstructed vessel from the Late Bronze Age. The vessel was found in Pyla - Kokkinogremmos (Vassos

Karagiorgis excavation) in a state so fragmented and fragile, that archaeologists could only partly reassemble it. Due to its

condition, a different approach was employed based on cutting edge digital technologies

STARC contributed to an exhibition of Cyprus Cultural Heritage

artefacts at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC, USA.

The artefact shown here, an extremely fragile model of an ancient

boat, was scanned (top) to create a 3D model, which then, with

the help of the Department of Antiquities, was used to recreate a

3D replica (bottom)

3D-4D Scientific Visualization:

A New Look at Old Artifacts

15

Related Projects: 3DCOFORM (FP7); V-MUST (FP7), Analysis and Intelligent Search for Cypriot Works of Art (NSF)

CyI People: N. Amico, A. Artusi, U. Damnjanovic, R. Georgiou, S. Hazan, S. Hermon, G. Iannone, D. Pitzalis

Key Partners: Department of Antiquities; CNR; FORTH; Fraunhofer IGD; Penn State University; University of Sydney

Selected Publications: Georgiou, R., Hermon, S., A London’s Charter Visualization: The Hellenistic – Roman Theatre in Paphos,

Proceedings of Short and Project Papers, VAST 2011, Prato, Italy, pp. 53-56.

Niccolucci, F., D. Beacham, S. Hermon, H. Denard, (2010), Five years after: The London Charter revisited. In Artusi, A., M. Joly, G. Lucet,

A. Ribes and D. Pitzalis (eds.) Proceedings of VAST2010: 11th International Symposium on Virtual Reality, Archaeology and Cultural

Heritage, Eurographics, Aire-La-Ville., vol. 2, 101-104.

3D visualization of the Hellenistic-Roman Theatre in Paphos. Fieldwork included a complete documentation of the site using laser scan-

ners and digital cameras attached to a balloon (left). The generated 3D model of the site was then analysed (center) resulting in the vir-

tual 3D reconstruction of the ancient theatre (right)

forming predictions and simulating behavior under different

circumstances and processes in a given period. It enables the

connection between the world based on our intuition, previ-

ous knowledge or imagination, and the ‘world of science’,

that is what we observe, measure and quantify and is also an

ideal tool for analyzing virtually recreated cultural material in

its presumed ‘real’ diachronic or chronologic context. It also

allows a visual juxtaposition of the fragmentary archaeo-

logical evidence and the researcher’s mental model of this

reality with the reality virtually reconstructed. In this sense,

3D scientific visualization serves as an interactive, multi-

disciplinary research platform, where hypotheses regarding

our reconstructed interpretation of the past may be validated.

Our 3D visualization capabilities were instrumental in the creation

of the sculpture «Clepsydra 2009» by prominent Cypriot artist

Theodoulos Gregoriou which adorns the new Larnaca airport

CyI Researcher S. Hermon using innovative 3D laser scanning

technologies for the documentation of Cultural Heritage

exhibits at the Cyprus Museum

3D-4D Scientific Visualization:

A New Look at Old Artifacts

16

Digital Libraries and

Europeana (Europe’s

Digital Portal and Li-

brary for Cultural Her-

itage) are at the heart

of EU’s Digital Agenda.

Research related to

this topic include as-

pects of knowledge

representation, digiti-

zation of Cultural Her-

itage assets, data

harmonization and

building ontologies

for specific Cultural Heritage domains. In this context, we

have received a private grant of US$ 150 000 from the Le-

ventis Foundation, aimed at the creation of the Archaia Kyp-

riaki Grammateia Digital Corpus. The project aims at the

creation of a new searchable digital library of Ancient Cypri-

ot Literature (Αρχαία Κυπριακή Γραμματεία), the impres-

sive six-volume corpus led by Profs. Patroklos Stavrou and

Antreas Voskos and published by the Leventis Foundation

between 1995 and 2008. This digital library will be prepared,

hosted and maintained by STARC. The corpus covers the

ancient Cypriot literary production in a time span of c. fif-

teen centuries (from 7th century BC to 5th-6th century AD)

and examines it through its wide range of literary genres

(epic, lyric and dramatic poetry, epigram, prose etc.). Each

volume contains a sketch of the history of each genre, in-

formation on the writers and their works, as well as the

texts themselves (Ancient Greek and Latin) accompanied by

translations in Modern Greek, detailed commentaries, lists of

different manuscript readings of the texts, a rich Bibliog-

raphy, and an Index. The Archaia Kypriaki Grammateia cor-

pus consists of 3603 pages in total and comprises the liter-

ary work of sixty four Cypriot – or, in some cases, thought to

be Cypriot – writers as well as seventy two epigrams com-

posed by various authors.

The benefits and outcomes of research in the domain of

digital libraries for Cultural Heritage are numerous and go

well beyond a restricted scientific community. Firstly and

most obviously, activity in this domain is cross-disciplinary,

bridging between arts and sciences, social sciences and in-

formatics, human-computer

interaction and cognitive sci-

ences. The inter-disciplinary

structure of The Cyprus Insti-

tute served as a model of inter-

action between scientists of

various disciplines and has fos-

tered collaborations with major

Cultural Heritage stakeholders

in the region, creating a unique

and wide research network with

an extraordinary momentum for

future activities. Finally, the add-on value to the worldwide

citizen is priceless, providing him with access to a huge

amount of knowledge about Cypriot Cultural Heritage fol-

lowing rigorous, scientific based standards that is easily un-

derstandable by all.

Digital Libraries: The Libraries of the Future

STARC staff working on the digital data-

base (N. Kyriakou & E. Christophorou)

Related Projects: AKGDC (The Leventis Foundation); CARARE (CIP-ICT-PSP); LINKED HERITAGE (CIP-ICT-PSP)

CyI People: N. Bakirtzis, E. Christophorou, U. Damnjanovic, S. Hermon, N. Kyriakou, F. Nicolucci, P. Ronzino, V. Vassallo, K. Yiakoupi

Key Partners: Leventis Foundation; Dept. of Antiquities; CNR; FORTH; Fraunhofer IGD; Penn State University; A. Georgiadou (Univ. of Patras)

Selected Publications: Damnjanovic, U., Hermon, S., (2011), Connecting Information as Navigation Paths for Exploring Digital Video Collec-

tions, Proceedings of Short and Project Papers, VAST 2011, Prato, Italy, pp. 21-25.

