Sydney, April 23: Flinders University is at the forefront of a collaborative project with Arab and Middle Eastern countries aimed at advancing health and aged care innovations.
This initiative, supported by a grant from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR), seeks to enhance bilateral relationships by focusing on trade, investment, education, and knowledge sharing in digital health and aged care technologies.
The project is spearheaded by the College of Business, Government and Law at Flinders University as part of the Australian-Arab Collaborative. This initiative aims to strengthen partnerships through science and technology transfer and the introduction of innovative solutions.
Building on the foundations laid by Associate Professor Hossein Esmaeili in 2019 and Professor Vivienne Brand in 2021, which improved business, cultural, legal, and educational ties, the current project targets the health and aged care sectors. It considers business practices and regulations, including those pertaining to Islamic law and Arab cultural norms.
“Due to the growing importance of healthcare and relevant industries in both regions, we intend to investigate possible areas of mutual interest between Australian industries in healthcare and the Arab world,” says Dr. Madhan Balasubramanian, a senior lecturer in Health Care Management at Flinders University.
“This will help find solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of older Arab people through the transfer of knowledge, new research projects and encouraging bilateral trade and investment in this emerging area of healthcare.”
The project also aims to reduce barriers, foster business understanding, promote investment, and encourage health industry collaboration. It will also establish more platforms for networking among governments, institutions, research centers, universities, and businesses from both regions.
Included in the project is a two-part Flinders MENA symposium titled “Innovations in Health and Aged Care Knowledge Transfer: Australian and Middle Eastern North African (MENA) Perspectives”.
The first part took place on April 18, simultaneously at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and Flinders City Campus in Adelaide, featuring a diverse group of speakers across various fields.
The symposium in Adelaide was opened by Professor Adela McMurray, CBGL Dean of Research, Bill Damachius, Director of International Partnerships at Flinders University, and Professor Ian Goodwin-Smith, Director of the Centre for Social Impact. The Cairo opening was led by Associate Professor Angie Abdel-Shafei and Professor Ahmed Taher from AUC.
Keynote speeches were delivered by Dr. Rebecca Bilton from ARIIA, and Professor Christine Dennis in Adelaide, and Professors Bassel Kamel and Osama Refaat in Cairo.
The Adelaide panel on overcoming barriers in health and aged care was chaired by Professor Vivienne Brand and Associate Professor Hossein Esmaeili. It featured insights from Professor Raj Shekhawat, Dr. Peivand Bastani, Darren Daff, and Mahjabeen Ahmad, who advocates for Muslim issues in South Australia.
The Cairo panel, chaired by Professor Ahmed Taher and Associate Professor Angie Shafei, included discussions by Professor Osama Refaat, Professor Basil Kamel, Dr. Hisham Moneib, and Doaa Mabrouk.
The second segment of the symposium will be held on June 5, hosted both in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Adelaide, marking the first collaboration under this initiative between Flinders University, King Abdulaziz University, and the AUC.
Outcomes of this project will include academic publications like journal articles and books, policy analyses, and the development of a networking platform, all accessible through the MENA Hub for Business, Law, Regulation, Health, and Aged Care.
Additionally, Flinders University’s College of Business, Government and Law will host the first International Policy Forum of the Asia Pacific Aged Care Hub (APACH) in May, which will involve representatives from seven countries to promote further knowledge transfer in health and aged care innovations.
Media & PR: editor@dailystraits.com. Copyright 2021–Present DailyStraits.com. All rights reserved.