Abu Dhabi's Masdar Institute, Lomonosov Moscow University

The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) yesterday announced they have signed an international scientific and technological cooperation agreement to collaborate on conducting educational activities, research and innovation. 

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 20th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2016) by Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, on behalf of Masdar Institute, and Victor Sadovnichy, Rector of MSU. Dr. Steve Griffiths, Vice-President for Research, Masdar Institute, also attended the event, along with Andrey Fedyanin and Tatyana Kortava, both vice-rectors at Lomonosov Moscow State University. 

According to the agreement, the two institutions will establish long-term partnerships for joint fundamental and applied research, and investigate the mechanisms for the implementation of joint innovative projects aimed at commercialisation of ideas and technological solutions. They will also cooperate on organisation of scientific, educational and technological centres (representations) in the Russian Federation and the UAE. 

The agreement also lays the ground for a specific research and development (R&D) program in the priority sectors for the UAE and Russia. The program is expected to be launched by January 2017 with initiation of one or more collaborative projects agreed by joint steering committee members. 

Al Ramahi said: "Pushing the boundaries of science and translating innovation into viable commercial technologies relies on a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing across the academic and industry community. Forging closer ties between Masdar Institute and Lomonosov Moscow State University will advance the adoption of clean technologies and alternative energies, and further raise the profile of both the UAE and Russia as global energy leaders." 

Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf, Interim Provost, Masdar Institute, said: "We worked closely with MSU over the past year towards this agreement, which will develop a platform for knowledge transfer for sustainable and clean technology. The landmark agreement will bring about a productive partnership that will benefit the academic and scientific communities in both the countries. We welcome this partnership and thank the UAE leadership for their support to all Masdar Institute initiatives." 

V.A. Sadovnichy, rector, academic of Moscow State University: "The agreement between Moscow State University and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology is an important step in developing scientific, technical, and cultural collaboration between the Russian Federation and the United Arab Emirates. This partnership will help in combining efforts to find effective solutions to scientific, technical and educational tasks and in developing projects of mutual interest to our countries." 

Since establishment in 2007, Masdar Institute has closely collaborated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and in the convening years has partnered with other leading institutions including the University of Manchester, Tokyo University, and Tsinghua University. 

Masdar Institute's research activities are driven by a core focus on energy and water support by platform capabilities in microelectronics, materials science, information science and engineering systems. These research focus areas and capabilities cover a diverse range of topics that link industry and academia in key UAE sectors.

Source: WAM