Cyprus positions itself as Europe's innovation gateway for Indian AI enterprises

NEW DELHI: An exclusive investors’ roundtable hosted by Invest Cyprus and attended by His Excellency Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus, brought together statesmen, technologists, entrepreneurs and investors to explore deeper economic and technological ties between India and Cyprus.The meeting, chaired by Evgenios Evgeniou, chairman of Invest Cyprus, moved quickly from formalities to substantive discussions on artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, startup ecosystems, media-tech, intellectual property frameworks and the role of Cyprus as a gateway for Indian companies seeking entry into European markets.Evgeniou opened the session by referencing India’s entrepreneurial and technology success stories, establishing common ground and setting the tone for practical dialogue. Participants discussed AI-led growth, startup acceleration, cross-border innovation and how agile economies can influence the next phase of global technological transformation.President Christodoulides, who took office in 2023 and is viewed as a reform-minded and outward-looking leader, outlined Cyprus’s ambition to shift beyond its geographic constraints and develop as a hub for technology, innovation and strategic diplomacy. A former diplomat and foreign minister, he contributed both diplomatic experience and strategic intent to the discussions.Speakers emphasized the growing India-Cyprus Strategic Partnership, which is extending beyond traditional diplomacy into investment, entrepreneurship, AI, digital transformation and innovation-led economic collaboration.Representing HT Labs, the innovation and technology arm of HT Media Group, Avinash Mudaliar, Co-Founder and CEO, participated in discussions that traversed artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, startup ecosystems, media-tech, intellectual property frameworks, and the strategic evolution of Cyprus into a gateway for ambitious Indian enterprises entering Europe.Speaking during the engagement, Avinash Mudaliar observed, "Cyprus is fast emerging as a strategic innovation bridge connecting India to Europe. What distinguishes the country is its ability to combine European market access with agile policymaking, startup-friendly thinking, and a deeply collaborative innovation ecosystem. The passion, consistency, and commitment exhibited by Cyprus towards building future-facing technology infrastructure is extraordinary. For Indian businesses seeking global scale in AI, media-tech, and digital infrastructure, Cyprus presents a compelling opportunity."Dr. Nicodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, described a policy architecture focused on innovation sandboxes, AI enablement, startup acceleration, regulatory agility and experimentation environments intended to help companies iterate rapidly within European frameworks.Demetris Skourides, Chief Scientist of the Republic of Cyprus, reiterated the country’s ambition to become a regional innovation hub and a strategic gateway into Europe for Indian enterprises. He highlighted Cyprus’s competitive IP Box regime, which can offer an effective tax rate as low as 3% on qualifying IP income, along with a 120% deduction on eligible R&D expenditure.Indian firms already operating from Cyprus were cited as examples of the island’s growing reputation as an intelligent European base for AI firms, SaaS companies, startups, digital platforms and media-tech organisations pursuing global scale.Participants expressed strong interest in leveraging Cyprus’s sandbox environments and innovation-friendly regulatory frameworks to test and scale new businesses and technologies. Discussions explored co-building opportunities across AI systems, digital infrastructure, recommendation engines, content intelligence and next-generation consumer engagement platforms, using Cyprus as an agile experimentation and European deployment base.Evgenios Evgeniou said the response from Indian companies and entrepreneurs had been encouraging, noting that several organisations expressed serious intent to explore investments and long-term strategic partnerships in Cyprus. He added that Invest Cyprus would pursue systematic follow-up to facilitate deeper engagement and tangible co-building opportunities.Stavros Stavrou, president of the Cyprus-India Business Association, was credited with fostering an environment of strategic seriousness and warmth that helped sustain candid dialogue between governments, investors, startups and technology leaders.Following the roundtable, Stavrou and Demetris Skourides held detailed follow-up conversations about long-term collaboration opportunities, AI ecosystems, innovation sandboxes and future technology partnerships with Indian enterprises. Those discussions signalled a strong intent toward sustained engagement and strategic cooperation.By the end of the event, participants said Cyprus had made a clear case for itself not simply as a participant in Europe’s innovation landscape but as a country seeking to shape it — and as an increasingly persuasive gateway for Indian companies aiming for European expansion.