ABU DHABI, 17th April, 2025 (WAM) -- The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has announced the conclusion of the submission period for the Sixth Cycle of the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP).

This cycle has attracted 140 innovative research proposals, marking a 47 percent increase from the Fifth Cycle.

Pre-proposal submissions opened on 28th January 2025, coinciding with the 7th International Rain Enhancement Forum (IREF), and closed on 20th March 2025, spanning 52 days.

The Sixth Cycle drew proposals from 96 research teams and 44 individual researchers from 48 countries across five continents. Key participants included the UAE with 29 submissions, the United States with 23, India with 22, Nigeria with 9, South Africa and Pakistan with 6, Australia, Egypt, Russia, Kenya and Rwanda with 5, China and Jordan with 4.

The submitted research proposals covered the Sixth Cycle's five core research areas, with 49 proposals focusing on optimised seeding materials, 71 on novel cloud formation and rain enhancement systems, 42 on autonomous unmanned aircraft systems, 63 on limited-area climate interventions, and 75 on advanced models, software, and data.

UAEREP will evaluate these pre-proposals based on their alignment with the programme's core research thrust areas, scientific excellence, potential impact, the expertise of the proposers, and the extent of multidisciplinary collaboration.

Successful applicants will be notified of their initial pre-proposal evaluation results and invited to submit full proposals by 20th May 2025, with final submissions due by 28th August 2025. Following a rigorous two-stage merit review process, the winners of the research grants will be announced in January 2026.

Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director-General of NCM and President of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), said, "With global water security at the forefront of international climate action and sustainability agendas, the strong response to the programme's Sixth Cycle underscores the growing recognition of the UAE's commitment to exploring innovative approaches for addressing water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions. By leading a collaborative research approach, we aim to develop impactful solutions that support sustainable water resource management worldwide."

Alya Al Mazrouei, Director of UAEREP, said, "Moving forward, we will identify projects that align with UAEREP's vision and roadmap - projects that introduce ground-breaking ideas, build on past progress and achievements, and move us closer to achieving tangible operational impact in the field of rain enhancement. Our aim is to support research that accelerates technology readiness, fosters new scientific insights, and enhances the effectiveness of rain enhancement strategies to address global water security challenges."

As part of its 6th Cycle, UAEREP offers a grant of up US$1.5 million (AED5.511 million) for each winning project proposal. The grant will be distributed among up to three innovative research projects over three years, with a maximum annual amount of US$550,000.

The programme's Sixth Cycle attracted participation from several leading universities and research centres within the UAE and worldwide. Key academic institutions submitting proposals included Khalifa University, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the American University of Sharjah, Emirates Aviation University, Abu Dhabi University, UAE University, GAL (Global Aerospace Logistics), the University of California (Irvine and Los Angeles), Columbia University, Princeton University, Victoria University, ETH Zurich, Stockholm University, Kyoto University, Tsinghua University, Politecnico of Milan, and York University.

The programme also drew proposals from renowned government entities, including the National Centre of Atmospheric Research Centre (NCAR), Weather Modification Centre China Meteorological Administration, National Institute of Meteorological Sciences - South Korea, Brookhaven National Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Egyptian Meteorological Authority, Pakistan Meteorological Department, and Kenya Meteorological Department.

UAEREP's Sixth Cycle was officially launched during the 7th International Rain Enhancement Forum (IREF), held from 28th to 30th January 2025.

This cycle builds upon the programme's newly defined vision to establish UAEREP as the global hub for research, development, demonstration, and deployment of rain enhancement technologies and operations that contribute to global water security.