WAM Abu Dhabi, 6th May 2012 (WAM) -- Dr Tayeb Kamali, Vice-Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology, opened today the INCONET-GCC International Conference.

Organised by Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT), the research and economic arm of HCT, the three-day event of Science and Technology International Cooperation Network (INCONET-GCC International Conference) draws scientists, technicians, researchers, educators and policymakers from 18 government and non-government research centres from Europe, GCC, Yemen, Egypt and Morocco to follow up implementation of the INCONET-GCC project which got underway in December 2009 and will end in December 2012 at a total budget of Euros two million.

Kamali said the HCT is always seeking to build relations of cooperation with distinguished science and technology institutions around the world to work out proper solutions for pressing issues affecting the UAE and the region at large.

The conference aims to showcasing results from the INCONET-GCC project; be a venue for knowledge exchange and provide updates on the latest developments in research areas of strategic interest in both from the European Union and on the Arabian Peninsula.

Co-located with the INCONET-GCC conference will be a half-day information session highlighting opportunities for UAE scientists to participate in EU-funded research projects within the Framework Program 7 (FP7).

Agenda of the conference will include panel discussions on Water, Environment and Climate, The key role of ICT for Innovation, GCC vision on Innovation partnerships: Cloud computing, trust and security and sectoral applications including ICT for Health, eInclusion, smart cities, eGovernment, etc as well as Health Innovation and Energy Security.

INCONET-GCC aims to develop and support the bi-regional dialogue by bringing together policymakers and stakeholders of the GCC and EU Member States. It aims to create a dialogue and action platform to identify common interests in research areas, set up S'&'T priorities, support capacity building activities, and enhance the interaction between different cooperation instruments of the European Commission and EU Member States. It will promote actions in order to monitor, develop, promote and contribute to the creation of synergies among the various S'&'T cooperation programmes between the GCC and the EU Member States, and foster the participation of the GCC in the FP7.

WAM/TF