Pitzalis D., F. Niccolucci, M. Theodoridou, M. Doerr (2010), LIDO and CRMdig from a 3D Cultural Heritage Documentation Perspective. In A.

Artusi, M. Joly, G. Lucet, A. Ribes and D. Pitzalis (eds.) Proceedings of VAST2010: 11th International Symposium on Virtual Reality, Archaeol-

ogy and Cultural Heritage, Eurographics, Aire-La-Ville, 87-96.

Book cover of Volume 1 of

the printed edition of

Ancient Cypriot Literature

17

People of Cyprus and the Region: New Awareness

of the Past Through Science and Technology

Bioarchaeology, a new research do-

main focusing on people and their re-

mains, is available in Cyprus through

the Cyprus Institute. It concerns itself

with the past peoples of Cyprus and the

surrounding regions, focusing on health status, diseases,

demographic structure, mortality rates, diet, residential mo-

bility, and effects of cultural practices on the body.

The competitive funds awarded for this research domain are

a validation of its importance for Cyprus. Collaboration in the

field is coupled with cutting edge laboratory analyses (e.g.

isotopic analyses for diet and residential mobility, palaeopar-

asitology) and education through field schools and laborato-

ry training.

Recent collaborations with the Department of Antiquities

(Cyprus) include analyses of human remains from the finely

decorated Larnaca-Liperti sarcophagi (see section on

‘Colour’), and Psematismenos-Trelloukkas, the largest Early

Bronze Age Cypriot population known to date. To the sur-

prise of archaeologists, our results show that the temple-

shaped sarcophagus contained the burial of not one, but

two individuals, a 20-22-year-old female and a foetus/

perinatal infant, allowing new insights into the events pre-

ceding the use of these sarcophagi. At Psematismenos-

Trelloukkas the human bioarchaeological analyses form a

new, unique picture of Early Bronze Age burial practices.

Our MIDAC-OSTA (Migration or Indigenous Development

in Ancient Cyprus: Oxygen and Strontium isotope Analyses

using mass spectrometry) project uses isotope ratio analysis

of dental enamel to explore the hotly debated questions of

population mobility in prehistoric Cyprus. The impact of this

bioarchaeological research domain is manifold, from the

creation of crucial knowledge on past inhabitants of Cyprus

and the surrounding region to enhancing capabilities on

human remains analyses, and from archaeological investiga-

tions (e.g. by the Department of Antiquities) to forensic work.

Health is a crucial aspect of wellbeing of individuals, popula-

tions, and societies - understanding the health and disease

history of Cypriot populations benefits society today. Under-

standing population movements in the past helps to put into

context the cultural and genetic variety and richness present

in Cyprus today.

A NEW

FOCUS ON

PAST

PEOPLE

Sampling for isotopic analyses in The Cyprus Institute Bioarchae-

ology Laboratory (K. Lorentz)

Related Projects : MIDAC-OSTA (RPF), STAR-LAB (RPF)

CyI People: K. O. Lorentz, A. Nafplioti

Key Partners: Cyprus Department of Antiquities; Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Isotope Geosciences Laboratory (NIGL),

UK; Oriental Institute, University of Chicago (US); University of Cambridge (UK); SUERC (Scottish Universities Environmental Research

Centre) (UK); C2RMF (France)

Selected Publications: Lorentz, K.O. 2011 ‘The human remains’ in G. Georgiou, J.M. Webb and D. Frankel, Psematismenos-Trelloukkas:

An Early Bronze Age Cemetery in Cyprus. Nicosia: Department of Antiquities, Cyprus, pp. 313 - 336

Lorentz, K.O. 2011 ‘Cyprus’ in N. Marquez Grant & L. Fibiger (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Archaeological Human Remains and

Legislation: An international guide to laws and practice in the excavation and treatment of archaeological human remains. New York:

Routledge, pp. 99-112

18

STARC is committed to the

study and protection of Cypriot

Heritage sites, including world

famous archaeological sites, as

well as, endangered historic

cities and religious monuments.

The interdisciplinary exploration

of their architecture, archaeolo-

gy and history leads to new knowledge that contributes to

their preservation for future generations. Furthermore, it

promotes tourism and educational interest in the island,

thus contributing to job creation and education. STARC’s

research is based on partnerships with local authorities, en-

hanced through high-level international collaborations, dis-

seminated in presentations/ publications and, co-funded

through competitive, private and internal funding.

Of primary significance is the collaborative project with the

Department of Antiquities for the preparation of Manage-

ment Plans for the World Heritage Sites in Cyprus

(Choirokoitia, Paphos, Troodos painted medieval churches).

The project (2011-2014) has, and will continue to receive

partial UNESCO financial support. Its implementation was

necessitated by Cyprus’ obligation to meet UNESCO’s re-

quirements for the stewardship of archaeological sites,

while maintaining their recognition as sites of international

cultural value. STARC offers scientific skilled staff, as well as,

unique technological capabilities (e.g. through STAR-LAB).

STARC is also directly engaged, through an array of col-

laborations (Columbia U., UC Davis, U. Minnesota, TEPAK,

Fulbright), with the efforts of Nicosia Municipality’s interna-

tionally renowned ‘Nicosia Master Plan’ team, which over

the past decades has been working towards the bi-

communal rehabilitation of the divided city of Nicosia and

the protection of its historic monuments.

Nicosia, as well as other medieval sites and Byzantine reli-

gious monuments in Cyprus, are the focus of the Marie Cu-

rie project “Tracing Identity in the Eastern Mediterranean”,

supported by the European Commission until 2013. CyI has

assumed the responsibility to support the sub-project that

examines the architectural heritage of Cyprus through the

application of digital technologies that can contribute to

research, education, and promote religious tourism.

