ΣΧΟΛΗ ΜΟΡΙΑΚΗΣ ΙΑΤΡΙΚΗΣ: Πρώτος επίτιμος διδάκτορας ο κ. Γεώργιος Δαυίδ

Πρόκειται για τον ανώτατο τίτλο της Σχολής, που απονέμεται για πρώτη φορά στα πέντε χρόνια της λειτουργίας της. Η απόφαση για απόδοση της ισόβιας αυτής διάκρισης στον κ. Γεώργιο Δαυίδ υπήρξε ομόφωνη από το Συμβούλιο της Σχολής και από το Διοικητικό Συμβούλιο του Ινστιτούτου Νευρολογίας & Γενετικής. Ο τίτλος του επίτιμου διδάκτορα της Σχολής Μοριακής Ιατρικής Κύπρου απονέμεται σε διακεκριμένες προσωπικότητες για το επαγγελματικό τους έργο ή και για την προσφορά τους στο κοινωνικό σύνολο.

 

Η τελετή αναγόρευσης του κ. Δαυίδ πραγματοποιήθηκε την Τρίτη 31 Οκτωβρίου στο Ινστιτούτο Νευρολογίας & Γενετικής, παρουσία του Προέδρου της Δημοκρατίας, ο οποίος εξήρε την προσφορά του τιμώμενου και έκανε λόγο για τον ευπατρίδη άνθρωπο που κάνει περήφανη την Κύπρο με τις αξιέπαινες πρωτοβουλίες που αναπτύσσει σε μια σειρά από δράσεις που αφορούν το περιβάλλον, την υγεία, τις τέχνες, την τεχνολογία, τα γράμματα. Ο Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας είπε ότι ο κ. Δαυίδ με τα επιτυχημένα επιχειρηματικά του επιτεύγματα και το φιλανθρωπικό του έργο άφησε τη δική του σφραγίδα  πέρα από την Κύπρο και την Ελλάδα. Ανέφερε επίσης ότι προς τιμήν της συμβολής του στην προώθηση της ελληνικής ορθόδοξης πίστης και παράδοσης και της πολιτιστικής και κοινωνικής του δραστηριότητας υπήρξε  Άρχων Μαΐστωρ του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. Πρόσθεσε ότι ο κ. Δαυίδ είναι ένας από τους πέντε επιχειρηματίες που το 2012 και εν μέσω σοβαρής χρηματοπιστωτικής κρίσης ίδρυσαν την Ελληνική Πρωτοβουλία, μια μη κερδοσκοπική, μη κυβερνητική οργάνωση με στόχο τη στήριξη της Ελλάδας και της Κύπρου, συμβάλλοντας στην προώθηση της επιχειρηματικότητας και στις δύο χώρες. Ο Πρόεδρος Αναστασιάδης εξέφρασε τη δέσμευση της Κυβέρνησης ότι θα συνεχίσει να υποστηρίζει την έρευνα και την καινοτομία και να αξιοποιεί το σημαντικότερο συγκριτικό πλεονέκτημά της χώρας το οποίο δεν είναι άλλο από το εξειδικευμένο ανθρώπινο δυναμικό της. Είναι γι΄ αυτό ακριβώς το λόγο, πρόσθεσε, που η κυβέρνηση αγκάλιασε το επενδυτικό έργο ύψους τριάντα πέντε εκατομμυρίων για την ίδρυση ενός νέου σύγχρονου ερευνητικού κέντρου στο Ινστιτούτο Νευρολογίας και Γενετικής. Η Ευρωπαϊκή Τράπεζα Επενδύσεων θα χρηματοδοτήσει αυτό το έργο με είκοσι έξι εκατομμύρια ευρώ, με ευνοϊκό επιτόκιο, με κυβερνητικές εγγυήσεις και δέσμευση του κράτους να αυξήσει την ετήσια χορηγία του στο Ινστιτούτο για να καλύψει πλήρως τις δόσεις αποπληρωμής του δανείου, κατέληξε ο Πρόεδρος.

