Launch of the First Space Science Hackathon in Bahrain and GCC

Work on the first hackathon in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) begun on Friday morning (18 October 2019) at the University of Bahrain (UOB), which is set up by the National Space Science Agency (NSSA) in cooperation with “Clever Play”, which is licensed by the American space agency (NASA) in the field of space, and it shall be held over the 18th and 19th of October 2019.

On this occasion, the Minister of Transportation and Communications and Chairman of the Board of Directors of NSSA His Excellency Eng. Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed stated that “ This event comes within the Agency’s keenness to implement the directions of the wise leadership, recalling what was stated in the lofty speech of His Majesty the King during the opening of the second session of the National Council in its fifth version, and the directions of His Majesty to work on developing a national plan for the digital economy. Such events have a great impact on qualifying national competencies and providing them with skills and knowledge to keep pace with the rapid changes in the world of technology and the requirements of the labor market and preparing them for the future. in addition to the fact that the event focuses on advanced technologies, what distinguishes it is that it is world-class, with more than 235 parties from around the world participating in its implementation, and more than 18,000 participants.

For his part, the President of UOB Prof. Riyad Yousif Hamzah stated that the University prioritizes sustainable development goals of the Kingdom of Bahrain 2030 vision and is working with partners in various fields to achieve the highest levels of quality and efficiency in the field of educational curriculum development and scientific research.

Also, Prof. Hamzah praised the cooperation with NSSA, pointing out that the memorandum of understanding that was concluded earlier between NSSA and UOB included cooperation in supporting space science at the national level, as the cooperation contributed to achieving mutual benefit to meet national needs in support of the sustainable development goals.

On his part, the CEO of NSSA, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Asiri, said that the participation in this event came out of the Agency’s keenness to achieve its strategic objectives of spreading the technical culture of space science in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and to support this sector at the national level through the development of research activities for students majoring in different sciences, in preparation for creating joint cooperation with academic institutions and higher education institutions to integrate space sciences into educational curricula and research projects, with the Agency’s keenness to follow up, evaluate and develop science to ensure the highest levels of quality and efficiency in line with its vision and mission to advance this sector in preparation for global competition .

The founding member of “Clever Play”, Shaikha Latifa Al Khalifa, confirmed that this event comes within the program of the national initiative recently launched by the company under the title “STEM BAHRAIN”, which aims to establish a multi-disciplinary educational system based on the best scientific and technological approaches that stimulate innovation.

Moreover, the representatives of NSSA and “Clever Play” thanked UOB, Batelco, and Bahrain National Gas Company (Banagas) in appreciation of their unlimited support for the space sector and their contribution to support this event.