The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Abu Dhabi /Â WAM
Awardees of the Second Cycle of the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP) will be announced and honoured on January 17 at an awards ceremony during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).
The annual global event, taking place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, gathers leaders, entrepreneurs and technologists, and will address challenges and celebrate achievements in sustainable development and clean energy. The programme 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 Centre of Meteorology and Seismology, NCMS, the programme is an ambitious initiative of global scope designed to stimulate rain enhancement research.
Aligned with the UAE Innovation Strategy, the programme 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 programme 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 NCMS, said, “The successful culmination of the UAE Research Programme 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 programme 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 H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. Under his direction, we look forward to building on the momentum set by the programme to offer imaginative new solutions to the challenge of water scarcity,” added Dr. Al Mandoos.
Research groups from Japan, the UAE and Germany, led by Professors Masataka Murakami, Linda Zou, and Volker Wulfmeyer, were named awardees of the First Cycle during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week last January.
Alya Al Mazroui, Manager of the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement, said, “The success of the programme’s second cycle builds further on the international momentum established since the launch of this initiative. At our forthcoming awards ceremony, we will be proud to honour more outstanding research projects devised by some of the leading teams of scientists and researchers in this field. The intense interest our programme 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 honoured to be hosting the first ever International Research Progress Workshop on Rain Enhancement during ADSW. Through this workshop, the programme aims to address water security challenges by strengthening the UAE’s reputation as a global hub of knowledge and excellence in science and technology.”
The two-day International Workshop, which will be held on January 18-19, will present an overview of the newly awarded research projects from the second cycle of the programme, showcase updates on the research projects awarded during the first cycle, and provide a platform of choice to discuss innovative technologies developed around the world in the field of rain enhancement.
