Source: cyprus-mail
Cyprus is seeking to strengthen its role in space technologies and remote sensing, Deputy Research Minister Nikodemos Damianou said on Monday, as more than 250 delegates from over 30 countries gathered in Paphos for the RSCy 2026 conference.
Representing President Nikos Christodoulides at the opening of the International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of the Environment, Damianou said that “satellites and related technologies had become critical infrastructure, offering practical tools for climate change, environmental monitoring and crisis response.”
“Satellites, other satellite instruments or space technologies, are now critical infrastructures, which can provide solutions to key important issues, such as climate change, for example, monitoring the functioning of the nutrition framework and not only,” he said.
Speaking to journalists, Damianou described the conference as an important opportunity to discuss space technologies, which form part of the government’s wider strategy and the framework of Cyprus’ EU presidency.
He said Cyprus was gradually building an ecosystem around the sector, with the help of institutions such as the Eratosthenes centre of excellence, which he described as part of the country’s technological infrastructure.
It was important, he added, “to touch on this issue but also to find the solutions and applications it has on the ground”.
The conference, now in its 12th edition, is being hosted in Paphos from April 27 to 29 and has become an established gathering for experts in remote sensing, geoinformatics and earth observation.
Diofantos Hadjimitsis, of the Eratosthenes centre at the Tepak, said the event is being organised in cooperation with the EXCELSIOR project and the Cyprus Remote Sensing Society.
Held under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU 2026, it brings together policymakers, researchers, international organisations and representatives of the space community.
Hadjimitsis said the conference was also important for promoting space diplomacy, with participation from eight countries and the presence of six ambassadors and two embassy representatives from Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Hungary, Greece, Egypt and India.
For the first time, he said, the event will examine how European countries can be better connected with each other, as well as with countries outside the European Commission, in the field of space.
Due to the Cyprus Presidency, he continued, “for the first time we are seeing 250 delegates arriving here in Paphos,” adding that 14 guest speakers will address the conference.
The programme will also include presentations on new geoinformatics and earth observation technologies across 30 topics, including water resources management, natural disasters, fires, landslides and floods.
Special workshops will also focus on beach erosion and carbon sequestration agriculture, linking space technologies with practical environmental and climate-related challenges.
Hadjimitsis also referred to the participation of a representative of the Chief Scientist of a consortium created by Google, saying that 53 satellites are expected to be launched by 2030.
Cyprus, he explained, will be able to receive satellite images and use artificial intelligence techniques to search archives and compare data from the same area.
“Imagine an area like Akamas, Solea or Troodos catching fire and being located, and every 20 minutes giving you a prediction of where the fire will go, with a spatial resolution of 5×5 kilometres, that is, 25 square kilometres,” he said.
At the same time, he noted the participation of a representative from the European Space Agency, saying Cyprus’ enhanced role as an European Space Agency (ESA) associate member would also be discussed.
He added that a ceremony linked to Cyprus’ associate membership will be held in early May in Limassol, organised by the Deputy Ministry of Research.
Acting Paphos mayor Angelos Onisiforou welcomed the conference, saying the municipality supports events that bring scientists from around the world to Cyprus and encourage the exchange of innovative ideas.
The opening session was attended by Damianou, ambassadors and senior representatives from Germany, Sweden, Greece, Italy, Egypt, Hungary, Poland and India, as well as representatives of international organisations and the wider space community, including the ESA.