Cyprus and India explore gaming, pharma and AI collaboration

Chief Scientist Demetris Skourides concluded a four-day visit to India on September 19, following a series of meetings with business, political and academic leaders aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation and exploring new opportunities for Cyprus in innovation, trade and investment.

According to an announcement released on Wednesday, Skourides participated in a ICC Global Business Summit 2025 panel discussion, titled Technology Dialogue Accelerating Global Impact Through Innovation, Collaboration, and Sustainable Progress.

He also delivered the opening keynote at WTC Mumbai under the theme Bridging Continents: Cyprus’s Rapidly Growing Research and Innovation Ecosystem.

During the visit, Skourides met with senior executives from India’s largest gaming company Nazara Technologies, including Nitish Mittersain, to discuss collaboration opportunities with Cypriot companies to strengthen the gaming industry in Cyprus.

He also held talks with Fancode co-founder Prasanna Krishna about expanding digital sports engagement models to Europe through Cyprus.

Further meetings took place with defence technology startups including Krushaka, where he met co-founder and chief technology officer Sriharsha Venkatesh and founder and chief executive Somasundaram, and with Rakesh Madhra, chief executive of Diaspro Intech, which develops defence technologies, agriculture solutions and emergency response systems.

Additional discussions were held with Avinash Mudaliar, co-founder of a major global music streaming platform and a senior leader at Birla Group, with a focus on expanding entertainment ecosystems through Cyprus.

In the pharmaceuticals and healthcare sector, Skourides met Huzaifa Khorakiwala, chief executive of Wockhardt Foundation, to explore research and development collaboration and the creation of pharmaceutical infrastructure centres to promote healthcare innovation.

In sports and global branding, he met Hoshedar G, a senior executive at Rise Worldwide, to discuss positioning Cyprus as a hub for global sports expansion, referencing the success of sports franchises such as Mumbai Indians, Manchester United and FC Barcelona.

Meetings with senior political figures included discussions with Shweta Shalini, advisor to the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, and Shaina NC, Shiv Sena’s national spokesperson.

Skourides presented the Cyprus Vision 2035 strategy and explained how the Research and Innovation Foundation is implementing the National Strategy 2024–2026.

Moreover, he highlighted opportunities for cooperation in agrotech, defence technology, health technology, space technology and maritime sectors.

Skourides also met Kaustubh Dhavase, chief advisor to the Maharashtra government, together with the Maharashtra state secretary, to exchange best practices on digital transformation and AI data centres.

Collaboration on AI and data sharing frameworks between India and Cyprus was also discussed.

Further engagements included discussions on India’s digital infrastructure and quantum research, co-hosted by Deepak Chandani, deputy director general of the Ministry of Communications Sumnesh Joshi, and G. Raghavan, director of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology and the School of Quantum Technology.

Skourides and Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nicodemos Damianou exchanged best practices with their Indian counterparts.

As part of efforts to build a strong research ecosystem, Skourides and Damianou met the head of Quantum and Defence Research Labs, Raguan, to review India’s latest developments in quantum technologies and defence research.

Skourides also served as keynote speaker at the ICC Global Business Summit, one of Asia’s largest gatherings of business and government leaders organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

He participated as a panellist in two high-level discussions on technology, artificial intelligence and innovation.

Accompanying Damianou, Skourides joined senior Cypriot officials including High Commissioner of Cyprus Evagoras Vryonides, Invest Cyprus chief executive Marios Tannousis and Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry secretary general Philokypros Roussounides in a meeting with the chief executive of the National Stock Exchange of India, one of the largest exchanges globally.

Skourides was also present for the signing of several memoranda of understanding.

These included agreements between UCLan University Cyprus and PCS IT India to develop chief digital and AI officers with industry experience, between the German Oncology Center and 5C to advance healthcare innovation, and between Dusan Duffek of The Doers Company and the Entrepreneurship Cell of IIT Bombay, Asia’s largest student-led entrepreneurship organisation.

“This MoU between Doers and E-Cell creates opportunities for some of the worlds brightest minds to work with innovators, entrepreneurs and disruptors in Cyprus,” said Skourides.

“Our companies and scale-ups are looking for some of the world’s most talented engineers, and innovators,” he added.

He also explained that “this initiative will provide IIT Bombay students with exposure to Cyprus and Europe, enabling them to engage with international markets, investors, and innovation hubs, fostering cross-border learning, startup incubation, and global scaling opportunities for young entrepreneurs”.

Skourides was also present at the signing of an MoU between Dusan Duffek of the Doers Company and Vikash Mittersain, founder and president of IBG and chairman of Nazara Technologies, paving the way for collaboration in gaming, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

He also visited Tata Memorial Hospital with Constantinos Zamboglou of the German Oncology Center, meeting Sudeep Gupta, professor of medical oncology and director at Tata Memorial Hospital, to discuss cooperation in oncology research and the use of AI in diagnostics, prevention and personalised treatment.

As part of his podcast series Fearless Future, Skourides recorded two episodes during the visit.

The first focused on AI in healthcare diagnostics and featured Nagraj Huilgol of Naavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, Anumeha Srivastava, chief business officer for neurology at Qure.ai, and Zamboglou.

The second explored AI in telecommunications and smart cities, featuring Indian experts. Both episodes will air in early October.

Media engagements included an interview with the chief editor of News9, part of India’s largest broadcast news network TV9, where Skourides highlighted opportunities for Cyprus–India collaboration in AI, technology and research.

He was also interviewed by Snehal Fernandes, senior assistant editor at Hindustan Times, India’s second-largest English newspaper.

“These extensive engagements underscore the growing momentum of Cyprus as a bridge between India and Europe, unlocking opportunities in gaming, sports, pharma, media, and cross-border trade while positioning Cyprus as a strategic hub for innovation, investment, and global expansion across key industries,” the announcement concluded.