Yesterday morning, the National Space Science Agency (NSSA) in collaboration with “Clever Play” company, which is licensed in the field of space by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), launched the hackathon activities at the University of Bahrain. This hackathon is the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the GCC countries, and it is held over 18 and 19 October 2019.

H.E. Eng. Kamal bin Ahmed, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Chairman of the National Space Science Agency (NSSA), commented “This event is held as part of NSSA’s efforts to implement the directions of the Kingdom’s wise leadership, as highlighted in the Royal Address of His Majesty the King during the opening of the second session of the National Assembly in its fifth edition, and His Majesty’s directives to develop a national plan for digital economy.  Such activities have a major impact on qualifying national cadres and equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to keep pace with the rapid changes in the world of technology and the requirements of the labour market and to prepare national cadres for the future. What makes it so special, in addition to its focus on advanced technologies, is that it is a world-class event, attracting more than 235 entities worldwide, and over 18,000 participants.”

The Rector of the University of Bahrain, NSSA Board Member, Dr. Riyadh Yousuf Hamza, on his part, said that the university puts the goals of sustainable development of Bahrain Vision 2030 at the top of its priorities, and works with partners in the various fields to achieve the highest levels of quality and efficiency in the field of educational curricula development and scientific research.

He commended the cooperation with NSSA, and said that the memorandum of understanding concluded earlier between NSSA and the University of Bahrain included cooperation in supporting space science at national level, and that such cooperation helped achieve the mutual benefit of meeting the national needs in support of the sustainable development goals.

The CEO of the National Space Science Agency, Dr. Mohamed Al Aseeri, said that participation in this event came out of NSSA’s keenness in achieving its strategic goals of disseminating the technical culture of space science in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and in supporting this sector at national level by developing research activities for the students enrolled in different sciences.

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