The Emirates Scientists Council (ESC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) to make the latter’s nine laboratories available to UAE scientists for scientific research.
The MoU forms part of the ‘Open Labs’ initiative, which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, to provide UAE scientists with access to the most advanced laboratories in the country. It was signed by Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences and ESC Chairperson, and Dr Ali Hussain Al Zarouni, EGA’s Executive Vice President Midstream.
H.E. Al Amiri asserted that the UAE Government is committed to harnessing all available resources to empower the next generation of scientists and researchers, who will spearhead efforts to enhance the UAE’s leading status and prestige in the scientific research and innovation sectors.
“The ‘Open Labs’ platform reflects our dedication to implementing the vision of our wise leadership, which seeks to establish the UAE as a leading international destination for scientists,” H.E. added. “Launching the Platform under the sponsorship of the Emirates Scientists Council allows researchers and scientists to gain access to highly advanced scientific laboratories, supporting their efforts to develop solutions rooted in advanced sciences, technology and innovation.”
“Cooperation with the private sector is key, considering its central role in amplifying scientific research efforts and broadening its scope in the UAE,” H.E. Al Amiri explained, expressing her gratitude to EGA for their support of the initiative, and their readiness to place all their laboratories at its disposal. “We look forward to the breakthroughs scientists and researchers will make at these facilities, and we are confident their findings will drive forward the UAE’s sustainable development,” she concluded.
Dr Ali Hussain Al Zarouni said: “EGA’s success has been built on decades of science and research in the UAE and we are pleased to have the opportunity to support innovation in the country more broadly. We look forward to welcoming other scientists into our facilities, sharing our knowledge and learning from them.”
The ESC, which includes distinguished experts in the science and technology sector and which recently welcomed Dr Ali Al Zarouni as a member, is empowering scientists and experts to create innovative science-based solutions to challenges and to implement research outputs into projects that impact people’s everyday lives, in addition to launching programmes for the development of a generation of researchers, scientists and academics.
The Council’s platform features 7 major research institutions in the UAE, including the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre, Khalifa University, UAE University, American University of Sharjah (AUS), New York University – Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, and the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA). The Council was established to be an instrumental tool in meeting the UAE Vision 2021’s agenda that calls for innovation, research, science and technology to form the pillars of a knowledge-based economy, and advocates for partnerships in these areas between the public and private sectors.