Dubai: An accelerated research centre that adopts a new concept based on participatory and open research between scientists around the world was launched on Tuesday by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The first group of researches to be carried out by the Mohammad Bin Rashid Centre for Accelerated Research (MBRCAR) includes a financial grant for a research community of 3,000 scientists to carry out and complete new research in the field of space science and technology.
The MBRCAR will publish the findings of all its researches for academic and research communities around the world.
Among the challenges and projects adopted by the MBRCAR include the Mohammad Bin Rashid Global Space Challenge (MBRGSC), the first and only global platform for funding unconventional solutions and proposals from all sources to unlock the future of space settlement. Through a specialised scientific research committee, the centre will review nominations and proposed projects, and provide support to outstanding projects. The MBRGSC website can be accessed on: http://www.mbrspacechallenge.ae.
The project supports the UAE’s space-related initiatives, including UAE Mars City and the Mars 2117 Project.
“Future research requires a solid foundation of scientific research in order to achieve aspirations. Our goal is to create interaction between our young scientists and scientists around the world, so that they can exchange knowledge and transfer their experience in order to build our national research capabilities,” said Shaikh Mohammad.
The centre was launched by Shaikh Mohammad in the presence of Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future; Sara Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences; Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, and a number of ministers.
It will work on supporting the UAE’s efforts to develop the scientific research sector in different fields and boost the sector’s performance indexes. The centre will also present a new concept in scientific cooperation by adopting participatory researches between scientists from different parts of the world. It will encourage and attract scientists to carry out pioneering and innovative scientific researches and studies in more than 50 fields, in addition to developing a mechanism for communication between global scientific communities that will allow them to exchange experience and utilise the results of researches and studies to improve the peoples’ quality of life and establish prosperous knowledge-based communities.
Earlier this month, Shaikh Mohammad launched the UAE’s first Astronaut programme dedicated to selecting and training four Emirati astronauts on various space missions so they can head to the International Space Station within the next five years. The four astronauts’ trip to the International Space Station will mark the first step in the UAE’s journey in space exploration.
