Another major chapter in the development of the Cyprus University of Technology opens in Limassol, with the University proceeding with the design of the Second Pole of Development, a project of strategic importance, which is expected to further strengthen the city's position as the most important university and research center in the country.
While the first 150 rooms of the new student dormitories in Berengaria are preparing to welcome students in September 2026, the Cyprus University of Technology is already planning its next big step. A project that aspires to permanently change the image of Limassol and establish the city as the largest and most dynamically growing campus in Cyprus.
The rector of CUT, Panagiotis Zafiris, opens his cards to Filenews and reveals for the first time the scope of the planning for the Second Pole of Development, which will be developed in the area of the old Limassol Hospital and the First Technical School and aspires to permanently change the academic map of Limassol.
This is a development with a budget of about €104 million, which comes to complement the wider development plan of the University and give a new impetus to both the academic community and the economic and social life of the city.
This development comes in addition to the hundreds of millions of euros already underway projects by CUT, confirming that the city's public university is currently evolving into one of the most important development pillars of the country.
"In recent years at CUT, we have been proceeding methodically, purposefully and at a fast pace with the plans required for the development of the spaces granted by the state for the needs of the University," says the Rector.
Pole B is located on the plot of the old Limassol Hospital and the First Technical School, which were officially granted to the University by decision of the Council of Ministers in February 2024.
The political will to promote the project was also confirmed by the President of the Republic during the pan-provincial meeting in Limassol in May 2025, when he had stated that the decisions have already been taken and the project is considered ripe for implementation.
From scattered buildings to a modern campus
Filenews secured the building plan of the development, which is one of the largest university investments planned in recent years in Cyprus. With a total area of approximately 57,500 square meters of built spaces, the project aspires to provide a definitive solution to the housing needs of the university, while enhancing its potential in education, research and student life.
Specifically, the development plan includes:
• Relocation of the School of Health Sciences to a new modern building, which includes the Department of Nursing, as well as the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and in the future, Physiotherapy).
• Creation of a new building for the School of Management and Economics.
• Language Center and Learning Center with amphitheatre.
• New university school for future development.
• A student dormitory of 120 beds, which will be able to accommodate not only students but also academics from abroad.
• Recreational areas and commercial uses.
• Nursery (Creche).
• Equipment maintenance and storage center.
At the same time, the listed buildings of the First Technical School will be preserved and used as teaching spaces, reading rooms, student club rooms, staff offices, sports areas, collaborative spaces and a small theatre.
As pointed out to us by the Rector, the works must start immediately, as the Technical School will come into the possession of the CUT in September 2027, when its students will have already moved to their new facilities.
An end to millions of rents
The administration of the University attaches particular importance to the gradual independence from the dozens of rented buildings that are currently used in the city center.
According to the data presented by the Rector, the CUT currently rents about 25 to 30 buildings, which were never designed for academic use, with the annual cost approaching three million euros.
The transfer of faculties and services to privately owned facilities is expected to save significant resources, which can be channelled into areas such as student welfare, research and academic development.
Model Health Center with OKYPY
One of the most important projects being launched in the area behind the old hospital is the creation of a new model Health Center in collaboration with OKYPY.
A relevant agreement has already been prepared and a joint working group has been set up, with the aim of developing a modern center that will serve the growing needs of the citizens of Limassol and at the same time will act as an education, research and innovation hub for the School of Health Sciences.
A relevant agreement has already been prepared and a joint working group has been set up, with the aim of developing a modern center that will serve the growing needs of the citizens of Limassol and, at the same time, will act as a hub for education, research and innovation for the School of Health Sciences.
An architectural competition is coming
The next decisive step concerns the architectural competition for the spatial plan of the Second Pole of Development.
CUT has already assigned ETEK the process and, according to the Rector, the competition is expected to be announced within the next few weeks.
The goal is to have completed by mid-September the selection procedures for the proposal that will determine the shape of the future campus.
This development is considered decisive, as it is directly linked to the overall design of the University's infrastructure and to the procedures for securing funding through the European Investment Bank.
Limassol is evolving into a strong campus
The development of the Second Pole comes in addition to the projects already being implemented in the Third Pole in Berengaria, where the first privately owned student dormitories of the CUT, with a total capacity of 500 rooms, are being built.
The first 150 rooms will be delivered in September 2026, while the entire project will be completed in 2027.
With the implementation of the two major developments, CUT is entering a new era. Limassol is gradually acquiring the characteristics of an integrated campus of European standards, with modern academic infrastructure, student housing, research centers and spaces for social life.
These are investments that concern not only the University, but the entire city, enhancing economic activity, innovation, research and the international character of Limassol, which is now established as one of the most important university destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean.
However, the Rector of CUT does not hide his concern and dissatisfaction with actions that, as he claims, attempt to overturn the planning that has already been approved by the State.
As he states, at a time when the University is rapidly proceeding with the implementation of the decisions of the Council of Ministers and the public commitments of the President of the Republic for the Second Pole of Development, interventions are being recorded by external factors, which – as he claims – without prior consultation with the CUT, turn to institutional bodies seeking to overturn decisions already taken.
