Sharjah24: Sharjah Research Technology & Innovation Park (SRTIP) hosted the East Meets West Talks organised by Women of the World and supported by Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) to discuss why gender equality and women empowerment are essential for sustainable business growth and explore how were women in Tech able to adapt and thrive during the pandemic.

Attended by Her Excellency Sheikha Hind Bint Majid AlQassimi, Chairperson of Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC), His Excellency Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of Sharjah Research, Technology, and Innovation Park, the president of Women of the World, Carine de Meyere, Director of the R&D Experience Studio Joana de Almeida Rodrigues, and Paula Newby, CEO and founder of Predixa, Beth Massa, and Peggy Li as the MC and moderator of the event that was joined by a delegation of female top executives, entrepreneurs, investors and academics with a passion for Middle Eastern culture and with a clear interest in doing business in the Middle East!
 
The event discussed the role of women in tech and science, the gender gap at such fields, the means to bridge the gap and was a great networking opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas. 
 
His Excellency Hussain Al Mahmoudi says: "As we work with many local and international partners on determining more economic empowerment opportunities for women in the region via the positioning of women as leaders of, beneficiaries from, and contributors to STIs. This is consistent with the outcome of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, by opening new job opportunities for women as well as transforming their challenges into opportunities. 
 
"SRTIP has recently announced the launch of "an innovative package for women" initiative in order to encourage women's engagement and investment in technology and innovation by introducing a special package for innovative business women to establish companies in various technical sectors. Such a package empowers women to obtain a business license, which enables them to carry out investment activities and enter the world of technical business for a nominal fee.
 
The launch of this package is a clear demonstration of our commitment to encourage women and support them to engage in technical investment by bolstering a system of research and development, its transformation into investment activities that would be of major benefit to them, and also the change of the traditional investment vision to keep up with everything that is new, better and convenient to them, so as they can achieve their ambitions in the domain of entrepreneurship", His Excellency Al Mahmoudi added.
 
Joana de Almeida Rodrigues, Director of the R&D Experience Studio, (a partnership between PLM Global and SRTIP) a Portuguese researcher passionate about science, tech and digital health innovations was one of the panel speakers, and said: “I’ve been a Women in Science and Tech for over two decades. As an expat, I choose the UAE to be home as I’ve found here the best place to live ( great policies on safety and female entrepreneurs’ justice, quality of education to my child, quality of family life) and  a strong vision and a regulatory ecosystem that will turn this country into a leading global hub and, simultaneously,  an open lab for the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s (4IR) applications.
 
Rodrigues added: “UAE's Fourth Industrial Revolution Strategy, the first of its kind globally, was designed to provide a practical framework for policy makers and support public and private efforts in adopting advanced technologies. I’m currently using this model as best practice on my PhD on digital health public policy making. This is the perfect environment to design and bring to market innovative assisted living solutions that aim to dignify elderly care. A divergent method to approach healthy aging, based on the principles and products of the 4IR. Living in the UAE was a choice. A great choice”.
 
President of Women of the World, Carine de Meyere commented:” I feel grateful that Women of the World is collaborating with Hussain al Mahmoudi Director of Sharjah’s SRTIP as well as with Sheikha Hint Bind Majid Al Qasimi chairperson from the Sharjah Women Business Council and that we were able to discuss how technology and entrepreneurship is coming together in Sharjah! Such a role model for the UAE! I am looking forward to building upon these new relationships!
 
Paula Newby, CEO and founder of Predixa said: “For some time, Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment has been an essential foundation to achieving sustainable business growth, but since the pandemic, where women have been impacted disproportionately...it has also become a moral imperative.
 
Besides an inspiring professional program in Dubai with a full day at the Expo, the delegation visited the two historically very authentic and vibrant emirates of Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. During the program the delegation met with inspiring local Emirati business women, entrepreneurs, local accelerators for female entrepreneurs, incubators, youth hubs, free zones as well as experienced various cultural and architectural highlights! 
 
Women of the World connects the dots through People and Technology. Women of the World serves as a global umbrella for independent cause driven impact investing and aims to empower female founders to start their own business, to think big and therefore approach it from a global point of view. Women of the World also inspires women through technology in the broadest sense of the word by engaging them in East meets West discussions.