Professor Patrick Degrys, ERA Chair in One Archaeological Science at The Cyprus Institute

ERA Chairs are a major instrument of the Horizon Europe programme to support building advanced research capacity in selected countries within the EU, typically for a five-year duration. Over the next five years, Professor Patrick Degryse, an international leader in isotope studies, will work at The Cyprus Institute as the ERA Chair in one Archaeological Science (OneArchSci) to develop new and improved analytical approaches, offering long-term opportunities in new research and training programmes. The ERA Chair in One Archaeological Science represents a significant success for The Cyprus Institute, further confirming its mission as a Center of Excellence for Cyprus and the region.

 

The project foresees the employment at CyI of additional researchers specializing in isotope studies to ensure the sustainability of the initiative.  Through this project, the analytical excellence of researchers at The Cyprus Institute will be expanded and strengthened to include isotope studies, for addressing key archaeological and environmental research questions in Cyprus and beyond. The aim is to make this new expertise widely available across sectorial boundaries, fostering links with government agencies, NGOs and SMEs.

 

The project officially kicked-off at an event held at CyI premises, on January 21, 2025, in the presence of Dr Vasiliki Kassianidou, Deputy Minister of Culture, Mr Georgios Komodromos, Permanent Secretary at the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, and Dr Giorgos Georgiou, Director, Department of Antiquities.

 

In her address, Dr. Kassianidou, indicated that securing an ERA Chair is an extremely competitive process and a huge success for The Cyprus Institute. This Chair, she noted, provides new opportunities for collaborations within Cyprus but also with our neighbouring countries, further strengthening the role of our country.

 

In his welcoming speech on behalf of the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Permanent Secretary, Mr Georgios Komodromos, congratulated The Cyprus Institute on this huge success and described it as a milestone that reflects Cyprus’s steadfast commitment to research and excellence, as well as its vision to become a regional canter of science and innovation.

 

Professor Patrick Degryse, the ERA Chair in One Archaeological Science, referred to the importance of the project, which, as he said, focuses on deepening the expertise in stable and heavy isotope studies across all archaeological sciences in a unifying approach for environmental archaeology, studies of human nutrition and mobility, and on research of archaeological materials.