“WISE”: New Project aims to develop the first pilot infrastructure for wireless charging of electric buses in Cyprus
The project represents a strategic partnership between the University of Cyprus, Cyprus Public Transport Group, SVMENERGY NET LTD, and the Municipality of Strovolos, jointly working towards developing a novel solar-powered, dynamic wireless charging and control platform for bus fleets.
About Project WISE
Project “WISE”, an acronym for “Digital transportation twin for Wireless charging Infrastructure of Smart city public Electric buses”, represents a dynamic partnership between the PV Technology Laboratory of the University of Cyprus (UCY), Cyprus and Nicosia Public Transport Services and Operations Ltd (CPT and NPT), SVMENERGY NET LTD (SVM), and the Municipality of Strovolos.
The project, which held its Kick-off Meeting on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, aims to deliver novel, sustainable,, and efficient urban-tech public transportation services for smart cities.
The “WISE” project, coordinated by the University of Cyprus, has secured a total funding of €599.992,8 under the “CO-DEVELOP” Programme Call for Proposals by the Research and Innovation Foundation, with €248.100 allocated to UCY.
It aims to strengthen collaboration between enterprises and the research community for the development of a technological solution under the Smart City Applications Priority Sub-Sector.
Driving Innovation in Smart Urban Mobility
Driven by the European Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy for developing climate-neutral smart cities, the WISE project emerges as a testament to the research, technological, development and innovation (RTDI) excellence shared by a consortium of visionary Cypriot teams committed to providing novel, sustainable and efficient public transportation services for smart cities.
The project aims to advance the field of smart city applications, by addressing sustainability and mobility challenges associated with the decarbonisation of the transportation sector, through a novel solar-powered wireless charging infrastructure and control platform for smart public bus fleets.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Digital Innovation
WISE constitutes an interdisciplinary collaboration that envisages an integrated RTDI intervention within the Priority Sector of Digital Technologies, addressing the challenges of zero-emission mobility and promoting the implementation of smart cities, both of which are essential to advancing the decarbonisation agenda and combating climate change.
Building on Previous Research
To achieve its ambitious objectives, the project builds on the successful EMS4PVBEV “Research in Enterprises” RIF project – a previous UCY and CPT collaboration focused on solar-powered battery-integrated EV charging stations with energy management systems.
WISE fuses these clean-tech innovations with smart city mobility intelligence to deliver a next-generation sustainable transport solution.
Kick-Off Meeting and Project Goals
During the Kick-off Meeting, the Project Coordinator, Dr Andreas Livera, Post-Doctoral Fellow at UCY, outlined the project’s main objectives as:
(a) Strengthening collaboration between enterprises and the research community in the field of Smart City applications in Cyprus;
(b) Bridging the gap between academia and industry in the Digital Technologies field; and
(c) Promoting knowledge transfer and exchange within the Cypriot innovation ecosystem.
The Kick-off Meeting brought together key personnel from all participating partners, who will variously contribute to the research, development, management, dissemination, demonstration, and commercialisation aspects of the project.
Cyprus’ First Wireless Charging Infrastructure for Electric Buses
As part of the project’s scope, Cyprus will see the development of its first-ever pilot infrastructure for wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging with on-site solar energy generation and storage.
This will be implemented in the greater area of Nicosia, envisioned as the country’s first fully integrated smart city. Integrating EV charging infrastructure aligns with the smart city ecosystem, aiming to make metropolitan Nicosia a smart, sustainable city (that is the project’s overall vision) while delivering considerable environmental, economic, and social benefits.
Ultimately, the project’s outcomes will play a vital role in supporting the island’s ambitious objective of achieving a net-zero transition, in line with the Cyprus National Energy and Climate Plan.
Timeline and Contact
The project officially launched on 1 September 2025 and will run for 24 months.
For more information about project “WISE”, please contact the Project Coordinator, Dr Andreas Livera, at livera.andreas@ucy.ac.cy.
Funding Acknowledgement
The WISE project is co-funded by the Republic of Cyprus and the Cohesion Policy Programme “THALIA 2021-2027” by the European Union, through the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (CODEVELOP/0824/0305).
