Abu Dhabi-UAE – The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP), managed by the National Center of Meteorology, is set to announce the awardees of the Program’s Fifth Cycle Grant on Tuesday, 23 January, 2023 at a ceremony hosted at Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court.

His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director General of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) and President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said: "The UAE remains committed to its strategic objectives of promoting environmental sustainability and bolstering water security both locally and globally. The ceremony announcing the awardees of UAEREP’s Fifth Cycle adds further momentum to these efforts, closely following the successful hosting of COP28 by UAE. This provides an additional opportunity for local, regional and international experts and research institutions to collaborate and contribute to the pursuit of water sustainability through cutting-edge scientific research and advanced technologies.”

In October 2023, the UAEREP announced that it had identified the qualified research projects for the program’s Fifth Cycle grant following the meeting of the technical review committee that convened virtually to evaluate the full proposals that reached the final stage of evaluation.

During the month-long evaluation phase, the committee meticulously reviewed eight full-proposals submitted by 64 researchers, scientists and experts affiliated with 35 institutions in 10 countries including the UAE. The proposals underwent thorough scrutiny by the committee that comprised global experts and specialists in weather modification applications, hydro-meteorology, weather and climate modeling, cloud physics, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence.

Alya Al Mazroui, Director of the UAEREP, said: “Throughout the Fifth Cycle awardee selection process, which aligned with the Year of Sustainability in the UAE, UAEREP focused on adding a qualitative dimension to the field of rain enhancement research. This endeavor stems from our firm belief in the crucial role of innovation for the development of highly effective technologies and practical solutions essential for ensuring water security in arid and semi-arid regions worldwide. Over the past years, we have been dedicated to providing support and funding for a diverse range of innovative technologies, and we are confident that the newly selected projects will build upon this legacy, introducing novel innovations to advance the field of rain enhancement science research.”

In every award cycle, the program offers grants of up to US$1.5 Million distributed over three years to each winning research proposal. The grant facilitates the transition of these projects from theory to practice, provided that the winning projects commence implementation within two months after the announcement of the awardees.