UAE research programme for rain enhancement science to award grants for research proposals

By Wallace Mawire

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Research programme for rain enhancement science is to award the most innovative research proposals for rain enhancement science during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability week at a ceremony to be held at the Abu Dhabi national exhibition centre on 17 January, 2017, according to a team spokesperson.

It is reported that the programme  is one of the world’s forefront leaders in finding solutions and innovations for water security challenges.

Organisers  of the event say that with a projected total global population increase of three billion over the next three decades which will severely pressure the limited supplies of fresh water, countries are leading research to find technologies that will offer a viable, cost-effective supplement to existing water supplies.

“The programme  is the first of its kind that aims to build feasible alternatives in arid and semi-arid regions that will serve future generations through international cooperation in science and technology,” according to organisers.

The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, an initiative of the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs and overseen by the National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), offers a grant of 5 million US dollars over a three-year period to be shared by up to five winning research proposals. The programme  was launched with the aims of addressing water security challenges and placing the UAE at the international forefront of scientific research into rain enhancement.