NEW

KNOWLEDGE

FOR

MONUMENTS

AND HISTORIC

CITIES

Research on the Protection of Cypriot World-Class

Heritage Sites

The study of the famous painted churches of Troodos, such as the

Church of Panagia at Arakas, offer great potential for educating

local and international students (N. Bakirtzis)

Related Projects: TIEM Marie Curie Grant; Cyprus UNESCO World Heritage Sites (collaborative project supported by UNESCO)

CyI People: N. Bakirtzis, R. Georgiou, L. Kalisperis, W. Hanson (CyI Fullbright Scholar).

Key Partners: Cyprus Department of Antiquities; Cyprus Technical University; University of California, Davis (US); University of Min-

nesota (US); Columbia University (US); University of Illinois (US); Penn State University (US)

Selected Publications: CyI, Dept. of Antiquities, and Choirokoitia French Archaelogical Mission, (2012), Choirokoitia Management

Plan: Preserving and Promoting Archaeological, Environmental and Scientific Heritage, Collaborative report to be submitted to

UNESCO in Spring 2012.

Bakirtzis, N. (2012) Architecture and the Monastic Experience, Cambridge World History of Religious Architecture, ed. Richard Etlin

(Cambridge University Press: Accepted and reviewed for publication)

19

Colours and painted decoration

were an important aspect of mate-

rial culture in the past. Using cut-

ting edge scientific and technologi-

cal means, STARC, in association

with C2RMF (Louvre), is accessing

information regarding the subs-

tances and technical procedures

used in creating colours in Antiquity in Cyprus and the sur-

rounding region.

Following a request from the Department of Antiquities Cy-

prus, STARC analyzed the pigments, tints and colorants used

in the finely painted, high artistic quality, Larnaca-Liperti sar-

cophagi. Non-invasive characterizations (X-Ray Fluorescence;

multispectral analyses [infrared, ultraviolet light, false colour]),

and analyses of several micro-samples (micro-Raman spec-

troscopy; scanning electron microscopy; elemental analyses

on the accelerator system AGLAE of C2RMF at the Louvre,

France), identified the different pigments used. Further ana-

lyses were undertaken to investigate the possible origin of

the marble used, as well as the human remains discovered

within the sarcophagi. The research was supported partial-

ly by the RPF Polychromy project (STARC). This research

effort illustrates the need to bring analytical research instru-

mentation to archaeological objects (rather than bringing the

objects to the laboratory, a near impossibility in the case of

these heavy marble sarcophagi with delicate decoration) – a

need that will be met by STAR-LAB, a mobile archaeology

laboratory being developed at STARC and funded by the RPF.

STAR-LAB is devoted to on-site and in-museum digital data

acquisition, geophysics, data processing and archaeometry

(natural and material science applications to archaeology), in

order to research, document, conserve and preserve the cul-

tural heritage of Cyprus.

The origin of the white marbles used in the sarcophagi was

investigated through petrographic observation of thin sec-

tions examined by Optical Microscopy, complemented by

PIXE analysis (Proton Induced X-ray Emission). The results

were published in collaboration with the Department of Anti-

quities (Lorentz et al. 2011), and disseminated during the In-

ternational Congress on Archaeological Sciences in the Eas-

tern Mediterranean and the Near East (ICASEMNE, Paphos,

April 2010) organized by STARC of The Cyprus Institute.

Colours: Analysis of Painting Matter in Antiquity

ANALYZING

AND

PRESERVING

CYPRIOT

CULTURAL

HERITAGE

Related Projects: POLYCHROMY (RPF), STAR-LAB (RPF)

CyI People: K. O. Lorentz, M. Menu, F. Niccolucci, D. Pitzalis

Key Partners: C2RMF (France); Cyprus Department of Antiquities

Selected Publications: Lorentz, K.O., S. Pages-Camagna, Y. Coquinot and D. Pitzalis 2011 ‘Natural and material sciences applied to the

analysis of the Larnaca-Liperti Tomb 128 painted sarcophagi and human remains’ in P. Flourentzos Two Exceptional Sarcophagi from

Larnaca, Nicosia: Department of Antiquities, Cyprus, pp. 45-119.

From left to right: Detail of the upper part of the torso on the lid of the anthropomorphic sarcophagus; Scene depicting several human

figures on the lid of the temple-shaped sarcophagus; XRF analysis of the anthropomorphic sarcophagus head; Multispectral analyses of

the temple-shaped sarcophagus

20

The distribution of computational resources closely follows

the technological and industrial development of a country.

In other words, computational power is an indicator of

technological advancement. All the fields of science and

engineering, as well as finance and some of the humanities

require access to world-class computational facilities to

remain competitive. The Eastern Mediterranean region is

particularly lacking in this area: with a population approxi-

mately equal to that of the United States, it has just 1% of

the world’s computational

capacity compared to 43%

for the United States.

The Computation-based

Science and Technology

Research Center (CaSToRC)

of the Cyprus Institute as-

pires to cultivate the use of

high performance computing in Cyprus and the Eastern

Mediterranean region and to serve the needs of the scien-

tific community for computational power and data intensive

computing.

CaSToRC has secured a € 1.1 million strategic infrastructure

project to develop a national computational facility similar

to the ones that most European countries have established

decades ago. The University of Cyprus as well as the Syn-

chrotron Light Source Facility SESAME in Jordan are partici-

pating in the project. The aim of the project is to provide all

Cypriot scientists as well as industry, a competitive infra-

structure for large computation as well as training and

educational programs in the usage of supercomputers.

With the creation of universities in Cyprus, such a nation-

al facility is crucial for supporting research and innova-

tion. Furthermore, technical expertise in operating and

using such facilities is scarce in the region and there-

fore Cyprus has the opportunity to lead.

With the funding provided through this project, the Cy-

Tera supercomputer, the largest supercomputer for non-

military usage in the region was installed in 2011 and inau-

gurated in January 2012. The machine is open to all Cypriot

Universities, Research Institutes, and Industry through a call

for proposals issued on December 1st, 2011.

