Abu Dhabi – MENA Herald: Awardees of the Second Cycle of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science will be announced and honored on January 17, 2017 at a an exclusive Awards Ceremony that will take place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the annual global event that gathers leaders, entrepreneurs and technologists to address challenges and celebrate achievements in sustainable development and clean energy. The Program will announce projects that will be the recipients of a total grant of US$5 million to be awarded over a three-year period.
Launched by the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs in 2015 and overseen by the National Center of Meteorology & Seismology (NCMS), the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science is an ambitious initiative of global scope designed to stimulate rain enhancement research.
Aligned with the UAE Innovation Strategy, the Program aims to enhance water security through international cooperation with the aim of advancing innovative scientific research and development in the field of rain enhancement. The research areas that the Program intends to address include the fundamental understanding of rainfall enhancement, data modelling, analysis and evaluation, and experimental design, technologies and instrumentation.
Dr Abdullah Al Mandoos, Director of the National Center of Meteorology & Seismology, said: “The successful culmination of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science’s Second Cycle will be another milestone on our journey to advance research in this important field. We have seen a remarkable level of international interest since the Program was announced, and the quality of the applicants and the eventual awardees testifies to the outstanding success of this initiative.”
“We remain grateful for the unstinting support provided by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Presidential Affairs. Under the direction of His Highness, we look forward to building on the momentum set by the Program to offer imaginative new solutions to the challenge of water scarcity,” added Dr Al Mandoos.
Research groups from the Japan, the UAE and Germany led by Professors Masataka Murakami, Linda Zou, and Volker Wulfmeyer were named awardees of the First Cycle during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week last January.
Alya Al Mazroui, Manager of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement, said: “The success of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science’s Second Cycle builds further on the international momentum established since the launch of this initiative. At our forthcoming Awards Ceremony, a key event of ADSW 2017, we will be proud to honor more outstanding research projects devised by some of the leading teams of scientists and researchers in this field. The intense interest our program has generated among the international scientific community since it was launched is evidence that we are already making a difference on a global level.”
She added: “We are also honored to be hosting the first ever International Research Progress Workshop on Rain Enhancement during ADSW. Through this Workshop, the Program aims to address water security challenges by strengthening the UAE’s reputation as a global hub of knowledge and excellence in science and technology.”
This two-day International Workshop, which will be held on January 18 and 19, 2017, will present an overview of the newly awarded research projects from the Second Cycle of the Program, showcase updates on the research projects awarded during the First Cycle of the Program, and provide a platform of choice to discuss innovative technologies developed around the world in the field of rain enhancement.
Since the commencement of its Second Cycle in January 2016, the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science has witnessed widened geographical participation, with the active expression of interest from 398 scientists and researchers affiliated to 180 institutes from 45 countries, including academicians from 15 additional countries not represented in the Program’s First Cycle such as Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, Georgia, Hungary, Mexico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sweden, and Turkey.
The Second Cycle also witnessed a high level of interest from local researchers - with the UAE ranking second for the overall number of pre-proposals submitted this year, right after the United States.
As part of the Program’s efforts to encourage more investment and advancement in rain enhancement technologies, the Program has developed strong international synergies with leading scientists and representatives from leading global institutions.
In December 2016, the Program concluded a series of successful international research collaboration visits across 7 countries and 4 continents, which saw the Program delegation meeting numerous scientists and representatives from top global institutions to build relationships and research collaborations and encourage submissions to the upcoming Third Cycle.
The awardees of the Second Cycle were selected after an intensive evaluation process from a shortlist of finalists nominated by the Program’s evaluation committee, which comprised a 10-member expert panel supported by 15 reviewers. In accordance with international best practice, the reviewers evaluated all of the proposals on the basis of very strict criteria and complete confidentiality.
The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science has selected the most promising proposals. Among them are projects offering creative and path-breaking ideas on aerosol/cloud interactions, cloud dynamics and physics, remote sensing, simulations and modelling.