17th January 2026
RELIEF (InteRvening EarLier In life for hEalthier liFestyles) is a three-year EU4Health Action Grant coordinated by the Center for Social Innovation (CSI), with the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) providing scientific coordination.
The project aims to understand children’s and early adolescents’ views on e‑cigarettes and other emerging tobacco products and to develop evidence-based, user-centred tools and guidelines that support prevention, education and policymaking at national and European levels. RELIEF will map initiatives across Europe, assess attitudes among students, parents and educators, design and test a digital intervention toolkit, implement an awareness campaign and produce concrete policy recommendations to reduce exposure to and use of emerging tobacco products among school-aged children.
A national awareness event in Cyprus took place on Tuesday 13 January 2026 at the Municipal Library of the Cyprus University of Technology, co-hosted by CUT, CSI and the Cyprus National Addictions Authority (NAAC). The programme included welcome greetings from the three host organisations, an address by EU4Health Project Officer Julián Rueda (HaDEA), a keynote by NAAC Executive Director Dr. Konstantinos Stylianou on e‑tobacco use among children in Cyprus and internationally and the priorities of the national strategy, and a joint presentation of the RELIEF initiative by Paula Proestou (CSI) and Dr Angelos Kassianos (CUT). Sessions from Dr Cornel Radu-Loghin of the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP) on WHO FCTC Article 14 implementation and from Prof. Inga Dóra Sigfúsdóttir of the Reykjavík University on the Icelandic Prevention Model showcased international best practices, followed by an extended Q&A and networking lunch that facilitated discussion among policymakers, practitioners, researchers and community stakeholders.
In parallel, a two-day kick-off meeting was held at the Limassol Municipality Library. The first day focused on introductions, a detailed overview of the project and a session on financial and administrative management, while the second day was dedicated to planning the technical work across work packages: communication, dissemination and exploitation (WP2, led by CESIE), development of the digital health toolkit (WP3, led by NOVELCORE), mapping of existing capabilities and initiatives with emphasis on vulnerable groups (WP4, led by CUT), implementation of school-based programmes to improve resilience to emerging tobacco products (WP5, led by Universidad de Cádiz) and translation of research evidence into policy recommendations (WP6, led by ENSP).
CUT and the Behavioral Science in Health (BSiH) Lab were represented by Angelos Kassianos, Nicos Middleton, Ourania Kolokotroni, Athina Manoli and Maria Kyprianidou.