Exploiting the Cy-Tera infrastructure, CaSToRC secured a

European funded infrastructure program of a total budget

of € 2.5 million to lead the development of high perfor-

mance facilities and computational science in the Eastern

Mediterranean. The project with the name Linking Scientific

Computing in Europe and in the Eastern Mediterranean

(LinkSCEEM) includes two computational facilities in Egypt

A

COMPUTATIONAL

RESOURCE OF

REGIONAL

SIGNIFICANCE

The recently inaugurated Cy-Tera supercomputer is the only

computational facility in Cyprus of regional significance.

(P. Fitzhenry)

Participation per country to the Winter Training School at

CaSToRC, Jan. 2011, funded by LinkSCEEM and PRACE

A Supercomputer for Cyprus, the Eastern

Mediterranean, and Europe

21

in addition to Cy-Tera. The Cy-Tera machine with peak per-

formance of about 35 Tflop/s is the largest of the three com-

puters. It also has an innovative architecture being a hybrid

computer. Among other activities, the project funds training

programs for scientists in the region. The first training school

was organized in January 2011 by CaSToRC personnel. It

funded scientists from the region but also from around Eu-

rope since it was coupled to European training programs,

positioning CaSToRC within the European landscape and

establishing it as a bridge between Europe and the Eastern

Mediterranean.

Since 2008, CaSToRC represents Cyprus in the Pan-European

infrastructure project PRACE, the Partnership for Advanced

Computing in Europe. Along with 20 other European coun-

tries, PRACE aims to provide a common computer infrastruc-

ture across Europe. CaSToRC’s participation opens up the

opportunity to all Cypriot researchers to access the largest

available supercomputers currently being operated in Ger-

many and France. The Cy-Tera facility, in combination with

training programs designed by CaSToRC, provide higher

level training for machines more powerful than Cy-Tera

enabling the Cypriot community to take advantage of the

European infrastructure available through PRACE and

participate in relevant competitive European projects.

In order to construct computers optimally suited for climate

studies, CaSToRC is leading code development for a new

generation of computers within an innovative EU infrastruc-

ture project entitled “Dynamical Exascale Entry Plat-

form” (DEEP), the European response to the Exascale chal-

lenge. The project involves leading European institutions and

large computer companies. A senior scientist and a doctoral

student will be funded by the project to work with companies

in designing the most suitable computer for climate studies.

With its strategic alliance with the Julich Supercomputer Cen-

ter (JSC), Europe’s largest computational facility that leads

PRACE and its founding agreement with the National Super-

computing Center (NCSA) of the University of Illinois, CaS-

ToRC is ideally positioned to assume a leading role for com-

putational science and engineering. CaSToRC brings the

high-level expertise of JSC and NCSA to Cyprus and the re-

gion, and acts as a portal to their high-end resources that

include some of the most powerful computers in the world.

The EU views this role very positively, as manifested by the

funding that has been granted to the Center.

Related Projects: Cy-Tera (RPF), LinkSCEEM-2 (FP7), PRACE (FP7)

CyI People: C. Alexandrou, T. Christoudias, D. Drikakis, S. Erotokritou, P. Fitzhenry, F. Georgatos, K. Klingmüller, H. Merx,

C. Nicolaou, D. Saparilla, N. Sinanis, G. Tsoulouppas, P. Tsoutsanis

Key Partners: NCSA University of Illinois (US); JSC (Germany); University of Cyprus; SESAME (Jordan)

The creation of a National

Computational Center with an

infrastructure of regional

significance is a landmark not

only for CaSToRC and CyI,

but also for the whole of Cyprus

A Supercomputer for Cyprus, the Eastern

Mediterranean, and Europe

The DEEP Project consortium is involved in constructing tomor-

row’s computers for grand challenge applications such as climate

modelling

22

An Imaging Facility for Cypriot Archaeology and

Cultural Heritage

Cultural Heritage research and practice is increasingly aid-

ed by, and dependent on, digital media. In the last decade,

the use of digital media technologies has improved the

documentation, management, understanding, and com-

munication of cultural heritage. The Cyprus Institute is

spearheading, through its two centres CaSToRC and

STARC, developments in digital imaging applications for

national and regional research in Archaeology and Cultural

Heritage. These efforts invest on the rich cultural land-

scape of the Eastern Mediterranean, for which research

initiatives of the European Union recognize the need to

develop digital libraries that will function as user-friendly

access points. CaSToRC and STARC are implementing this

strategic goal contributing to the European landscape of

Digital Libraries as they offer a portal to Europeana, the

EU's digital libraries initiative to make all European cultural

heritage resources accessible to all, and preserve them for

future generations.

CaSToRC is supporting these efforts, with the use of infor-

mation technologies and tools, as well as, visualization and

virtual reality methods in support of research activities in

archaeology and cultural heritage in the context of the

European Project LinkSCEEM-2 led by CyI. Specifically, a

rear projected stereoscopic display with its associated

equipment has been developed in partnership with the

National Centre for Super Computing Applications for 3-D

analysis and presentation of cultural heritage objects and

other scenarios, such as climate patterns. Furthermore, a

prototype imaging center for archaeological objects and

works of art, using RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imag-

ing) technology has been completed in collaboration with

partners from U.S. academic institutions. It is comprised of

a 360 degree camera and a polynomial texture mapping

(PTM) dome which will shed new light to Cypriot cultural

heritage as early activities have shown. Training courses

have been held for Cypriot partners, pilot applications

have been completed, and collaborative projects are al-

ready planned with several cultural authorities and institu-

tions, such as the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, the

Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, and the Cyprus

Department of Antiquities.

Related Projects: LinkSCEEM-2 (FP7)

CyI People: A. Artusi, N. Bakirtzis, R. Georgiou, L. Kalisperis, D. Pitzalis

Key Partners: NCSA University of Illinois (US); University of California, Davis (US)

Selected Publications: A. Artusi, F. Banterle, D. Chetverikov, Computer Graphics Forum, 30 (2011) 2208;

F. Banterle, A. Artusi, K. Debattista and A. Chalmers ”Advanced High Dynamic Range Imaging Theory and Practice”, CRC Press (AK

Peters) ISBN: 978-1-56881-719-4, March 2011.