O τιμώμενος κ. Γεώργιος Δαυίδ εξέφρασε ιδιαίτερη χαρά για τη διάκριση και μίλησε με πολύ θερμά λόγια για το Ινστιτούτο Νευρολογίας & Γενετικής Κύπρου, τονίζοντας την επιτυχή δράση του εκτός Κύπρου και τη συμβολή του στις προσπάθειες για προαγωγή της έρευνας. Στην αντιφώνησή του μετά την τιμητική διάκριση αναφέρθηκε ιδιαίτερα στη σημασία της έρευνας και της καινοτομίας στη σύγχρονη εποχή και τόνισε ότι το μεγάλο στοίχημα όλων αυτών των μεγάλων ανακαλύψεων είναι η πρακτική εφαρμογή τους στην επιστήμη προς όφελος του κοινωνικού συνόλου, της ανθρωπότητας.

 

Ο πρόεδρος του ΔΣ του Ινστιτούτου Νευρολογίας & Γενετικής Κύπρου κ. Παύλος Φωτιάδης ανέφερε ότι η απόδοση της ύψιστης διάκρισης της Σχολής Μοριακής Ιατρικής προς τον κ. Δαυίδ αποτελεί τιμή και για την ίδια τη Σχολή, καθώς και για το Ινστιτούτο Νευρολογίας & Γενετικής Κύπρου. «Είστε ο πρώτος τιμώμενος με την ανώτατη αυτή διάκριση της Σχολής και καθόλου τυχαία, στο πρόσωπο σας πέραν από τις αξίες και το όραμα της Σχολής και του Ινστιτούτου, ενσαρκώνονται επίσης και η δίψα για καινοτομία και αριστεία, που μέσω αυτές πετύχαμε να βάλουμε την Κύπρο στον παγκόσμιο χάρτη της έρευνας» είπε. Απευθυνόμενος προς τον Πρόεδρο Αναστασιάδη ο κ. Φωτιάδης τον ευχαρίστησε για τη σταθερή και διαχρονική στήριξη της πολιτείας προς το Ινστιτούτο. «Στο πρόσωπό σας επιθυμούμε να ευχαριστήσουμε όλους ανεξαιρέτως τους Προέδρους της Δημοκρατίας που συμπορεύτηκαν με το Ινστιτούτο από την πρώτη μέρα της λειτουργίας του και βοήθησαν ώστε να γίνει ένας άξιος πρεσβευτής της Κύπρου στη διεθνή επιστημονική και ερευνητική κοινότητα», κατέληξε.  

Ο Γενικός Διευθυντής της Σχολής Μοριακής Ιατρικής και Γενικός Εκτελεστικός Ιατρικός Διευθυντής Ινστιτούτου Νευρολογίας & Γενετικής Κύπρου, καθ. Λεωνίδας Φυλακτού ανέφερε ότι ως προσωπικότητα με εξαιρετικές επαγγελματικές διακρίσεις και πλούσια κοινωνική δράση, με πολυδιάστατο ευαγές έργο, ο  Γεώργιος Δαυίδ είναι η ζώσα έκφραση της ανιδιοτελούς προσφοράς και το διακριτικό αποκούμπι αμέτρητων ανθρώπων, εταιρειών, ιδρυμάτων, σωματείων και οργανισμών που αγωνίζονται για ένα καλύτερο αύριο σε όλους τους τομείς. «Η Σχολή Μοριακής Ιατρικής Κύπρου έχει μόλις πέντε χρόνια ζωής. Κουβαλά όμως στο DNA της τα γονίδια του Ινστιτούτου Νευρολογίας & Γενετικής Κύπρου, το οποίο στα σχεδόν τριάντα χρόνια της ύπαρξής του, κατάφερε να γίνει ένα κομμάτι της κυπριακής κοινωνίας, για την οποία δημιουργήθηκε, για την οποία υπάρχει και για την οποία λειτουργεί». Ιδιαίτερες ευχαριστίες για τη στήριξη της πολιτείας εξέφρασε προς τον Πρόεδρο της Δημοκρατίας ο κοσμήτορας της Σχολής, καθ. Κυριάκος Κυριάκου, ο οποίος ανέγνωσε το βιογραφικό του κ. Δαυίδ. Ο τιμώμενος έχει λάβει σημαντικές τιμητικές διακρίσεις, μεταξύ των οποίων, το 2009, το Μετάλλιο του Τάγματος της Βρετανικής Αυτοκρατορίας (Order of the British Empire) από τη Βασίλισσα Ελισάβετ της Μεγάλης Βρετανίας, καθώς και το μετάλλιο του Τάγματος της Τιμής της Δημοκρατίας της Νιγηρίας (MFR-Member of the order of the Federal Republic).

