The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST), is a Dubai government entity that was established by law in 2006, as part of the United Arab Emirates' national initiative to promote scientific innovation, with the emphasis on space technology and promoting sustainable development.
EIAST was established in order to promote advanced research and technological innovation, more specifically satellite technology; to build a well established internationally competitive base for human skills development; to position Dubai and the United Arab Emirates as a hub for space technology development internationally; to optimize the potential of EIAST satellite programs, DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2, through broadening their applications; and lastly to provide support to decision makers in all sectors through application of its specialist skills.
In order for EIAST to achieve its goal of using space technologies and applications effectively, the institution has pursued four programs:
- research and development of outer space,
- satellite manufacturing and system development,
- Earth observation from satellite images,
- and ground station services and support to other satellites.
