Dubai: To bolster future Emirati scientists, the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has formed a new research grant programme, officials said on Wednesday.

The programme aims to promote research and studies related to space science in the UAE.

Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, director-general of MBRSC, said in a statement that “the UAE is moving forward into a vital new phase of development, which requires setting up the right environment, not only through launching ambitious scientific, technological and economic projects, but also through fostering the culture of scientific research and innovation, which will act in the best interests of the community and the UAE as a whole”.

Al Shaibani added: “The Research Grant Programme comes in line with the UAE strategy aimed at promoting scientific research, as it allows and urges all community members to conduct studies on space science in general and on the most prominent space project — Hope probe, in order to actively contribute to presenting findings with great scientific output.”

The programme consists of two main areas. The first is MBRSC Research Grant Programme for Martian Atmosphere Science, which contributes to developing the necessary tools and/or analysis that is aligned with the Mars mission’s scientific objectives, and other scientific questions that can be answered using the data which the mission will provide.

The second is MBRSC Research Grant Programme for Space Science, which includes studies conducted on topics related to space science, such as planetary science, stellar and solar astronomy and galactic astronomy.

Interested parties can send queries to science@mbrsc.ae.