Press release: WAITRO holds its 27th General Assembly to Review the Secretariat and Elect New Executive Board Members and Regional Representatives

November 15, 2024, Nanjing, China – The 27th General Assembly of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations (WAITRO) was held at the conclusion of the WAITRO Summit 2024. Seventy-five members, out of the 138 registered Full Members, were found to be “in good standing” and 25% of those were required to form a quorum. Representatives from 26 organizations were physically present, and a further 11, later increasing to 20, were online. Quorum was therefore achieved.

The GA was chaired by WAITRO President Prof. Hasan Mandal. As is customary, however, the Executive Board elections are overseen by an independent “Returning Officer” and, as recommended by the Chair, Moses Mengu, Honorary Member of WAITRO, was unanimously elected to fill this role. Chief of Staff Eckart Bierdümpel and Secretary General Paul Burrows were similarly elected to serve as the Nomination Committee.

The GA proceeded with a report on work achievements and plans of the Executive Board and the Secretariat over the past two years. The work of the Secretariat emphasized promoting member growth and collaboration expansion of member networking. Milestones included the creation of the WAITRO Working Groups and further development of the SAIRA platform, and introducing the Associate Membership category to engage commercial entities interested in cultivating entrepreneurship partnerships and projects with research and technology organizations. The Secretariat also reported on budgeting, expenses, the process of setting up WAITRO Operations e.V. in Germany, restructuring the WAITRO Secretariat management, and communication and branding of WAITRO. For the next two years, WAITRO will continue to follow its strategic plan, “WAITRO Strategy 2030,” calling for member participation to achieve the goals.

On the host organization for the WAITRO Summit 2026, the final choice will be announced in February 2025 because the final choice depends on success in recruiting sponsorship partners.

Elections for the Executive Board 2025 – 26 followed the reporting session.

The WAITRO Secretariat is pleased to announce the results of the elections:

The newly elected members of the Executive Board

• President: Prof. Hasan Mandal, TÜBİTAK / İstanbul Technical University
• 1st Vice President: Hans-Erich Schulz, Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Trinidad and Tobago)
• 2nd Vice President: Dirk Saseta Krieg, Leitat Technological Center (Spain)

Regional Representatives

• Sub-Saharan Africa: Paul Pinnock Bosu, CSIR – Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (Ghana)
• Asia and the Pacific: Dato’ Indera Ir. Dr. Ahmad Sabirin Arshad, SIRIM Berhad (Malaysia)
• Europe: David Tveit, Danish Technological Institute (Denmark)
• Latin America and the Caribbean: Christian Larsen, Fraunhofer Foundation Chile Research (Chile)

• MENA: Eng. Abeer Arafat, Royal Scientific Society (Jordan)

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the elected Executive Board Members and Regional Representatives and express our gratitude to all participants for their commitment and dedication to advancing the mission of WAITRO. We look forward to a productive and collaborative term ahead.

For further information, please contact:

WAITRO Secretariat, info@WAITRO.org