UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science Nears Full Proposal Milestone Phase

Abu Dhabi - MENA Herald: The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP) is nearing the completion of its next milestone phase with August 17, 2016 (midnight) serving as the cut-off deadline for receiving full proposals for the second cycle of the program.
Aiming to advance rain enhancement science, technology and applications, the first-of-its-kind program encourages more investments in research, leading to further international cooperation and partnerships in rain enhancement operations in addition to driving radical scientific research in the field. It also seeks to explore new and innovative ways to increase rainfall in arid and semi-arid regions.
Earlier, the program selected 15 pre-proposals for its next phase following a rigorous review process by the program’s technical committee from May 4 – 5, 2016 in Abu Dhabi. This meeting concluded the detailed review process. The shortlisted pre-proposals highlighted scientific topics related to innovative seeding materials and improving their performance, numerical modelling and studies on aerosols and their relation to cloud formation processes.
Alya Al Mazroui, Program Manager of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, said: “By receiving the full proposals on the set deadline, we will have reached a new milestone phase in this second cycle of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science. We are looking forward to evaluating all of these proposals to finally select the winners of this cycle. We also expect participating full proposals to be of a high-caliber and very competitive since they offer innovative and promising scientific ideas that will add significant value to rain enhancement science.”
The review and evaluation process for the full proposals is set to be conducted from August 21 to September 22, followed by a panel meeting of the program’s International technical committee in Abu Dhabi from October 3-4. Intended to examine and select the full proposals, the committee features 10 international experts supported by 16 ad-hoc reviewers, specialized in key scientific areas related to the topics of the proposals.
Up to five research proposals will be selected this year to share the program’s US$5 million grant. The final selections will be based on strict weighted evaluation criteria that look for high quality scientific research and innovation. They will factor in the overall scientific and technical merit, significance and innovation, approach, project/delivery plan, milestones and deliverables, the investigator and team, the required/available resources and budget, and capacity building.
The awardees of the program’s second cycle will be announced at a ceremony in January 2017 during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
The second cycle of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science registered great geographical interest, drawing 91 pre-proposals from 398 researchers and scientists from 180 institutions across 45 countries, including 15 new countries. This cycle complements the remarkable success of the program’s inaugural cycle - launched in 2015.