Human skeletal remains can offer key information on diverse aspects of past life but, like all archaeological materials, they only give a glimpse into the life of past individuals; hence, a fragmented perspective into our ancestors’ lives. Their interpretative potential is greatly inhibited by the fact that such remains are often found fragmented due to several anthropogenic and natural taphonomic agents, such as funerary treatment, animal activity, soil pressure and others. This fragmentation severely limits the information that may be extracted from human bones in terms of metric analysis, geometry and morphology. RECONSTRUCT aims at producing 3D morphable models for the main elements of the lower and upper limbs of the human skeleton, which will be then used to infer the missing morphology of fragmented or incomplete bones. In order to achieve this aim and address a major current limitation in human skeletal analysis, RECONSTRUCT will integrate approaches from osteoarchaeology, forensic anthropology, biology, engineering, and data science. The results of the project will maximize the information that may be extracted from bioarchaeological research, contributing to a more comprehensive assessment of past life parameters. RECONSTRUCT will also have major implications in forensic anthropology since the study of modern skeletal remains suffers from similar limitations in terms of partial preservation as those witnessed in archaeological bones. Finally, the source code and raw data emanating from RECONSTRUCT will be made open access, greatly enhancing the extension of this approach to zooarchaeology, palaeoanthropology, and the prosthetic implants industry.

The project Modelling and Simulation for Engineering Applications (SimEA) aims to consolidate and upgrade the Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center (CaSToRC) of the Cyprus Institute (CyI) by attracting and establishing a team of outstanding researchers, led by a Professor of international caliber to maximally utilize and upgrade the existing facilities and pursue a program of research excellence and innovation. The SimEA ERA Chair will expand the research portfolio of CaSToRC to include computation-based engineering adding the missing technology leadership, collaborate with other research groups in Cyprus, the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) and internationally, enrich the educational programs of CaSToRC and CyI and set the appropriate mechanisms to forge collaboration with industry. The alignment of these objectives with the Cyprus smart specialization strategy and European priorities in Energy, Health and Information Technologies provides previously untapped funding opportunities for CaSToRC that would help sustain the team beyond the lifetime of the project. CyI strongly supports the creation of the ERA Chair by pledging a tenured faculty position and a grant of 700,000 Euro for infrastructure upgrades to best serve the research and innovation programs of the project. The international character and interdisciplinary environment of CyI, its strong funding track record, the attractive remuneration, job security and infrastructure grant offered are key elements that conduce to attracting an ERA Chair of the highest international standing. In turn, such a scholar will build a vibrant research group, bring competitive funding and spearhead entrepreneurship and industrial collaboration consolidating CaSToRC as a hub for computational science and engineering in Cyprus and the EM in alignment with the center’s mission to help the nation transform to a knowledge-based economy and to act as a gateway for advanced computing between Europe and the EM region.

OneArchSci aims to attract an innovative researcher to lead, integrate, expand and thereby significantly strengthen the archaeological science group at the Cyprus Institute. It will spearhead a One Archaeological Science approach to integrate the currently fragmented field, and position the research team as the regional leader in the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East (BEMME), a region that from the Bronze Age through to the Ottoman period has been culturally closely connected, while preserving distinct identities of its peoples. Concrete steps will be taken to cross sectorial boundaries, linking academic research with government agencies, NGOs and SMEs, contributing to multiple impacts on a societal level. Over a five-year period, Professor Patrick Degryse, an outstanding researcher and research manager from KU Leuven, Europe’s most successful university in terms of Horizon Europe grant income, will work with the existing team in Cyprus to establish a new formally incorporated research facility at the Cyprus Institute. We will recruit a rising star as long-term New Team Leader, supported by a team of younger researchers to enable this step change. The collaboration with KU Leuven will continue beyond the project, offering long-term opportunities for brain circulation, research and educational programme development

The CyI Solar Thermal Energy Chair for the Eastern Mediterranean (CySTEM – Chair) proposal aims in consolidating and upgrading the already substantial activity at the Cyprus Institute (CyI) in Solar Energy, principally solar-thermal and related activities. This will be accomplished by attracting and installing a cluster of outstanding researchers, led by a professor of international stature to maximally utilize and upgrade the existing facilities, and pursue a program of excellence in Cyprus with local and regional focus in the region of Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME). The principal focus will be on Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies for electricity production, desalination, air conditioning and heating, either in isolation or in multi-generation modes. The Chair shall be embedded in CyI’s Energy Environment and Water Research Centre (EEWRC), a Centre with intense activity in climate change (and adaptation strategies), water management, and sustainability. CyI, being a technologically orientated research and educational institution, will provide the CySTEM Chair the opportunity to contribute to other related important activities of techno-economic nature, such as the definition of a road map for Renewable Energy Sources (and Solar in particular) development in the area in light of the recent discoveries of substantial Natural Gas deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean. Following the template provided by the Commission, the proposal first presents the main objectives of the chair. This is arranged in subsections to describe what is proposed (research activities), who will carry it out (human capital), what infrastructure and tools will be employed to enable the realization of the proposed program and how the various tools and policies available to the program, including CyI’s educational programs, will be integrated and used to maximize its impact.

Human skeletal remains can offer key information on diverse aspects of past life but, like all archaeological materials, they only give a glimpse into the life of past individuals; hence, a fragmented perspective into our ancestors’ lives. Their interpretative potential is greatly inhibited by the fact that such remains are often found fragmented due to several anthropogenic and natural taphonomic agents, such as funerary treatment, animal activity, soil pressure and others. This fragmentation severely limits the information that may be extracted from human bones in terms of metric analysis, geometry and morphology. RECONSTRUCT aims at producing 3D morphable models for the main elements of the lower and upper limbs of the human skeleton, which will be then used to infer the missing morphology of fragmented or incomplete bones. In order to achieve this aim and address a major current limitation in human skeletal analysis, RECONSTRUCT will integrate approaches from osteoarchaeology, forensic anthropology, biology, engineering, and data science. The results of the project will maximize the information that may be extracted from bioarchaeological research, contributing to a more comprehensive assessment of past life parameters. RECONSTRUCT will also have major implications in forensic anthropology since the study of modern skeletal remains suffers from similar limitations in terms of partial preservation as those witnessed in archaeological bones. Finally, the source code and raw data emanating from RECONSTRUCT will be made open access, greatly enhancing the extension of this approach to zooarchaeology, palaeoanthropology, and the prosthetic implants industry.