Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67pc) and Leonardo (33pc), signed a memorandum of understanding with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Aviation and Aerospace University of Bangladesh and the School of Aerospace Engineering of La Sapienza University of Rome (SIA) for academic cooperation in the field of Aerospace on May 29.
The MoU will aim to identify areas of collaboration in learning, teaching and research, and development of space science and technology through collaborative initiatives. It is set to provide quality education in aviation and aerospace studies and to accelerate the expansion of Bangladesh’s entry in this field, said a press release on Saturday.
Vice-chancellor of BSMRAAU Air Vice Marshal ASM Fakhrul Islam exchanged the MoU with Sajid Abdur Rahman, business development manager, Thales in Bangladesh, and Roberto Sigismondi, export sales manager for Bangladesh at Thales Alenia Space.
The signature ceremony was held in Dhaka, in the presence of Giorgio Spada, director of export sales at Thales Alenia Space in Italy, professor Paolo Teofilatto of the School of Aerospace Engineering of La Sapienza University of Rome, and Air Commodore Md Monirul Islam, registrar of BSMRAAU.
Mattia Ventura, deputy head of mission, the embassy of Italy in Bangladesh, and other members of these organisations attended the ceremony via live streaming.
BSMRAAU has established itself as the first aviation and aerospace university in Bangladesh, while SIA is almost a century old academic institution and has grounded teachings in the aerospace engineering field over the last three decades.
Thales Alenia Space, as the leader in the design and manufacturing of satellite-based systems in Europe with over 50 years of experience, and an extensive heritage in building local capacities through technology and competence transfer plans, has partnered with SIA on various initiatives, including an academic cooperation programme that aims to develop local competence in the field of earth observation.
Thales Alenia Space is the provider of the Bangabandhu Satellite-1, which is the first Bangladeshi geostationary communications and broadcasting satellite.
