Smart Data ProcESsing and SysTems of Deep INsIght

Project Information

DESTINI

Grant agreement ID: 857420

DOI

10.3030/857420

Project closed

EC signature date 4 July 2019

Start date 1 October 2019

End date 30 September 2022

Funded under

• Twinning of research institutions

Total cost

€ 799 267,50

EU contribution

€ 799 267,50

Coordinated by

TECHNOLOGIKO PANEPISTIMIO KYPROU
Cyprus

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - DESTINI (Smart Data ProcESsing and SysTems of Deep INsIght)

Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

DESTINI proposes a series of coordination and support actions for promoting research in the area of Smart Data. It brings together two internationally recognized scientific groups from the Netherlands (Stichting Katholieke Universiteit Brabant Universiteit Van Tilburg, European Research Institute in Service Science / Jheronymus Academy of Data Science (ERISS/JADS)) and Italy (Sapienza Università di Roma, , Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica Automatica e Gestionale Antonio Ruberti (UNIROMA)) that collaborate with Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) to facilitate transfer of scientific knowledge, expertise and best research practices from ERISS/JADS and UNIROMA to CUT so as to strengthen its research and scientific profile in the relevant area.
The scientific and research pillars of DESTINI are: (i) Smart Data Processing Systems, (ii) Systems of Deep Insight, (iii) Methodology for Smart Data-centric Services & Applications
DESTINI has three main intertwined objectives: (I) Define research vision and perspective, develop a common research strategy, and create/exchange scientific knowledge and research practices, (II) Create joint programs of training, education and mobility, (III) Form a collaboration basis with strategic partners, stakeholders and industrial/market players
Close cooperation between the partners of DESTINI took the form of knowledge acquisition and transfer through personnel exchanges, expert visits, organization of workshops and summer schools with lectures delivered from the leading institutions, participation in international scientific conferences/workshops, development of joint training sessions and mobility programs for early-stage researchers, and establishment of strong links with the market/industry.
DESTINI’s research areas and associated activities will have a profound effect on the everyday activities of a large number of stakeholders (SMEs, businesses, market players, governmental departments and services, policy and decision makers) as the project aims to tackle problems and deal with challenges of a practical nature. DESTINI will provide solutions and decision support to these stakeholders and enable them to be more accurate, productive, lower their costs and increase the quality of their products or services.
The work conducted in DESTINI will assist in creating new job opportunities by introducing new or enhancing existing fields of applying computer science and data science approaches to everyday business activities, especially in the area of smart data processing for decision support as well as data visualization & analytics.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The work is organised in 5work-packages:
WP1 comprised the management activities for the smooth operation of the project and produced 2 deliverables. The activities performed were concerned with coordination between the partners to achieve the project objectives, meet the research targets and exchange knowledge and expertise within the time plan and budget. WP1 faced the problems caused by the covid-19 virus pandemic, which resulted in activities and tasks being postponed and/or started later than planned. The consortium was in continuous communication to assess the whole situation and take the appropriate actions.
WP3 comprised a variety of activities, including the delivery of lectures and webinars, the execution of site-visits and on-site hands-on training, visits performed by experts, and the organisation of workshops and summer schools. WP3 was greatly affected by the covid-19 virus pandemic and the restrictions on travelling. The main activities performed involved the organization and execution of a series of 5 half-day online training workshops during which 27 lectures were delivered by members of the leading institutions to CUT. WP3 also included the organization of 2 scientific schools, each lasting for 5 days. Both schools had invited speakers from various research organizations, institutions, and universities, market and industrial players, SMEs, governmental and semi-governmental organizations including ministries and public services, etc. WP3 produced 4 deliverables.
WP4 performed actions to engage industrial and business stakeholders, and establish direct communication channels for feedback and collection of real-world data to facilitate experimentation and validation, and prepare the road for future piloting. Target-stakeholders were identified, including companies, organizations, public and governmental bodies. The objectives of the project were presented to them, explaining its vision for applied research, as well as the importance of their engagement in real-world problems identification.WP4 produced 10 deliverables.
WP5 targeted at performing groundwork for designing plans to be used in the future for joint education and training programs between members of the consortium. In addition, it aimed at developing and executing a mobility program for early-stage researchers to come to Cyprus for a short period of stay and conduct research with CUT members. The mobility program was divided into two parts, the preparatory and initial mobility activities, and the relocation of ESRs from Italy and the Netherlands to Cyprus in the period August – September 2022. WP5 produced 3 deliverables.
WP6 was responsible for publishing and sharing information about the project activities and results with the scientific community, industrial and market stakeholders in various business sectors. WP6 produced 3 deliverables.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

DESTINI investigated new scientific directions for applied research in the broader area of smart data.
The impact of the project is twofold:
i. Scientific and research. Improve CUT’s research capacity, productivity and visibility; increase the significance of its research outcomes; enhance its network of collaborators.
ii. Industrial and market. Form a stakeholders collaboration basis; establish direct communication channels with industries, businesses and practitioners; provide the means for addressing real-world problems of the industry and market and perform applied research.
CUT, through DESTINI, was able to change its research practices and improve its research culture. This, in turn, will be the driving force for CUT in the future to continue increasing its international standing in the research community by producing both high quality publications in the research areas of interest, as well as new tools that will benefit industrial and business stakeholders. Various stakeholders from different sectors (e.g. factories, banks, governmental bodies, software developers and vendors, etc.) have already expressed their strong interest in DESTINI’s methods, models and techniques for increasing their productivity, reducing development effort/cost, and improving quality of their products and services.
CUT has already started improving its research position by increasing the number of high-quality published research papers with 7 new papers and 1 book chapter. Scientific visibility of CUT has been also greatly benefitted by DESTINI which is reflected in the invitations extended to the coordinator of DESTINI prof. A. Andreou to participate in the organization of the Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering (CAiSE) and the International Conference on Service-Oriented Computing (ICSOC) conferences for 2024, and the participation in 9 proposals submitted in EU and national/regional calls.

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