Sharjah to set up Technology Innovation Centre in Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram | Friday, Nov 20 2009 IST
 

The emirate of Sharjah announced the setting up of a Science and Technology Innovation Centre in Kochi.

The unique initiative by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) was aimed at helping small and medium sized enterprises of the emirate to conduct research and development work to bring innovative products and services, official sources said here today.

The SCCI and Infopark Kochi, a Government of Kerala enterprise, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as the first step towards this initiative. The MoU was signed between Mr Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman, SCCI, and Mr Siddhartha Bhattacharya, CEO, Infopark Kochi, at the ''India and Sharjah - Partners in Progress,'' event held at the SCCI's premises, and in the presence of Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister for Foreign Trade, UAE, Mr Venu Rajamony, Consul General of India, Dubai, Dr Ajaykumar, Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Government of Kerala, and other distinguished dignitaries. The Sharjah Science and Technology Innovation Centre would be set up in Infopark Kochi.

The Centre was envisaged as a platform to provide Sharjah-based businesses to access top-end talent and knowledge-based resources in Kerala, world-class companies and reputed Universities catering to a wide array of conventional and emerging technologies. Commenting on setting up of the Centre, Mr Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa said ''our main objective of setting up the Centre is to help the small and medium enterprises in Sharjah to help conduct research and development work to bring innovative products and services in a cost effective manner. The Centre will help Sharjah-based companies to actively engage Keralas large talent pool to jointly produce cost-effective value added solutions.'' The Centre is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2010, he said. Dr Ajaykumar said ''through the establishment of the Science and Technology Innovation Centre, Sharjah-based firms can directly collaborate on these activities and setup partnership mechanism to commercialize the benefits of the research.'' Mr Hussain Al Mahmoudi, Director General, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said ''the small and medium sized industries are very important part of Sharjahs business landscape. The opening of the Science and Technology Innovation Centre in Infopark Kochi is among the many steps that the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry is undertaking to help the SME sector of the emirate to promote excellence and creativity by conducting research and development.''

-- (UNI) -- 20MS25.xml

 

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