Washington, D.C. – 30 October

The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a dinner in honor of H.E. Omran Sharaf, the U.A.E. Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Advanced Science and Technology. This event took place at Cafe Milano in Washington, D.C. and convened about 60 members of the business community as well as scientists, academics, and government officials. H.E. Sharaf shared the narrative of the U.A.E.’s evolution from a “collective, inclusive, tribal system,” into the beacon for advanced science and technology that it has become today. 

H.E. Sharaf discussed the U.A.E.’s Hope Probe mission to Mars. He described the challenges that he and his team faced and overcame in successfully completing the mission in February 2021, when the Hope Probe was launched into Mars orbit. U.A.E. leadership charged him with developing “novel science” to create the probe using new, innovative strategies, saying, “don’t buy it, build it.” H.E. explained that the Hope Mission took a non-traditional approach to designing a space craft that  brought together partners from the East and West and served as a model for Arab youth around the world. He praised collaborations with the University of Colorado and NASA, and underscored that partnerships like these will be key to the future of space exploration.

Other guests commented on the importance of STEM and innovative research and development. Senior U.S. Department of State and Department of Energy officials told H.E. Sharaf and other guests that there is an open door for further and expanded collaboration with the U.S. in these areas. They agreed with an earlier point made by H.E. Sharaf that it is critical to build inclusive STEM ecosystems and partnerships.

H.E. Sharaf underscored that trade, business, and science and technology are at the core of the U.A.E.’s current and future role as a bridge connecting the East and West. He detailed the goals and objectives of his new position at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying that the Advanced Science and Technology Office was created to “replicate the model of collaboration and know-how beyond space,” and into energy, health, and environment. He described his office’s priorities for strategic partnerships that focus on knowledge transfer, empowering Emirati startups, joint research and development, and solutions-oriented dialogue.  

For more information about this event, please contact Alyssa Kristeller at akristeller@usuaebusiness.org.