Similar to many matters of national interest, the attention to one particular facet constantly ebs and flows. This same phenomenon is true of the attention IT has received within the Republic of Cyprus. At various points in time The Republic of Cyprus has placed great efforts in defining national objectives, setting forth a contingency plan and checking upon the status of the items contained within the plan. However the time intervals in between each course of action have been quite extended and therefore the progression of IT within the Republic of Cyprus has been very slow.

"Evolution of RTD activities in Cyprus
Up until the early nineties, the level of RTD activities in Cyprus was low, not only by international comparison, but also given the relatively high level of development of the economy of Cyprus. Most of the research activities, were undertaken by the public sector. Since financing of these activities was provided directly through the annual Development Budget of the Republic, there was little incentive for competition to secure the required funding.

During the last few years, however, RTD activities in Cyprus have been significantly expanding, mainly as a result of the establishment of the University of Cyprus and the increase of research activities undertaken by a number of research organisations, in the public as well as in the private sector. The establishment of the Research Promotion Foundation - an institute responsible for the co-ordination and support of research activities - has also been an important step towards the promotion of RTD in Cyprus. Moreover, the participation of Cyprus in the Fifth Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities of the European Union, is considered of utmost importance, as it pays a catalytic role to the expansion of research activities and enables Cypriot scientists to create networks of co-operation and interact with their European colleagues."(21)

It has now become the aim of the Republic of Cyprus to try and connect the IT activities with the specific needs of the immediate economy. In order to try and support this decision it has been noted that the promotion of IT should start in the eduction system, which is quite extensive over the entire island of Cyprus (see IT Workforce page). Despite current pushes within the education system and various other items concerning IT, the government of the Republic of Cyprus recognizes that its efforts are still lacking.(21)

The government of the Republic of Cyprus has also tried to reach out and input mechanisms by which research alliances in the IT industry can be furthered. For example, networking is promoted through the COST Program, a large framework for research co-operation in Europe.(28) There are also initiatives put forth by the EU for proposals to further the IT within particular nations. These intitiatives would be funded by the the eEurope(14) project and a great possibility if embraced by Cyprus to make it's vision of a communication hub, a reality.

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