The opening of the building took place on Monday, May 22. “Nicola David – Pinedo Building”from Cyprus Cancer Research Institute (CCRI)located on the campus of the University of Cyprus, in Nicosia. Among the many guests at the opening of the project were donors George and Kaiti Davidwith family, Vice-President of the European Commission Margaritis SchinasEU Commissioner for Health Stella KyriakidouPresident of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos ChristodoulidesMinister of the Interior of the Republic of Cyprus Konstantinos Ioannouformer President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Anastasiadisleaders of political parties and members of the diplomatic corps.

In his speech, Konstantinos Christofidis, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Cancer Research Institute, said that this is the start of a big effort that perhaps should have started many years ago and is a big step today. In his welcome speech, Mr. Christodoulidis noted that the Institute will be an important milestone for Cyprus, as well as an important nucleus for the development of a national network of advanced research, highlighting the country as a center for cancer research and patient care, as well as an incubator for young scientists, creating bridges of communication and knowledge sharing. with other centers abroad.

Welcoming the event, Mr. Margaritis Schinas said that the launching of an ambitious project is directly related to the personal experience of donors, and emphasized that the fight against cancer is a battle that Europe must fight collectively, saying that today we are investing only 3% of the cost of healthcare at the European level. For her part, Health Commissioner Ms Kyriakidou said that cancer is a problem for all of us and is at the top of Europe’s priority hierarchy. Ms. Kyriakidou also mentioned the European Plan for Cancer Control and the Horizon Research Program, as well as an ad hoc research committee. The plan, Ms Kyriakidou said, has an unprecedented €4 billion in funding, of which more than €2 billion is for cancer research. According to Ms. Kyriakidou, the aim is for the Institute to become a great bridge between Europe and Cyprus.

“Love Proposal”

In his welcome, Mr. David, deeply touched, mentioned that they had made the decision to fund the project on behalf of his daughter to give hope to those who fight cancer every day: “To create an institution that will advance research that will focus on innovation “. The rector of the University of Cyprus, Thassos Christofidis, in his greeting said that the University of Cyprus was lucky to have such supporters as George and Kaiti David: “This is an offer of love for the university and love for the person himself.”

The Institute is a joint venture between the University of Cyprus, the Karaiskaköy Foundation and the Bank of Cyprus Cancer Center and has a total building area of ​​3,111 square meters. The Nicola David Pinedo building was built with funds from the George and Keith David Foundation in memory of Nicola David Pinedo, daughter of George and Keith David, who died of cancer in 2016.