Ambassador Mansoor Abulhoul welcomed four high-flying interns from BAE Systems, in partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company, to the UAE Embassy in London.

The Ambassador was joined by Meera Ibrahim Alshamsi, Mohamed Naser AlZaabi, Elyazi Abdulla Alhammadi and Kaltham Alesiae, along with Jonathan Bird, UAE Country Director for BAE Systems, to hear more about the 24-week programme and how it is further forging STEM and business ties between the UAE and UK.
Founded in 2015, the BAE Systems internship programme was launched in collaboration with Mubadala, to provide young Emirati post-graduate students with the opportunity to gain real hands-on work experience to develop their technical and engineering skills.
From preventing cyber attacks, to creating satellite-tracking software, the students’ work will have real-world, tangible benefits for government and citizens both in the UAE and the UK. The four post-grads have the opportunity to study in-depth in one of two fields that sit within BAE Systems’ Digital Intelligence organisation: Space or, for the first time this year, Cyber.
Meera Ibrahim Alshamsi (United Arab Emirates University) and Mohamed Naser AlZaabi (University of Leicester) joined the Space internship in Great Baddow, Chelmsford in October 2023. Since then, their work has included:
• Taking responsibility for a space robotics project;
• Attending the UK Space Conference in Belfast; and
• Visiting BAE Systems’ In-Space Missions site in Alton.
Elyazi Abdulla Alhammadi (Abu Dhabi University) and Kaltham Aleisaei (Abu Dhabi University) joined the Cyber internship programme in Guildford, also in October 2023. Their work so far has included:
• Leading investigations and producing written reports for clients;
• Researching testing tools and written methods; and
• Participating in Mubadala’s Youth Circle and BAE Systems’ Digital Intelligence Quarterly Consulting forum.
Both groups of interns have been praised for the valuable contributions and fresh insights that they have brought to their respective teams, and have expanded their skills significantly during their work.
Their internships conclude this month (April 2024), ending with the opportunity for the interns to present their final projects to senior BAE Systems leaders in London.
UAE Ambassador to the UK, HE Mansoor Abulhoul, said: “It is wonderful to have had the opportunity to meet such a talented group of students from this ground-breaking BAE Systems / Mubadala collaboration.
“Working directly alongside BAE Systems' world-leading space scientists and threat intelligence analysts, these students have been fully embedded within their respective teams in the Digital Intelligence division.
“They are not only the future of science and engineering, but also the future of the longstanding friendship between the UAE and the UK.
“Upon completion of their internships this month, I am excited to see what unique learnings and expertise they take back to the UAE.
“Alongside such cultural institutions as the newly-relaunched Emirates Society, STEM and business partnerships between the UAE and the UK are critical for our common growth. I look forward to meeting 2024’s cohort!”
Fatima Al Marzooqi, Director of Portfolio Emiratization for Mubadala, said: “We are extremely proud of our students’ accomplishments during their 24 weeks at BAE Systems and look forward to bearing witness to their future contributions to the UAE. At Mubadala, we are committed to working with our partners to develop future leaders and contribute to the UAE’s leadership in these sectors.” 
Jonathan Bird, UAE Country Director for BAE Systems, said: “It’s a privilege to play our part in helping to advance the skills and capabilities of young Emiratis as they focus on their future careers. The UAE is becoming a disrupter in these sectors and as a global technology organisations ourselves, we’ve seen real value in the collaboration between the interns and our technical specialists in space and cyber. Together with Mubadala, we’re focused on supporting the UAE’s important national agenda to develop its future leaders.”