RTI imaging technology can be used to study archaeological

artefacts such as a cylindrical seal (left), resulting the high resolu-

tion image (right)

The PTM Dome installed and operated at CyI by R. Georgiou is

part of the Innovative RTI Imaging Center at CaSToRC within the

LinkSCEEM project

23

A Leader in Scientific Computing

and Data Intensive Applications

Related Projects: PRACE-1IP (FP7), PRACE-2IP (FP7), SciComp (RPF), FSI (RPF)

CyI People: C. Alexandrou, A. Abdel-Rehim, G. Koutsou, I. Moulitsas, A. O'Cais, A. Strelchenko

Key Partners: JSC (Germany); NCSA, University of Illinois (US); CSCS (Switzerland)

Selected Publications: C. Alexandrou, D. Christaras, A. O'Cais, A. Strelchenko, Exact calculation of disconnected loops, PoS

LATTICE2010 (2010) 035

I. Moulitsas, Mesh Partitioning and Fill Reducing Ordering for Domain Decomposition Problems, Proceedings, 9th World Con-

gress on Computational Mechanics and 4th Asian Pacific Congress on Computational Mechanics.

The computing technology revolution has undergone a

major change: instead of faster and more sophisticated

CPUs, chips with thousands of simpler cores and graphical

processing units (GPUs) are being built. This requires a

change in the programming paradigm if the algorithms

used in scientific applications are to take advantage of the

larger number of cores and harvest the power of modern

computers.

CaSToRC is leading the development of codes for many-

core chips in applications of relevance

to CyI and Cyprus such as climate

change studies, simulation of

desalination processes, etc. Many-core

chips, with hundreds of simple cores on

the chip, have been shown to be

attractive for a number of technical

computing applications, with

performance increases of more than

100 times being obtained in some

compute-intensive applications. Related

research interests in this area include

parallel programming environments

and software tools to facilitate the

development of scalable, parallel

applications.

An additional area of research interest

is in the development of techniques for “data intensive”

computing where the sheer volume of data is the major

performance issue, such as in remote sensing and sensor

networks, high-throughput chemistry and biology, or large

collections of text and other artifacts. The creation of

Climate and Cultural Heritage data repositories is being

advanced, notably through LinkSCEEM-2. Data repositories

for other applications from biosciences will follow. The

processing of data that will be produced by the SESAME

facility, where Cyprus is a member country, is also being

supported by LinkSCEEM-2.

To fully take advantage of the

capabilities offered in an HPC

environment, one has to balance the

computational load of the underlying

application. For certain classes of

applications, specialized software is

being developed utilizing graph

partitioning algorithms.

An industrial partnership project on

HPC systems development funded by

RPF and IBM Cyprus has been

approved to start in 2012. The

University of Cyprus and the Swiss

Supercomputing Center are partners in

the project.

A prototype cluster containing eight

Fermi graphics cards was installed at

CaSToRC in the summer of 2011 and

funded 50% from the PRACE-1IP project

24

The development of computer infrastructure has revolution-

ized the approach to fundamental research in the sciences.

Simulation has come to be regarded today as the “third

pillar” of scientific enquiry, augmenting the traditional

branches of experiment and theory. Ab initio calculations in

physics, chemistry and biology provide fundamental insights

into the complex processes occurring in these areas and

lead to deeper understanding of a wide range of phenome-

na. Recently, for example, the Biophysics group at the Uni-

versity of Cyprus and their collaborators used additional

computer resources at CaSToRC to perform molecular dy-

namics simulations to uncover a new structure that may

lead to the design of a new drug.

CaSToRC’s goal of developing this research direction is to

build technical expertise that complements research carried

out at local Universities and which is needed for large scale

simulations. This expertise will help researchers at local Uni-

versities and regional institutions to develop codes for large-

scale computers and be competitive on the European scale.

CaSToRC has initiated fundamental research in the compu-

tational methods in physics utilizing the expertise of its staff.

An advanced Simulation Lab (SimLab) has been created in

partnership with JSC, the only Simulation Lab that JSC is

developing in partnership with a non-German Institution.

The inauguration of the Lab took place in November of

2010 focussing on high-energy physics, which is regarded

as a field at the forefront of computational science; scien-

tists involved in the SimLab are providing domain expertise

and user support and participate in the scientific computing

activities described above. In particular, they participate in

prototyping activities within PRACE with the aim to use ac-

celerators, such as many-core graphic cards, to speed up

computations.

CaSToRC introduced the first cluster in Cyprus based on

NVIDIA graphics cards that is being used for scientific appli-

cations. Scientists at CaSToRC are leading in Cyprus and the

region the development of codes for these prototype com-

puters, which are expected to become the future main-

stream computers. These activities, at the cutting edge of

computational basic sciences, offer training for scientists and

students in state-of-the art computing and services and pre-

pare them for using the computers of the future.

High Performance Simulations:

Advancing Fundamental Research

Related Projects: PRACE-1IP (FP7); PRACE-2IP (FP7); Flavor Singlets (RPF); LQCD on GPUs (RPF)

CyI People: C. Alexandrou, G. Koutsou, K. Schilling, M. Petschlies, Y. Proestos, A. Vaquero

Key Partners: University of Cyprus; JSC (Germany); DESY-Zeuthen (Germany)

Selected Publications: C. Alexandrou, T. Korzec, G. Koutsou, J. W. Negele, and Y. Proestos, “The electromagnetic form factors of the

Omega in lattice QCD”, Phys. Rev. D82, (2010), 034504

C. Alexandrou, E. Gregory, T. Korzec, G. Koutsou, J. W. Negele, T. Sato, A. Tsapalis, The Δ(1232) axial charge and form factors from

lattice QCD, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107 (2011) 141601

The shape of the omega particle calculated by CaSToRC

researchers using simulations of the fundamental theory of

the strong interactions

25

CyI People: A. Bonanos, C. N. Papanicolas, G. Tzamtzis

Patent: Integrated Solar Receiver - Thermal Storage System, US patent pending (US 13/245179)

Capturing and Storing Solar Energy: CyI’s First Patent

The largest technical and financial obstacle in the deploy-

ment of Solar Energy (and of wind power as well) is its inter-

mittent behavior. Its inability to dispatch energy when it is

needed, e.g. during cloudy days or after the sun sets, has

been called “The dark side of solar energy”. This deficiency

can be alleviated through the use of an energy storage sys-

tem. However, current energy storage technologies are ei-

ther too inefficient or too expensive. Since its cost repre-

sents up to 25% of the total, the thermal storage requires

more aggressive advances in performance improvements

and cost reductions.

