The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science

Did You Know?

• The program is an initiative of the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs, launched in early 2015 under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
• It is managed by Alya Al Mazroui and overseen by the National Center for Meteorology (NCMS) based in Abu Dhabi.

Selection process

The research grant is awarded yearly. Proposals are invited from domestic or foreign, public or private, non-profit or for-profit organizations, and sometimes individuals. Each selected proposal is evaluated on five criteria: Overall Scientific and Technical Merit, Significance and Innovation (30%); Approach, Project/Delivery Plan, Milestones and Deliverables (20%); Investigator/Team (20%); Required/Available Resources and Budget (20%); and Capacity Building (10%).

Program cycles

The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science has operated two cycles. The first cycle began with a public announcement on January 20, 2015. Winners were chosen through a merit-based evaluation and revealed in January 2016. Three scientists lead research teams sharing a $5 million grant.

Masataka Murakami, a visiting professor from Nagoya University in Japan, works on algorithms and sensors to better detect clouds suitable for seeding. Linda Zou, a professor at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in the UAE, uses nanotechnology to create new cloud seeding materials and improve droplet formation. Volker Wulfmeyer, a professor at the University of Hohenheim in Germany, studies convergence zones and land cover changes to boost precipitation.

In 2015, 325 scientists and researchers from 151 organizations across 34 countries submitted 78 pre-proposals. A second announcement on January 19, 2016, noted that the program had received 91 pre-proposals from 398 scientists, researchers, and technologists at 180 institutes in 45 nations. This included participants from 15 new countries, such as Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, Georgia, Hungary, Mexico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sweden, and Turkey. After a month of initial review, 15 pre-proposals were shortlisted.