Dr. Eng. Hamad Al Hashemi, Managing Director of Dubai Institute of Technology (DIT), the R&D arm of Economic Zones World, has been appointed to the new WAITRO (World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organization) Executive Council. The appointment was made at the concluding session of the WAITRO General Assembly hosted by TechnoPark in Dubai.
Commenting on the recent appointment Dr. Al Hashemi said: "It is an honour and privilege to be selected to serve on Executive Committee. DIT and WAITRO enjoy a strategic partnership that has developed over the years, after our numerous collaborations on broad industry-oriented services and projects. The organisation provides DIT the right support and platform to interact with the global scientific community and to play a part in developing R&D initiatives and innovation-led exchange beneficial to the sustainable growth of Dubai and the Middle East."
Spearheading DIT, Dr. Eng. Hamad Al Hashemi has contributed significantly in promoting industrial and technological research in the Middle East region. He has successfully brought leading global players in the arena of industrial and technological research to the region
Representing DIT, Dr. Al Hashemi also holds various senior positions in global organisations. He is Vice President of World Technopolis Associations (WTA) and Board Member of the Executive Committee of WTA and the President of Arab & Africa Region of WTA. In addition, he is also a Board Member of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) and the International Network Association for Small & Medium Enterprises (INSME).
Under his leadership, TechnoPark has been chosen as Member of the Executive Committee (EXCOM) as well as Regional Focal Point (RFP) of WAITRO (World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations) for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The Executive Committee (EXCOM), under the chairmanship of the President, Dr. R.K Khandal consists of two Vice-Presidents, Dr. Charles Kwesigna and Mr. Liaquat Ali shah and seven regional representatives. Representatives of two international agencies are invited to serve on the Committee. The WAITRO Secretariat, consisting of the Secretary-General and its staff, is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Association's activities as directed by the Executive Committee. The Secretariat is located at SIRIM Berhad, Malaysia.
Assisting the Secretariat are five Regional Focal Points which are Africa (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR-South Africa), Asia and the Pacific (Indonesian Institute of Sciences, LIPI-Indonesia), Middle East and Northern Africa (Techno Park-Dubai), Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, FhG-Germany).