The Cyprus Institute has developed a novel approach to

address this problem for

Concentrated Solar Power

(CSP) systems. We have

patented an integrated

receiver/storage system in

the form of a black body

(cavity) receiver integrated

into a heat storage tank,

called Integrated STOrage

and REceiver (ISTORE). In

this concept, as soon as

solar energy is harvested, it is converted into thermal energy

by the Receiver and stored as such in a “thermal battery”.

The stored thermal energy is subsequently used to generate

electricity when needed.

A simplified embodiment of ISTORE, which shows all the

essential elements of the device is shown in the figure. As

in all CSP plants, the solar input is harvested by an array

of mirrors (“heliostats”) and focused onto the receiver.

The black body receiver shown here, consists of a small

aperture leading into a much larger cavity, created for

example by a train of hexagonal chambers of progres-

sively increasing volume. In ISTORE the cavity is in direct

thermal contact with the heat storage medium (e.g. molten

salt or oil). Fins, constructed from a high-thermal conductiv-

ity material, increase the interfacial area between the cavity

and the storage medium.

In ISTORE the storage medium is completely contained and

prevented from coming into contact with the atmosphere,

thus allowing the employment of storage materials, which

are sensitive to oxidation (e.g. graphite), flammable or toxic.

It also allows the receiver to be placed at the top of a tower

or at the bottom of a hill in a beam-down optical configura-

tion.

Typical operation of a solar

thermal power plant re-

quires the generation of

steam as the motive fluid

for a turbine. In collabora-

tion with its partnering in-

stitutions, the Cyprus Insti-

tute is examining a design

in which the exchanger is

also integrated into the

storage unit. Such a design

will eliminate the requirement to circulate hot fluid over

long distances and minimize thermal losses to the environ-

ment, thus increasing the thermodynamic efficiency of the

overall process.

Further technical developments and commercialization ef-

forts are being pursued.

The black body cavity concept integrated in a molten salt receiver tank

The inability to dispatch energy

when needed has been called

“The dark side of solar energy”

26

In April 2010, The Cyprus Institute was recognized as a Pri-

vate School of Tertiary Education (PITE) in accordance with

the Laws of the Republic of Cyprus. The school is licensed

by the Ministry of Education and Culture to offer three Doc-

toral programs in Computational Sciences (CoS), Digital

Cultural Heritage (DCH) and Environmental and Atmos-

pheric Sciences (EAS). The programs are highly competitive,

intensive, rigorous, and demanding. A limited number of

applicants are admitted using selective admissions criteria,

after having completed their Master’s degree.

The program in Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences

takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the analysis of sus-

tainable systems, integrating strong scientific engineering-

based approaches with

insights from the social

sciences to develop appli-

cable action-oriented, poli-

cy-relevant responses to

long-term environmental

and social issues. Students

in the program address

science, technology, eco-

nomic and policy issues

related to major national,

regional or global challenges in the fields of energy, envi-

ronment, climate and water.

The program in Computational Sciences aims to cultivate

the use of high performance computing (HPC) in Cyprus

and the Eastern Mediterranean region and to serve the

needs for HPC and data-intensive computing in fields

such as climate change modelling, high-energy and

plasma physics, materials science, chemistry, 3D visuali-

zation, computational biology and financial and eco-

nomic modelling. Students in the program work at

the construction of mathematical models and numerical

solution techniques by using computers to analyze and

solve complex scientific, social scientific and engineering

problems. In practical use, it typically uses the application of

computer simulation and other forms of computation to

problems in various scientific disciplines. The program in

Computational Sciences is also offered as a dual-degree

program with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

(UIUC) as part of the bi-lateral agreement between CyI and

UIUC.

The multi-disciplinary program in Digital Cultural Heritage

integrates the areas of technology, computer science, social

science and humanities, keeping in mind that "Heritage", at

its most broad definition,

deals with anything individ-

uals in a given society de-

cide it is important to pre-

serve and transmit to future

generations.

The duration of the doctor-

al programs is three years

(6 semesters for full time

study), and should be com-

pleted within a maximum of

seven years from initial registration. Students with a Master’s

degree must complete 180 ECTS, 50 from the academic

and 130 from the research part of the program. Upon ac-

ceptance students may be offered a Student Research As-

sistantship that is renewable subject to satisfactory perfor-

mance by the student.

Upon admission, students are assigned to a supervisor and

their Comprehensive Examination Committee is established.

This Committee is chaired by the Program Director and

includes the student’s advisor and other faculty from the

PhD Programs and Educational Activities

PhD Students H. Djuma (left) and K. Charalambous (middle) with

Research Scientist A. Bruggeman (right)

27

research centers. For the first two semesters, students must

take mandatory courses and for the remaining semesters

they can select from electives courses offered. At the end of

their second semester, they must successfully complete a

Comprehensive Examination and have their proposed doc-

toral thesis approved in order to proceed to PhD candidacy.

A student is expected to accumulate the necessary credits

and successfully defend his/her thesis to the Dissertation

Committee that is chaired by the advisor and includes at

least one external faculty. Students are offered access to the

electronic libraries and resources and are asked and/or en-

couraged to attend doctor-

al seminars/lectures, work-

shops and colloquia orga-

nized by CyI or other Insti-

tutions in Cyprus.

Currently, nine students are

enrolled in the PhD pro-

grams offered by CyI. Six

are in the Environmental

and Atmospheric Sciences

(EAS), two in the Digital

Cultural Heritage (DCH)

and one in the Computational Sciences (CoS) program. The

new Graduate School programme is expected to undergo a

routine evaluation by a team of experts appointed by the

Ministry of Education and Culture in 2012.

