Dubai: Organisers of the UAE-sponsored competition to enhance rainfall in arid and semi-arid areas met earlier this month to finalise the first cycle’s winners.
The UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science that was launched earlier this year aims to award a total grant of $5 million (Dh11 million) to five projects to increase rainfall in rain-scarce countries in a three-year period. The winners will be announced at a special event during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2016.
“Water is one of the seven pillars of the UAE’s Innovation Strategy — driving scientific and technological advancement to address water security is a strategic priority for the UAE government that will position our country as a global hub of innovation in this field,” Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, said.
“To this end, the UAE government launched the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science as an ambitious programme of international scope designed to lead efforts to help secure access to fresh water through rainfall.”
Some 325 scientists and researchers affiliated to 151 organisations from 34 countries applied to the programme. In May, the programme’s technical committee narrowed down the submissions to 15 research teams.
Dr Abdullah Al Mandous, Executive Director of the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) that is overseeing the competition, said: “Rain enhancement is a relatively marginalised field of research that we are determined to revitalise. Finding new solutions to the water sustainability challenge will be of immense benefit to the UAE and other global regions threatened with water scarcity.”
The Final Evaluation committee, composed of 10 experts and supported by a large number of ad-hoc reviewers, selected the winners after two days of deliberations.
Alya Al Mazroui, Programme Manager of the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science, said all of the winning proposals were chosen based the following criteria: Overall Scientific and Technical Merit, Significance and Innovation; Approach, Project/Delivery Plan, Milestones and Deliverables; Investigator/Team; Required/Available Resources and Budget; and Capacity Building.
