The recent adoption of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act in 2025 is a significant regulatory milestone, establishing the world’s first complete legal framework for AI. The Act takes a risk-based approach, classifying AI systems based on their potential impact on basic rights, public safety, and trust. This provides a difficulty and an opportunity for SMEs: while the rule aims to stimulate innovation and ensure ethical AI use, many small enterprises may struggle to interpret and apply compliance requirements, particularly in high- and medium-risk use cases. This highlights the relevance of initiatives such as Data ProTech project, which assists SMEs in understanding and complying with the AI Act’s rules while supporting ethical and transparent AI use.
On June 30, 2025, members of the University of Limassol Research Center and Dr. Christodoulos Efstathiades from the Technology and Innovation school participated in the official kick-off meeting of Data ProTech project. This is a new EU-funded initiative aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in Cyprus with the responsible and lawful use of artificial intelligence. The project brings together three partners from Cyprus: UoL and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is coordinated by the Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection.
The official launch was marked by the signing of the consortium agreement by Commissioner Ms. Irini Loizidou Nicolaidou, UoL Executive Director Ms. Ioanna Panayiotou, and CCCI Secretary General Mr. Philokypros Roussounides.
The Data ProTech project, with the full title “Supporting Data Protection Compliance in AI Technology Usage by Cyprus SMEs,” is co-funded under the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme and will run for two years.
With a focus on helping SMEs adapt to the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape, the project will:
- Analyze how AI is currently being used by businesses in Cyprus
- Define compliance criteria in line with the GDPR and the new EU Artificial Intelligence Act
- Develop a practical, user-friendly self-assessment tool for companies
- Deliver hands-on training sessions for SMEs to build confidence and capacity in using the tool.
While the project is designed with Cyprus SMEs in mind, the outcomes, particularly the digital tool, will also be valuable to larger companies and organizations across Europe.
The UoL research team for the project will be led by Dr. Afxentis Afxentiou (Director of the Research Center) and Dr. Christodoulos Efstathiades (Director of the BSc in Computing and Business Technologies).
The UoL Research Center is proud to be part of this project and is committed to cooperating with the consortium to fulfill its purpose and use the power of AI ethically and in alignment with European values.
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