The Cyprus Institute is also involved in corollary educational

activities. For example, CaSToRC is active in educational

activities through the “Atlantis” Program, a joint research

project between the US Department of Education and the

EU Education Directorate to promote cross-Atlantic educa-

tional activities. Partners include the German Research

School for Simulation Sciences, Bergische Universität Wup-

pertal, Jülich Supercomputing Centre, the National Center

for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois

at Urbana-Champaign, and the Shodor Foundation.

Summer schools, workshops and training programs have

been organized by EEWRC,

CaSToRC and STARC with

a number of educational

institutions such as the Max

Planck Institute for Chem-

istry, Mainz, Germany, the

University of Edinburgh,

the University of Illinois at

Urbana-Champaign, and

the University of Minneso-

ta.

Finally, CyI was awarded an

ERASMUS Standard University Charter and has signed Eras-

mus co-operation agreements with other institutions. It has

also secured mobility funds for 2012 for student, staff and

instructor mobility within the Erasmus project.

PhD students M. Georgiou (middle) and G. Zittis (right) along with E.

Krakhmalnikov, graduate student from the University of Minnesota

(left), during a fieldwork exercise at the archaeological site of Kourion

PhD Programs and Educational Activities

28

External Funding Track Record for 2010-2011

From the beginning of its operations in 2007 until the end

of 2011, the Cyprus Institute (CyI) has secured 12 million

Euros (M€) from competitive research projects through na-

tional, European, or corporate programmes extending

through 2015. For 2010-2011, CyI has received a total of

2.73M€ of which 89% are from European Union pro-

grammes, by far the largest source of external funding since

the Institute’s creation.

Over this period, twenty one externally funded projects

were initiated at the Institute: thirteen from the European

Union, six from the Research Promotion Foundation, and

two from other funding sources. For FP7 proposals submit-

ted to EU for funding, the success rate for CyI was 44.4%

which is higher than the EU average, and comparable to

that of high-level research organizations, such as ENEA

(Italy) or the Weizmann Institute (Israel), and is indicative

of the high scientific caliber of the Institute.

For 2010-2011, more than 2 M€ came from FP7 projects,

0.31M€ came from the EU’s Competitiveness and Inno-

vation Framework Programme (CIP) and the Interre-

gional Cooperation Programme (INTERREG), whilst only

0.19M€, or 7%, came from projects funded by the Research

Promotion Foundation. This is a low percentage of the total

external funding received by CyI. Externally funded projects

from other sources brought in an additional 90,000€ which

amounts to 4% of the total.

The ratio of total annual inflow of research funds from ex-

ternally sponsored projects to total annual expenditures was

22% for 2010 (including scientific equipment but excluding

civil construction). For 2011 this figure is 15%, however it

excludes reimbursements for the purchase of scientific

equipment not sent in time by the funding agencies. Upon

receipt of the reimbursements in 2012, this percentage is

expected to rise to 38.5%.

It is also worth noting that in 2010, 14% of the total funding

from FP7 projects to Cyprus were secured by CyI (data for

2011 are not yet available), a remarkable success for its size

given that it only has about 5% of the research workforce of

Cyprus. CyI has been particularly successful in the FP7 Ca-

pacities programme (under Infrastructures) securing 2.5 M€

since 2007, which amounts to 59% of the total funds se-

cured by all Cypriot institutions.

The external funding of CyI per funding source, for the period

2010-2011 (already received funds). The overwhelming majority

of the funding is dominated by EU sources

External funding receivable by the end of 2012 (from contracts

already signed)

29

Since its foundation, The Cyprus Institute has strongly em-

phasized international partnerships and collaborations. In

particular, it has formed a founding partnership with world-

leading institutions for the growth and development of

each of its individual centres (the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology (MIT) for EEWRC, the University of Illinois at

Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

for CaSToRC, and the Centre

de recherche et de restaura-

tion des musées de France

(C2RMF) for STARC).

Other strategic partnerships

have been formed for the

consolidation of its position in

the chosen priority fields of

research (such as with the

Max Planck Institute for

Chemistry, in climate science).

The Institute has also formed

research collaborations with

various institutions, and, at

the National level, created

links and joint activities with a

number of Cypriot research

organizations and other

stakeholders for the explora-

tion of synergies and com-

mon goals for the develop-

ment of Cyprus as a whole.

The years 2010 and 2011

were important for the further

development of this network,

with the signing of a Memo-

randum of Understanding

for joint cooperation in re-

search and education with

the Max Planck Society in

January 2011 and a frame-

work agreement for cooperation with Tel-Aviv Universi-

ty in March 2011, with promising perspectives for rap-

id implementation in the fields of environmental

sciences and cultural heritage.

Other agreements for collaboration in this period have

been signed with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy

Systems for joint activities in the field of solar energy and

desalination in September 2011; The University of Athens,

providing a framework for future joint research and educa-

tional activities in March 2010;

and Bibliotheca Alexandrina,

formalizing existing collabora-

tion in cultural heritage and

high-performance computing

in July 2010.

The Cyprus Institute also joined

the European Energy Research

Alliance (EERA) (October 2011),

a major European network in

the field of energy research,

and will participate in its Joint

programme on Concentrated

Solar Power (CSP).

On the national front, the Cy-

prus Institute has signed an

agreement of cooperation with

the Cyprus Employers and In-

dustrialists Federation (OEB) in

June 2011, whilst it collaborates

closely on joint research activi-

ties through a collaboration

agreement (January 2006) with

the University of Cyprus. Field-

specific collaboration has also

been established with public

stakeholders such as the Cyprus

Meteorological Service, the

Department of Antiquities, the

Geological Survey, the Public

Works Department and the

Ministry of Health (through the

State General Laboratory). The Cyprus Institute also actively

collaborates with the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Signing of the framework agreement for cooperation be-

tween The Cyprus Institute and Tel-Aviv University by Prof.

Costas N. Papanicolas, President of CyI, and Prof. Yossi

Klafter, President of Tel Aviv University. Standing are Mr.

