WAITRO President address the importance of global partnership in overcoming the existing and emerging global challenges
January 18 2024, Nanjing, China, President of World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations (WAITRO), Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, President of Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK), delivered a video keynote speech at the main forum of The Global Industrial Technology Innovation Conference, titled as “Co-Creation Based Collaboration Opportunities for a Sustainable Future”, and addressed the 10th anniversary of Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI).
The speech focused on co-creation for achieving “Sustainable Development Goals” amid global challenges. Prof. Mandal started the speech by identifying global risks with the highest severity on the world economy and emphasized the complex interactions between economic, technological, political, environmental, and societal factors. “We are moving to a challenging period of time. We are talking about a sustainable future. How will it be possible? On this, co-creation based cooperation, and the WAITRO I think is one of the important actors in the ecosystem, and (so does) JITRI, especially now (JITRI) hosting the secretariat of WAITRO”, said Prof. Mandal.
Prof. Mandal then highlighted the importance of research and development (R&D) and advocated for transforming the traditional linear R&D into a new Open Innovation model, with collaboration between knowledge creators and knowledge users and focusing on challenge-driven innovations. He reiterated WAITRO’s role in fostering global innovation partnerships with a call for collaboration between TÜBİTAK, JITRI and international peer institutions. The SAIRA platform developed by WAITRO for global project matching services is one such mechanism. By sharing the experience of TÜBİTAK, Prof. Mandal also called for a systematic challenge in science and technology that has to reach a common consensus in society, through involving, supporting, and empowering multiple stakeholders, including civil groups and schools.
TÜBİTAK currently holds the WAITRO Presidency and brings in the vision of creating sustainable development opportunities in the fight against complex challenges, especially climate change on a global scale. Prof. Mandal introduced the recently launched TÜBİTAK-WAITRO Scholarship Program, a solid contribution to empowering early-stage researchers in WAITRO member institutions to explore their career development opportunities in Türkiye.
The speech concludes with congratulations on JITRI’s anniversary and a wish for a successful event.
About TÜBİTAK
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) is the leading agency for management, funding and conduct of research in Türkiye. It was established in 1963 with a mission to advance science and technology, conduct research and support Turkish researchers.
For more information, please visit the homepage of TÜBİTAK
Since year 1970, TÜBİTAK has become a WAITRO member. From year 2023 it holds the presidency of WAITRO and has taken the leadership promoting knowledge exchanges across WAITRO members.
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