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ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΟΥΝ ΟΙ ΧΑΙΡΕΤΙΣΜΟΙ ΜΕ ΤΗ ΣΕΙΡΑ ΠΟΥ ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΗΚΑΝ ΣΤΗΝ ΤΕΛΕΤΗ:

 

Professor Leonidas Phylactou
Provost of the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine
Chief Executive Medical Director of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology of Genetics

 

Your Excellency Mr President of the Republic,
Mrs Anastasiades,
Dear Mr David, Mrs  David
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Dear colleagues

 

It is a great honor and privilege that we are gathered here today to confer upon Mr Georgos David the Honorary Doctorate Award of the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine.

The Honorary Doctorate Award is the highest distinction of the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine and is being awarded for the first time in the five years of the School’s operation. The decision for the conferment of this life-time distinction to Mr Georgos David was unanimous and was made by the School’s Council, and the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, based on Mr David’s great contribution to Society at large.

 

The title of Honorary Doctorate of the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine is awarded to distinguished personalities for their professional work or for their contribution to Society, or for both. Without a doubt, Georgos David satisfies both the above criteria. Mr David is the first to be honored with the highest distinction of our School. 

A personality with outstanding professional distinctions, rich social contribution, and multidimensional charity work, who strongly supports actions and measures aimed at promoting health, education, innovation, technology, the economy, and the safeguarding of the environment. Georgos David is the living expression of selfless generosity and the discrete supporter of countless individuals, institutions, associations and organizations that are fighting for a better tomorrow in all sectors.

Behind every action of Georgos David, we can distinguish his immense love for Cyprus, for Hellenism, a love which he handles in a masterful manner because he is a citizen of the world, with great influence and an enviable global reputation.

The Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine has been in operation for just five years. It carries with it however, in its DNA, the genes of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, which, in the nearly 30 years of its existence, has succeeded in becoming a part of the Cypriot society for which it was established, for which it exists, and for which it operates. Very recently, the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics secured funding of 26 million Euros from the European Investment Bank for the creation of a new, state-of-the-art research center which we believe will enhance Cyprus’ position on the world map in the field of scientific research.

 

Mr Δαυίδ,
It is a great pleasure to award you with the title of Honorary Doctorate, in recognition of your support to our Institute. Allow me, on behalf of all of us, to assure you that we will continue to use everything that you have offered us in the best possible manner and we will continue with the same zeal to work for the development of the Institute and the School which have one exclusive goal: To extend a helping hand to those in need.

 

Thank you again.

I would like to invite the President of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Mr Pavlos Photiades, to the podium for his address.

 

Thank you all for your attention.

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Mr Pavlos Photiades
President of the Board of Directors
Cyprus Institute of Neurology of Genetics

 

Your Excellency, Mr President, Minister Pamborides,
Your excellencies,
Dear Mr. and Ms. David,
Dear guests,
Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

 

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus lnstitute of Neurology & Genetics I would like to welcome you to today’s Award Ceremony for the presentation of the highest honor of the School of Molecular Medicine to our illustrious compatriot George David.

Our honoree's, multi-faceted and  extraordinary contribution, both in business and philanthropy is very widely known in Cyprus,  Greece and beyond  and, as already  pointed out, is not restricted to the geographical boundaries of our  small island, but extends to nearly all continents.

 

lt gives me truly a great pleasure today, to be in this position to honor the distinguished Cypriot George David, at a time of a historic milestone for our lnstitute that laid the ground for the lnstitute's next twenty years- the agreement with the European lnvestment Bank a few days ago that secured the funding for our new Building and helped meet, perhaps the important target we set at our Board just three years ago.

 

Dear Mr. David,

The conferment of the honorary doctorate degree of the School of Molecular Medicine upon you, is an honor for the School itself, as well as for the lnstitute of Neurology & Genetics.

