Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, GRC Director of Cooperation, Sanya Kapasi and Imen Jeridi Bachellerie represented the GRC Foundation at the 2nd Innovation Summer School, which took place as part of the INCONET-GCC2 project in Doha, Qatar. The summer school, entitled: “Health Research and Innovation: The Development of Personalized Healthcare to Address Chronic Non-communicable Diseases (NCD)” was hosted by Qatar University and brought together 25 researchers and experts interested in Healthcare from the GCC and the EU. The overall goal of the INCONET-GCC2 project is to support a science-and-technology-related policy dialog between the GCC countries and the European Union, and to strengthen GCC-EU cooperation among research and innovation actors. As part of the researcher mobility task in the INCONET-GCC2 project, the GRC Foundation organized a second call for joint GCC-EU projects in the area of Healthcare to stimulate researcher mobility between the GCC and the EU. Interested researchers from the GCC countries proposed joint projects on societal challenges in the health innovation field, focusing specifically on the development and use of personalized healthcare for chronic non-communicable diseases. Eight GCC-based researchers received researcher mobility grants from the project to support their participation in the Doha summer school. Following the summer school, joint research proposals will be tracked and supported through researcher–mobility-specific advice with the goal of extending and enhancing GCC-EU researcher mobility.
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Program Manager – GRC Environmental Security and Sustainability Program, participated in the Regional Stakeholder Consultation Workshop on Implementing Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in Asia-Pacific, which took place on 24-25 March 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting was part of the UNEP 10 Year Framework Program (10YFP) focusing on SCP. Dr. Raouf participated in the meeting as an Asia Focal Point for the Science and Technology Major Group of UNEP.
Dr. Christian Koch participated in a roundtable discussion about German Gulf policy and Germany-GCC relations as part of a study visit by three GCC academics to Berlin. Dr. Koch joined Sarah Hartmann and Sebastian Sons of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and members of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation to discuss German policies in the Gulf, the role of think tanks in German Politics and how to improve the position of the GCC states in Germany.
Dr. Christian Koch gave a lecture at the NATO Defence College on “The GCC States and the Security of the Gulf Region” to the NATO’s Regional Cooperation Course 15 comprising 30 military officers from NATO countries and NATO partner countries. Dr. Koch provided an overview of the political, economic and security-related developments impacting the GCC countries and how recent events had influenced GCC policies.
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Program Manager – GRC Environmental Security and Sustainability Program, participated in the second meeting of the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR 2) in preparation for the second United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 2), which took place at UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya on 14-19 February 2016. Dr. Raouf presented a talk on the Major Groups participation in the Global Environment Outlook 6 during the Major Groups preparatory meeting on 14 February. The Gulf Research Center participated in the meeting in its current capacity as the Global Focal Point of the Science and Technology Major Group of UNEP.
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of the GRC Foundation held meetings with the following persons during a visit to Abu Dhabi:
• Hassan Al-Omari, Head of Studies Unit, Emirates Policy Center
• Mariam Al Mahmoud – Executive Education Director; Noura Al Mazrouie - Professor, Academic Department; Phil Dufty – Director of Research and Analysis; and Stephen Lee Keck – Academic Director of the Emirates Diplomatic Academy
• Richard Burchill, Director of Research and Engagement at TRENDS Research and Advisory.
