Sharjah to Set Up Science & Tech Innovation Center in Infopark Kochi
IT News Online Staff
2009-11-25
The emirate of Sharjah is setting up a Science and Technology Innovation Center in Kochi, Kerala. The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Infopark Kochi, a government of Kerala enterprise, signed a Memorandum of Understanding as the first step towards this initiative. The Sharjah Science and Technology Innovation Center will be set up in Infopark Kochi.
The Center, which is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2010, is envisaged as a platform to provide Sharjah-based businesses access to top-end talent and knowledge-based resources in Kerala across world-class companies and reputed universities catering to a wide array of conventional and emerging technologies.
Dr. Ajay Kumar, Principal Secretary - IT, Government of Kerala, said, "Kerala is traditionally strong in academics with seven universities offering up to doctoral studies. Over 7% of India's IT workforce comes from Kerala. Several universities in Kerala are conducting high quality research which maybe relevant for product and service enhancements of companies in Sharjah. Through the establishment of the Science and Technology Innovation Center, Sharjah-based firms can directly collaborate on these activities and setup partnership mechanism to commercialize the benefits of the research."
Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman, SCCI, said, "We are pleased to announce the setting up of the Science and Technology Innovation Center in Kerala. The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry has always worked towards finding a niche and promoting the interests of local businesses. We are thankful and grateful to His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah for his vision, guidance and support in helping us achieve our goals and objectives."
"Our main objective of setting up the Center is to help the small and medium enterprises in Sharjah to help conduct research and development work to bring to market innovative products and services in a cost effective manner. India has been a major trading partner of the UAE and is an ideal choice for a venture of this sort. The state of Kerala boasts of some of the leading research institutes of India working in diverse fields such as space technology, biotechnology and engineering sciences. The Center will help Sharjah-based companies to actively engage Kerala's large talent pool to jointly produce cost-effective value added solutions," added Midfa.
Siddhartha Bhattacharya, CEO, Infopark Kochi, said, "We are pleased that the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry has chosen Infopark Kochi to set up its Science and Technology Innovation Center. The initiative will act as a point of lead generation for Sharjah-based firms who want to use Kerala as a technology corridor for gaining a foothold into this large fast growing region with investments opportunities spread across products, manufacturing, infrastructure and services."
"The existing base of IT industry in Kerala is also substantial, with over 300 companies directly employing about 40,000 people with the total turnover approaching $1 billion annually. The presence of Sharjah Science and Technology Innovation Center will help showcase the capabilities and produce business development opportunities, besides establishing new alliances between organizations on either side," added Bhattacharya.
Hussain Al Mahmoudi, Director General, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "The small and medium-sized industries are a very important part of Sharjah's business landscape. The opening of the Science and Technology Innovation Center 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 promote excellence and creativity by conducting research and development."
"The Center will lead to possible joint product development between Sharjah and Kerala-based companies. It will act as a business hub for local tie-ups, which facilitates access to both UAE and India markets. The setting up of the Center will help evolve services and new technological applications in emerging sectors like education, healthcare, automation, manufacturing and transportation and logistics. Institutions such as the Sharjah Institute of Technology can benefit by engaging in university exchange programs with research institutes in Kerala, which can be promoted by the Center," said Mahmoudi.
"We are made to understand that the operational costs in Kerala in emerging sectors such as information technology are 35% lower than compared to other cities of India. With lower operational costs, access to a large talent pool involved in research and development across different fields of science and technology, Kerala is the ideal choice for us to set up such an initiative," added Mahmoudi.
Established in the year 2004, Infopark Kochi is the second IT Park and center of excellence being developed by the government of Kerala, after Technopark in Thiruvanthapuram.
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