 

You are the first ever person to be honored with this award and this is not by chance. You and our School and lnstitute share the same values. The constant strive for innovation and excellence and a genuine commitment to serving the community in which we operate. Your multidimensional contribution covers a wide range of activities in key fields, such as education, art, culture and environmental protection. Ln conferring upon you this honorary degree we can only hope that other individuals follow your example.

We fully understand that men of your achievements and stature have no need for big words and awards. However, please accept this honor as a token for our appreciation for what you have given to our lnstitute and to our country.

 

 

Your Excellency, Mr. President,

I am taking the opportunity to thank you for your constant and long-lasting support to the lnstitute. We are grateful to you and all the past Presidents of the Republic of Cyprus who have backed and helped the institute rise to its present position today - an eminent ambassador of Cyprus to the international scientific and research community.

lt is now my honour to invite his Excellency, the President of Republic  of  Cyprus, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades to step up to the podium for his speech. Mr. President ...

 

 

Thank you.

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Professor Kyriacos Kyriacou
Dean
Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine

 

Your Excellency Mr President,
Distinguished guests,
Colleagues, students, ladies and gentlemen

 

George David is a distinguished and influential individual who has excelled in his profession and who has contributed to society in the fields of education, culture, arts, literature and environmental protection. He is a distinguished philanthropist who receives worldwide acknowledgment for his exemplary accomplishments and achievements that benefit the community and humanity in general. George David has made profound and enduring contributions through numerous projects for the betterment of society.

Since his graduation from the University of Edinburgh in 1959, from where he obtained a Bachelor Degree in Commerce, George David has built an extensive national and international portfolio and experience in both business and philanthropy. In 1959, he began his career at the A.G. Leventis Organization in Nigeria, where he also served as President of the Greek and Cypriot communities in Lagos. Among other appointments, George David served, for 35 years, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company SA. He is also Chairman of the Greek Committee of the A. G. Leventis Foundation. Moreover, he is currently a Member of the Honorary Council of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy as well as of the organization Leadership 100. George David is also one of the five entrepreneurs who founded the Hellenic Initiative in 2012, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that aims to support entrepreneurship in both Greece and Cyprus during these difficult years of the financial crisis.

In recognition of his substantial contribution to society, George David has received major honors and awards. In 2009, he received the Medal of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) awarded by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain for his services to UK-Greek relations in the field of education. He has also received the medal of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR) for his special and outstanding service to the benefit and progress of the Nigerian nation. George David is Archon Magister of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. In 2013 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Department of Philology, School of Philosophy, of the University of Athens. In 2015, he was elected Vice Chairman of the Council of the University of Cyprus. George David is also a Regent of the University of Edinburgh. 

 

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Address by the President of the Republic at the conferment ceremony awarding the title of honorary doctorate bestowed upon George David

 

Excellencies
Distinguished friends
Dear friend George David, 

 

It is a great honour to be among such distinguished dignitaries and friends at the honorary doctorate award ceremony of the Cyprus School of Molecular Science. 

A doctorate which is bestowed upon distinguished personalities who have not only excelled professionally, but also through their charitable work have made an exemplary contribution to society. 

And this all the more applicable and commendable for my dear friend George David, who, rightly so, is the first recipient of the “Honorary Doctorate” award since the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine was established five years ago. 

 

Dear friends, 

 

Mr George David, asides his well-known successful entrepreneurial ventures, is rightly acknowledged as a philanthropist who, through his various projects, has left his mark beyond Cyprus and Greece. 

In this respect, I feel obliged to refer to the awards received by George by Heads of Foreign Governments, which in turn reflect how proud we feel for our compatriot: 

· The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for his services to UK – Greek relations in the field of education, and; 

· The Medal of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for his service to the benefit and progress of the Nigerian nation. 

 

In addition, Mr George David, in honour of his contribution to promoting the Greek Orthodox faith and tradition and his cultural and social activity, has been also Archon Magistry of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. 

At the same time, and these references are just indicative of his vast support to the people of Cyprus and Greece, George David, is one of the five entrepreneurs who in 2012 and amidst a severe financial crisis, established the Hellenic initiative in 2012; a non-profit, non-governmental organization with the aim of supporting Greece and Cyprus by helping to foster entrepreneurship in both countries.

