Dear Friends,
We are excited to announce that a new Institution is born, scheduled to lead to an international distance learning university, named Cosmos Open University, currently undergoing accreditation to receive license of operation.
The seat of Cosmos University is located in Nicosia, Cyprus, while the University is expected to operate in all countries and cities where classes of students (25-30 per class) are formulated in its Programmes. The language of instruction of the University is English, except for Programmes where another language is also involved.
Cosmos Open University is funded by an honorable member of the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia as well as by distinguished people from prestigious international organizations and businesses operating across Europe. The University is run by a Governing Board, composed of reputable people from the world of science and education, medicine, politics, economics and policy making, advised by an International Advisory Board composed of eminent people from several countries.
At Cosmos University we aspire to introduce our students to a rich spectrum of Study Programmes leading to accredited degrees in all cycles (Bachelor, Master and Doctorate degrees) in innovative scientific fields across many areas (Sciences and Engineering, Social and Health Sciences, Economics and Management, Environmental Science), as well as in specific Programmes in the Humanities aiming to support the preservation of cultures in diaspora and their dialogue under a global civilization scheme
Dear Friends,
The world has entered into a new ERA. The time has come for countries and people to unite forces to face the challenges of the future and seek solutions to emerging problems that threaten to shatter our societies and the planet as a whole. The damage on the environment, accelerated by reckless human activities, wars, pandemics and natural disasters, the rapid increase of the world population that need to be nourished and undergo lifelong education and development of new skills to cope with the technological revolution of our times – constantly requiring the necessary mental adjustments – and the need to sustain the universal values and principles of humanity call for quality, efficient, effective and global approach in providing education, knowledge and skills to all people. The principles of equality, respect, and equal opportunities for all should be further cultivated, respected, and applied under a student-centered education system with the professors playing the role of mentors and facilitators to the students to acquire knowledge, skills, and universal values.
Cosmos Open University was founded to abide by all the above principles, combining the best technologies available today with the right pedagogical methodologies in a blended mode of operation. Our motto is to contribute to shape the future. We consciously accepted the challenge to offer studies in innovative and very important for the future of mankind scientific fields, full of applications guided by research, technology, humanity, and ethics, stemming from direct links to the scientific and societal needs for a brighter future.
Essential elements to achieving these goals set out in Cosmos Open University are our close collaboration, regulated via Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), with esteemed Research Centers operating in the world, International Organizations, Medical Centers, NGOs and esteemed Foundations, High-Technology Companies, and reputable Universities as partners. This process is well underway, expected to launch further on and become broader once the initial accreditation of Cosmos University is finalized.
Our excitement is founded on realistic grounds; the Distance Learning character of Cosmos Open University provides our university with several strong advantages:
(a) the great collaboration and utilization of precious services, achieved through flexible contracting for a Win-Win situation, by famous educators and researchers from all over the world, that would otherwise not be available in a conventional mode of operation of the university,
(b) the mobilization of the enormous power of a major category of students, who have already matured as professional people and cannot attend a conventional university,
(c) the flexibility of the distance learning character of our Programmes of Studies with respect to the students’ place of residence, time that can be allocated daily, number of courses that can be attended, and time for the completion of a degree,
(d) the formulation of a critical number of researchers in several challenging scientific areas due to the flexibility in hiring more people as adjunct professors or tutors in these areas,
(e) the ease of utilization, through signed MoUs, of laboratories, expensive infrastructure, and facilities located in remote places of the world, that would otherwise be inaccessible for a conventional mode of operation of the University; their use can be accommodated in intensive, block-teaching mode, and with less cost,
(f) the flexibility of attending short-duration programs of one’s choice according to certain professional needs or personal interest, leading to simple certificates or diplomas of expertise serving their purpose faster and at much lower costs.
