Thales and the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a long-term strategic partnership focused on developing a national Cyber Centre of Excellence in the UAE. The agreement centres on co-developing three major projects that will strengthen the country’s sovereign cybersecurity capabilities, starting with the space domain.
The first project, a Space META-SOC, will serve as a specialised Security Operations Centre dedicated to protecting space infrastructure. Developed with a local industrial partner and linked to the national SOC, it will feature advanced monitoring tools and provide training for satellite constellation and ground system security.
The second initiative, a Cyber Evaluation Lab, will support software and hardware testing, policy development, and the creation of governance standards for critical sectors—initially focusing on space. Operated by UAE nationals, the lab positions the country as a regional leader in cybersecurity evaluation.
The third project, a Crypto Lab, will focus on designing and validating cryptographic solutions tailored for space systems, including Post-Quantum Cryptography and Quantum Key Distribution. Thales experts will lead knowledge transfer, drawing on experience from European Space Agency programmes.
Led by Dr. Al Kuwaiti, the Cyber Centre of Excellence aims to drive technological sovereignty, empower national talent, and reinforce UAE cyber resilience across space and other strategic domains. Thales Executive Vice-President Christophe Salomon highlighted the partnership as a major milestone in advancing a secure, sovereign, and future-ready cybersecurity ecosystem.
The collaboration will expand to other sectors beyond space, enabling both parties to jointly serve international markets while strengthening UAE’s cyber leadership.
Thales and UAE Cyber Security Council partner to build national Cyber Centre of Excellence