George David also founded in 1989 a scholarship programme in memory of his beloved parents Alkiviades and Kalliope, in support of students originating from his divided village Petra. Further, George David offers Master Scholarships for students from Greece and Cyprus at the University of Edinburgh through the George David Family Master Scholarship Programme. 

 

Dear friends, 

It is impossible within the confinements of a short address to adequately cover to the multifaceted contribution of George in the fields of philanthropy, education, religion, culture, arts, literature and society at large and, thus, I will refrain from expanding further. 

 

What I would like to stress before concluding, is the Government’s commitment to continuing supporting research and innovation, broadening the productive base of our capacity and capitalizing on our most important comparative advantage, which is none other than our specialized human resource.

And it is for this exact reason that the government embraced the thirty-five million investment project on establishing a new modern research center at the Institute of Neurology and Genetics; an internationally   recognized and acclaimed, research, medical and educational center. An Institute that already offers high-level health services to our fellow citizens and is a model of administrative and scientific autonomy.

The European Investment Bank will finance this project with twenty-six million Euros, on a favorable rate, under governmental guarantees and a commitment by the State to increase its annual sponsorship to the Institute to fully cover its repayment installments loan.

And taking this opportunity, I would like to publicly praise the Board of Directors, the Council and the staff of the Institute for their excellent work and their ambition to advance the international standing of the Institute even further. 

 

Excellencies,
Distinguished friends, 

 

Once again thank you for the invitation to attend the well-deserved award ceremony to George David, in honour for his achievements and accomplishments and praised charitable contributions.  

 

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Αντιφώνηση από τον κ. Γεώργιο Δαυίδ, αμέσως μετά την αναγόρευσή του σε επίτιμο διδάκτορα της Σχολής Μοριακής Ιατρικής Κύπρου.

 

Mr. President,
Mrs. Anastasiades,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen, 

 

Dear friends,

 

British science-fiction author and inventor, Arthur Clarke, once said that “when a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.”

Amusing as such a dichotomy may be –between the value of experience and the promise of youth, between the seasoned academic and the young researcher– it may in fact be more truthful to acknowledge, that innovation is a state of mind. One that may have less to do with age, than with vision. A vision linked to a way of thinking (and operating), that places value in exploring and testing new ideas, methods and practices. In revolutionising structures and processes. In daring to go beyond the bounds of what we know, to explore the horizons of what may be. 

It is this spirit, this vision, that permeates the Institute of Neurology and Genetics –a young and daring institution by all respects, founded as a bi-communal, non-profit, private, academic, medical center, in 1990. It is also a vision that has been a cornerstone of its success. A success perhaps best crystalized in the acclaim to the Institute voiced by European Union Health Commissioner, Tonio Borg, in his visit in 2014. He then saluted the Institute for reaching beyond the geographical limits of what he termed ‘a small country’. For contributing with new ideas to a global debate. For its vision of promoting cutting-edge research in a rapidly changing world.  

The question is, however, how we can go beyond such new, original, innovative ideas to what must be the next step. Their practical application. Because the real measure of scientific achievement is its benefit to mankind. Its positive impact on society. And the challenge is to achieve this, here, in Cyprus. In a country that has proved, not least through the operation of centers of excellence such as this one, that it has the potential to achieve a great deal. 

Transforming scientific research into applicable science: that is the challenge of the future. Even more so, as this may be the means with which a Center of Innovation can secure the necessary funds for further progress – by channeling revenue back into groundbreaking research. Securing, in other words, the sustainability and self-sufficiency of cutting-edge science. An even greater commitment, perhaps, is to do this in what is a ‘small’ country –and yet one which is increasingly proving that it has both the talent, and the visionary scientific establishments and structures to contribute to the international exchange of ideas. 

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Board of the Institute of Neurology and Genetics, and the Council of the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, for the honorary degree bestowed on me today. This is an honour indeed, and one that has moved me deeply. I also wish to congratulate all those who have contributed so wholeheartedly to making this Institute worthy of inclusion among the best of its kind in the world. And this means both those who teach, and those who learn within these walls – for they share a measure of its success. And to close this address, with a wish for the future. That by pursuing fields that stand to change the face of medical science in the years to come, the Institute, its students, staff, researchers and academics, will persist, and succeed, in testing the limits, of the ‘the possible’.

 

Thank you