EU-CONEXUS invites students from schools in Cyprus to participate to the 4th edition of the international School Contest titled 'Think Smart, Create Green'. Our University, a member of EU-CONEXUS, coordinates the contest's national level.

Students aged 12-18 years old from public and private schools in Cyprus, Greece, France, Romania, Ireland, Spain, Lithuania and Croatia can take place in the EU-CONEXUS Contest. The aim of the Contest is to raise awareness on sustainability, mainly focusing on the sustainable development of coastal zones. The competition also aims to strengthen children's creativity, teamwork and ingenuity.

In the last two years, teams from schools in Cyprus have been participating in the EU-CONEXUS contest with excellent results. In 2022, the Kokkinohoria High School’s ‘Green Team’, won 3rd place in the international final in the age category 14-16. As a result, the team members traveled to Bucharest, Romania where they participated in a workshop designed by Bucharest’s Technical University of Civil Engineering (UTCB) on the construction of buildings with zero energy consumption. They also visited the EFdeN Sustainable City, a sustainable city prototype in Romania, as well as cultural attractions of the country, while also taking part in experiential workshops. In the same year, in the international final of the age category 12-14, the Xylofagou Regional High School stood out in the national final. In 2023, 'The Shellhive' team of Kokkinohoria Gymnasium took 2nd place in the Contest’s international final.

This year's EU-CONEXUS Contest mainly focuses on circular economy and invites students aged 12-15 and 15-18 to creatively approach sustainable development, green and smart environments. The contest has game elements as it is based on the accumulation of points that each team earns by completing specific stages, such as creating an object from recyclable materials and presenting it (ages 12-15) or creating a business plan and an awareness campaign about circular economy (ages 15-18). The contest is implemented in the English language at national and international level.

The national competition winners will receive a prize worth 200 euros and will have the opportunity to present their projects to an international committee, while the first three teams of the international phase of the competition will win prizes worth up to €1000.

The deadline for expression of interest is 27 October 2023 and the deadline for project submission is 26 January 2024. More details about the competition can be found on the EU-CONEXUS official website where participants can find the rules and regulations and registration forms as well.

You can also contact Frederick University, coordinator of the national part of the competition, at 22394394 (Nicosia) and 25730975 (Limassol).

EU-CONEXUS is part of the "European Universities" initiative, one of EU’s most emblematic initiatives aimed at the ambitious vision of building a European Education and Research Area. EU-CONEXUS focuses on smart urban coastal sustainability and aims to develop innovative educational methods and interdisciplinary approaches in the field of "blue development", circular economy and sustainability. The network includes La Rochelle Université (France), the Agricultural University of Athens (Greece), the Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest (Romania), Klaipeda University (Lithuania), the Universidad Catolica de Valencia “San Vicente Martir” (Spain), University of Zadar (Croatia), South East Technological University (Ireland), University of Rostock (Germany) and Frederick University (Cyprus).