GFDD honorary President Negotiates Support to Further Develop the Film Industry and Other Technology-related Innovations for the Benefit of the Dominican Republic

The former President of the Dominican Republic and honorary President of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), Dr. Leonel Fernández, has conducted important contacts in both Miami, and Chicago, in order to secure technical advice and financial support to help develop the film industry and promote technological innovations in his country.

To that end, the former Dominican leader made
several visits to an equal number of important institutions that are directly related to the development of the film industry and technological innovations.He discussed the possibility that these institutions would provide technical assistance and financing to Dominican producers.

Visit to LAB Miami
The former President’s first visit was to The LAB Miami, an incubator for technology-related companies, in which
people with projects and technological initiatives receive space and guidance to help them develop their initiatives and turn them into profitable companies.

There, the former head of the Dominican Republic heard from company representatives about several cases of projects that have been developed with remarkable success. In turn, Fernández and The Lab Miami executives agreed to conduct a training program in the area of development of incubators and of high tech companies
for young Dominicans that are involved in those fields.

While in Florida, Fernández also visited the Science and Technology Park at the University of Miami, a space that has been set by the private sector
to provide a system for the development of industries oriented toward research, technology and innovation. Fernández and Park executives also spoke about a possible collaboration with FUNGLODE for the creation of an incubator of technology related companies in the Dominican Republic.

In that regard, they left open the possibility for the Park to host young Dominicans so that they might learn everything connected to the process of developing biotech companies.

Meeting with Spanish Audio-Visual Producers
Whist in Miami Fernández also took the opportunity to meet with the Mrs. Elvira Cano, of the Spanish Audio-Visual Producers’ Rights Management Association (EGEDA – Entidad de Gestión de Derechos de los Productores Audiovisuales) in the United States.

Mrs. Cano gave Fernández a briefing on the activities conducted by the organizations she represents, in aiding the
development of the film industry in Latin America and in the US.

Fernández and Mrs. Cano also discussed possible collaborations with FUNGLODE to conduct workshops in the framework of the Dominican Global Film Festival. They also discussed strategies for obtaining funding for filmmakers in Latin America.

FUNGLODE and the Chicago-Kent College sign agreement to improve the training of law practitioners in the Dominican Republic
Fernández traveled from Miami to Chicago, Illinois, where he signed an agreement with the Chicago-Kent College of Law for the development of a series of programs and educational activities that will benefit students, academics and law practitioners from the Dominican Republic.

The agreement was signed in the framework of a series of efforts that the former Dominican Head of State is conducting in the United States to obtain inter-agency cooperation to
help in the development of the Dominican Republic in various fields.

The Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the inter-institutional program was signed by Marco Herrera, Executive Director of FUNGLODE, and Harold J. Krent, Dean of the School of Law, in the presence of former President Fernández.

As has been explained by the parties to the agreement, this strategic alliance was formed with the objective of contributing to the training
of professionals in the field of Law who are committed to quality, efficiency and ethics in the practice of their profession. Indeed, one of the paragraphs of the agreement states that the courses have been designed to enable the students, educators and practitioners, so that they may increase the competitiveness of the Dominican Republic in the international arena.

Under the agreement, priority will be given to an executive training program which will be devoted to law
students and practicing lawyers, and which will cover various thematic areas.
It is anticipated that the curriculum will cover topics such as Technology Law, Intellectual Property and Patents Law, Entertainment Law, American Law,and entrepreneurship and regulation of the financial markets.

The agreement also states that, in terms of scholarships provided by the Chicago-Kent College, priority will be given to Dominican law students who are recommended by
FUNGLODE.

Agreement with DePaul University
As part of his efforts in this American city, former President Fernández also agreed with DePaul University to conduct a series of training courses in the Dominican Republic in the field of programming and application development of video games.

With the media and cinema program at the same university, which is considered among the top five schools of cinema in
the world,t he former Dominican Head of State agreed to develop in the Dominican Republic the program called "Bluelight Cinema," which is unique in the world, and which consists of the design, pre-production, filming and distribution of a film made by the students themselves.

During his visit to DePaul University, Fernández was greeted by a team of academics from the renowned institution of higher education, headed by its President, Reverend Father
Dennis H. Holtschneider. Gian Mario Besana, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Esther Quinteros, Associate Director of Initiatives in Latin America, as well as the Deans of the schools of Technology and Film also participated in the meeting.

Among other important agreements, they left open the possibility for the academic institution to cooperate with the Dominican Republic Global Film Festival, an event that is celebrated in the Caribbean country under the auspices
of FUNGLODE.

Meetings with Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group, Tech Hub 1871, and World Business Chicago
As part of his efforts, the former Dominican President also visited the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group), where he was received by Anne Shakin, Director of International Market Development. During this meeting, which was technical in nature, the discussion included the functioning, daily volumes, fluctuation of
market prices, current status of regulation of these markets, and other equally important aspects of the stock market.

The former President also visited the Tech Hub 1871, one of the most successful business incubation initiatives for high technology in the United States. There, he was received by James J. O””Connor, President, and Melissa Lederer, Chief Marketing Officer.

With the executives of Hub Tech 1871,Fernández agreed to a collaboration that
would enable young Dominicans to receive training in the development of technology businesses from an incubator, as well as to receive advice in the development of software products and technological applications, and to have access to a developed ecosystem.

As part of his agenda in this American city, former President Fernández also visited World Business Chicago, where he was received by its President, Jeffrey A. Malehorn.

Fernández and Malehorn
discussed the need to develop common measures for strengthening the relationship between Chicago and the Dominican Republic, for the purpose of developing technology companies and to identify mutual opportunities for the development of businesses in general.