Dubai – UAE: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and Japan’s IDDK, a leading biotechnology firm, announced a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance international collaboration and innovation in space science. The partnership aims to promote IDDK's advanced microscopic observation technology and other services to the UAE’s scientific community and beyond.  

The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the recent meeting between His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and His Excellency Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan. The agreement was signed by H.E. Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director General, MBRSC and Soichiro Ueno, CEO, IDDK during the UAE-Japan Business Forum.

H.E. Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director General, MBRSC, said: "This partnership represents our commitment to foster innovation and drive forward the UAE's position as a global player in space exploration and technology. By promoting advanced biotechnology for space missions, we are not only strengthening the scientific capabilities of the UAE but also creating a platform for international collaboration that transcends borders. This MoU is also a testament to the shared vision between the UAE and Japan in unlocking the full potential of space science, with far-reaching implications for humanity."

Under the terms of the MoU, both entities will work towards fostering a commercial market for IDDK's services in the UAE, with IDDK assisting scientists to transform their research ideas and life science experiments into space missions, develop experimental modules to perform the space experiment, and secure in-space manufacturing platforms with commercially driven safe re-entry capability from space.

The potential project further promises to bring new opportunities for the UAE’s scientists and researchers to explore and contribute to space science while cementing the country’s status as a hub of space exploration and technology. The partnership between MBRSC and IDDK is a significant step in bringing the global scientific community closer, ushering in a new era of space biotechnology.

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MBRSC Media Team - mbrsc@quillmena.com

ABOUT MOHAMMED BIN RASHID SPACE CENTRE (MBSRC):

MBRSC is an advanced scientific and technological hub, responsible for making the UAE a world leader in space services and exploration.

Established in 2006, the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) started out with five engineers, who took it upon themselves to develop their capabilities and expand their knowledge in the field of space, relying on strong will and solid determination. Since then, the centre has continued its journey to be the incubator of the “UAE National Space Programme”. The MBRSC has undertaken the tasks of building, developing, and operating a number of Earth observation satellites, providing imaging services, analysing and studying them, as well as producing relevant data to scientific communities and research centres around the world. Among the satellites that the centre operates are DubaiSat-1 & DubaiSat-2. The MBRSC is also responsible for KhalifaSat, celebrated as the first satellite that was fully built by Emiratis in 2018. Recently, the centre revealed its plan to develop the new satellite MBZ-SAT, which is expected to be launched at the end of 2023 and to be the latest in the field of high-resolution imaging from outer space.