In parallel, all kinds of remedies are implemented in Cosmos University to address any potential problems that may arise from the distance learning nature of the University. These include:
(1) the utilization by our students of very detailed (on a week-by-week basis) Study Guides, regulating the studies of all courses, containing the scope and learning outcomes of each course, a full bibliography, sample exercises and questions with solutions, themes for reports, and a full access to electronic databases containing a large number of books and useful publications,
(2) synchronous and asynchronous sessions for studying the material of the courses according to the convenient schedule of each student,
(3) interactive sessions for presentations and discussions with classmate students and professors,
(4) extensive evaluation processes with detailed explanations of the students’ mistakes,
(5) provision and support in establishing students’ clubs, sport teams and groups for leisure and entertainment,
(6) full hours of advising services and support to the students on health problems and any accessibility issues to the educational material,
(7) provision of many fellowships to the best students and those needing financial support.
On top of the above advantages, full support is provided to the students by the University services for a healthy and interactive environment, accommodating the possibility for organizing sports and other social events and providing advising on difficult personal issues.
At Cosmos Open University there are several state-of-the-art innovative Programmes of Study under design to meet most challenges of the future. We carefully prepare the corresponding contents of each course and their full Study Guides:
Beyond the initial master’s programmes in Medical Physics and Diagnostic Imaging, Sustainable Environmental and Energy Management, Epidemiology and Public Health, Strategy Intelligence and Cybersecurity, we are preparing graduate programs in Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning, Clinical Pharmacology, Space Physics, Space Engineering, Space Biology and Space Communications, Circular Economy, and Business Management programs with specialization in Sports, Environment or Tourism. At the undergraduate level, we will soon have BSc Programmes in Engineering Physics, Business Administration, as well as language courses and special short programs addressed to people groups in diaspora.
All the Cosmos Open University programmes of study will be conducted under a Student-Centered approach, where the students are supported at the highest level, being the most precious entities for the future continuation of the scientific mind in the society. All educational (as well as administrative processes) of the University will be offered through a powerful platform combining several software packages and incorporating all the necessary features to support students, professors, and the administrative personnel of the University. A very rich electronic Library containing many hundreds of thousands of e-books and publications in all fields, complemented by special databases and electronic collections will be invaluable for both studies and research.
Concerning research, we are proud to state that Cosmos Open University gives great importance to the development of significant contribution of its faculty and their teams to the research outcome in the scientific fields promoted by the University. The research outcome is of vital importance as it produces new fundamental knowledge in the respective fields, very often leading to a rich spectrum of applications for the benefit of the society and providing the new generation with new challenging jobs. New results are also fed back into new educational material that is taught in the programmes of the University.
Appreciating all the above benefits, Cosmos University is keen to provide a serious level of funding towards supporting three levels of research projects:
(a) a fundamental level of small research activities, aiming to keep its scientific community alert to the development of new ideas and research methods and to formulate new proposals in collaboration with international partners across other universities, research centers and high-tech companies. Such activities can also be used to disseminate research outcome to international conferences and workshops, to invite colleagues for research presentations or to organize research schools
(b) a level of medium range research projects from the financial point of view, which are conducted in collaboration with a few specialized partners. Such medium range projects usually also support the hiring of one postdoctoral fellow or one specialized scientist in the respective area of research
(c) a level of strategic, high range research projects, aiming to the development and/or construction of significant infrastructure facilitating the implementation of an international research project of great importance in collaboration with several international partners.
Coming aboard our program of studies and research in Cosmos Open University promises to be a rewarding trip, leading to the fulfilling of one’s goals and ambitions for acquiring or upgrading the tools of knowledge and skills as a steppingstone for a better future in balance with a healthy ecosystem.
Looking forward to continuing with the introduction of exciting new programmes of study and research and to welcoming you in our University, the Cosmos Open University, to discover together the spectacular world of knowledge and its best use to transform the society of today to the society of a healthier future for all.
Prof. Panos Razis
President of the Governing Board
Cosmos Open University