Demetris Christofias, President of Cyprus, and Mr. Shimon

Peres, President of Israel

Signing of the collaboration agreement between CyI and the

Library of Alexandria by Prof. Costas N. Papanicolas, Presi-

dent of CyI and Prof. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library

of Alexandria

30

Externally Funded Projects

Active During 2010-2011

Project title Acronym Funding

Agency CyI Role Start - End Date

1 3D Collection Formation 3DCOFORM EC Partner 01/12/2008 - 30/11/2012

2 Archaia Kipriaki Grammateia AKGDC Leventis

Foundation

Coordinator 01/09/2010 - 31/08/2013

3 A Web application based on the annotated films 'A Human Sanctuary' and

'Rebirth'

HUMAN

SANCTUARY

Dorot

Foundation

Partner 01/09/2011 - 31/08/2012

4 Accelerating FSI solvers using General Purpose Graphical Processing Units

(GPGPUs)

FSI RPF Partner 01/06/2011 - 30/05/2014

5 Access to cultural heritage networks across Europe ATHENA EC Partner 01/10/2008 - 30/9/2010

6 Analysis and conservation of polychromic archaeological artefacts and Byzantine

paintings

POLYCRHOMY RPF Coordinator 01/11/2010 - 30/10/2011

7 Archaeolandscapes: Using aerial imagery to study the archaeological landscape ARCLAND EC Partner 15/09/2010 - 14/09/2015

8 Assessment of the impact of environmental change on plankton dynamics in the

eastern Levantine Basin

EMEDZOO RPF Coordinator 01/02/2009 - 31/01/2011

9 Autonomous Flying Platforms for Atmospheric and Earth Surface Observations APAESO RPF Coordinator 15/12/2008 - 14/12/2012

10 Climate Change and Impact Research: the Mediterranean Environment CIRCE EC Partner 01/06/2007 - 01/06/2011

11 Climate change, hydro-conflicts and human security CLICO EC Partner 01/01/2010 - 31/12/2013

12 Climate Local Information in the Mediterranean region: Responding to

User Needs

CLIMRUN EC Partner 01/03/2011 - 28/02/2014

13 Co-generation of electrical power and desalinated water using concentrated

solar power

CSP-DSW CY

Government

Coordinator 01/09/2008 - 28/02/2010

14 Combined solar power and desalination plants: technico-economic potential in

Mediterranean Partner Countries

MED-CSD EC Partner 01/12/2008 - 30/11/2010

15 Comprehensive Modelling of the Earth System for Better Climate Prediction and

Projection

COMBINE EC Partner 01/05/2009 - 30/04/2013

16 Connecting Archaeology and Architecture in Europeana CARARE EC Partner 01/02/2010 - 31/01/2013

17 Consistent computation of the chemistry-cloud continuum and climate change

in Cyprus

C8 EC Coordinator 01/12/2008 - 30/11/2013

18 Cy-Tera High Performance Computing Facility for Cyprus CyTera RPF Coordinator 31/03/2011 - 30/03/2015

19 Data Repositories and Computational Infrastructure for Environmental and

Climate Studies in the Eastern Mediterranean

DARECLIMED EC Coordinator 01/02/2011 - 31/01/2013

20 Digital Cultural heritage Network DC-NET EC Partner 01-01-2011 - 30/11/2011

21 Dynamical Exascale Entry Platform DEEP EC Partner 01/10/2011 - 30/09/2014

22 Effect of climate variability and climate change on crop production and water

resources in Cyprus

AGRICLIM Agric. Research

Institute

Subcontrac-

tor

01/03/2011 - 30/05/2011

23 Graph Partitioning Methods for Scientific Computing Applications SciComp RPF Coordinator 01/12/2008 - 30/11/2012

24 High Performance Computing Opportunities HiPoP EC Coordinator 01/09/2009 - 31/08/2011

25 Lattice QCD on GPU Architectures LQCD on GPUs RPF Coordinator 01/02/2009 - 31/01/2011

26 Linked Heritage - Coordination of Standards and Technologies for the enrich-

ment of Europeana

Linked

Heritage

EC Partner 01/04/2011 - 30/09/2013

27 Linking Scientific Computing in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean LinkSCEEM EC Coordinator 01/04/2008 - 30/01/2010

28 Linking Scientific Computing in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean - Phase 2 LinkSCEEM-2 EC Coordinator 01/09/2010 - 30/08/2014

29 Making local and regional content accessible through the European Digital

Library

EDLocal EC Partner 01/06/2008 - 30/05/2010

30 Migration or Indigenous Development in Ancient Cyprus: Oxygen and SΤrontium

isotope Analyses using mass spectrometry

MIDAC-OSTA RPF Coordinator 01/12/2011 - 30/11/2014

31 Mobile Archaeological Lab STAR-LAB RPF Coordinator 01/11/2010 - 31/10/2014

32 Optimization of a Thermal energy Storage system with integrated

Steam Generator

OPTS EC Partner 01/10/2011 - 30/09/2014

33 PRACE – Second Implementation Phase Project PRACE-2IP EC Partner 01/09/2011 - 31/08/2013

34 PRACE 1IP – First Implementation Phase Project PRACE-1IP EC Partner 01/07/2010 - 30/06/2012

35 Science and Technology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage in the Eastern

Mediterranean

STACHEM EC Coordinator 01/11/2008 - 30/04/2010

36 Solar Thermal Production of Electricity and Water STEP - EW INTERREG

GR-CY

Coordinator 10/10/2011 - 09/10/2013

37 Study of Flavor Singlets in Lattice QCD on Multi-Core Computers Flavor Singlets RPF Coordinator 03/10/2011 - 02/10/2014

38 Tracing Identity in the Eastern Mediterranean TIEM EC Coordinator 01/11/2008 - 31/10/2012

39 Virtual Museum Transnational Network V-MusT.net EC Partner 01/02/2011 - 31/01/2015

40 Vulnerability, Adaptation and Mitigation of Lebanon's Second National

Communication

UNDP-

LEBANON

UNDP Partner 15/06/2009 - 14/06/2010

Published by

The Cyprus Institute

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Editing and Layout

Pavlos Tsiartas

Content Editors

Leonard Barrie, Anastasia Constantinou, Costas N. Papanicolas, Anna Sakkalli, George Tzamtzis, Michalis Yiangou

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June 2012

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