Construction is set to begin in Larnaca on the new building of the TEPAK School of Marine Sciences, Technology and Sustainable Development. The building will be located in the Mackenzie area, near the old Larnaca airport. On Thursday, September 24, Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras signed the contract with Cyfield Construction Ltd, which will carry out the construction works. The contract is worth €10.934 million, while the construction period is 22 months. The project is expected to be completed in August 2028.
An official foundation stone ceremony is scheduled for October 30 and will be attended by the President of Cyprus. According to the plan, the first classes at the new school should begin in autumn 2028, although the bachelor’s programme in sustainable development could start as early as 2027 in temporary premises.
Two academic fields and modern laboratories
The new school will include two academic departments:
- Department of Marine Sciences and Technology;
- Department of Sustainable Development.
The new building is particularly important for the marine sciences programme, as students will require specialised laboratories. TEPAK is already taking steps to launch the bachelor’s programme in sustainable development in 2027. The university has submitted the relevant proposal to the Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education and has also begun recruiting academic staff. In 2026, equipment worth €1 million was purchased for the school.
Until construction is completed, the possibility of temporarily housing the programme in the Larnaca Municipality Multipurpose Centre for Social Welfare and Employment is being considered.
What the new TEPAK building will be like
The total area of the building will be 4,960 m2. The project provides for a two-storey building with infrastructure for teaching, research and the work of students and academic staff. The building will include:
- amphitheatres;
- classrooms;
- conference rooms;
- offices for staff and students;
- specialised laboratories;
- modern IT infrastructure;
- systems supporting distance learning.
According to TEPAK, the establishment of the school in Larnaca is also linked to the presence of the CMMI Centre of Excellence in the city. The university plans to cooperate with the centre in research and innovation. One of the strategic goals of the project is to strengthen Larnaca’s role as a regional centre for marine research and sustainable development. Construction of the new building will be financed through TEPAK’s existing loan from the European Investment Bank.
Student accommodation
At the same time, the city and the university are working on the creation of student housing. One project provides for the construction of student residences on a site next to the future TEPAK school. Another project is being developed by the Nikos and Despina Pattichi Foundation on Pavlou Valdaseridi Street, not far from the centre of Larnaca.
For the construction of student residences next to the new school, the city plans to hold an architectural competition and seek financing from European funds under the new 2028–2034 programming period.
Since the number of students is expected to remain relatively small during the first few years, the municipality is also considering renting rooms in the private sector as a temporary solution.
The expansion of TEPAK’s presence in Larnaca is expected to gradually increase the number of students and educational programmes in the city. According to the university, the new school is being created to develop education and research in fields related to the sea, sustainable development and innovation.