New Watershare member: European University of Cyprus

The European University Cyprus has joined Watershare through CERIDES (Centre for Risk and Decision Sciences), its cross-disciplinary and cross-school Centre of Excellence. The European University Cyprus, located in Nicosia, is the oldest institution of higher education in Cyprus, and, since 2015, the only Microsoft Innovation Centre in the country. CERIDES is the product of the synergies between the Centre for Risk, Safety and the Environment (CERISE) and the Decision Support and Systems Optimization (DSSO) Laboratory, and operates under the auspices of the university.

CERIDES focuses on the development, use and evaluation of primarily quantitative and, to a lesser degree, qualitative methods, in order to measure, assess, manage and communicate risk, and to analyse, design and implement decision-making mechanisms and systems, with an emphasis on critical infrastructure (energy, water, transport, telecommunications). CERIDES is involved in several international and EU projects.

The Watershare agreement was signed during a visit by Prof. George Boustras, CERIDES Director, to KWR on 3 October 2019. Prof. Boustras is looking forward to a fruitful collaboration. ‘We have a strong expertise in resilience and risk assessment for natural hazards, especially with regards to critical infrastructure,’ he says. ‘We have strong links with the water boards and first responders in Cyprus and in neighbouring countries (Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt), and we hope that we will become a strong hub for Watershare in the region, especially since climate change is expected to exacerbate hazards, challenges and risks for the water infrastructure in the eastern Mediterranean.’

Prof. George Boustras and prof. Dragan Savic.