1-A group of 30 women students from Zayed University visited the GRC, accompanied by three faculty members – Dr. Kenneth Wilson, Marielle Patronis and Evelyn Seika. The foundation level students were introduced to the center’s research programs, including the women's issues, GCC economics, GCC-EU relations and Security and Terrorism portals, as well the Gulf in the Media sites. The visit was organized as part of the GRC’s efforts to inculcate the spirit of research and higher education among the youth, as well as educate them about the new techniques that are becoming available in the educational sector in the region, especially via the Web media.
2-Director of the Studies and Research Center for the Arab and Mediterranean World in Geneva, Switzerland, Husni Obeidi held discussions with the GRC staff on exploring ways of possible cooperation. The non-government organization was originally part of Geneva University, but is now an independent and separate entity.
Professor Rodney Wilson of the Institute for Middle East and Islamic Studies, University of Durham, and an expert on GCC economies as well as Islamic finance discussed future avenues of cooperation and collaboration between the two research institutes. Currently Emilie Rutledge, a PhD research candidate supervised by Prof. Wilson, is pursuing her fieldwork on the GCC currency union from the GRC.
A team of over 25 energy experts from the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE) specializing in technical, economic, environmental, organizational and regulatory aspects visited the Center. A non-profit institution, the Regional Committee for Large Electric Systems (GCC-CIGRE) is an affiliate of CIGRE located in Paris and is mainly devoted to encourage and develop scientific researches and studies in the field of Electricity Systems. The delegation was headed by Dr. Ibrahim Al-Hamoudi, CIGRE Board member and Chairman of the CIGRE Technical Committee. GRC proposes to work jointly with GCC-CIGRE in the electricity sector and other related areas.
Prof. Dr. Dieter Lenzen, President of the Free University of Berlin (FUB), and Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Segbers, Professor of Political Science at the FUB, discussed the status of higher education in the Gulf and the possibilities for German universities in the UAE, as well as setting up a master’s degree program on Global Politics in the country.
A delegation of Iraq academics, which participated in the Iraq symposium organized by GRC, visited the center and was briefed about its activities. They team was introduced to the various sources of information available and ways of accessing the same.
Oliver Juetersonke, Research Coordinator of the Program for Strategic and International Security Studies and Achim Wennmann, Project Coordinator in the Program for the Study of International Organizations at the Geneva Graduate Institute of International Studies discussed institutional relations and considered cooperation possibilities with GRC.
Australian Ambassador to the UAE Noel Campbell and Steve Pinhorn, Senior Middle East and Africa Analyst at the Office of National Assessments of the Australian Government discussed regional developments, with specific focus on Iraq.
