The National Center of Meteorology (NCM), through the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, hosted a solicitation workshop to discuss research pathways and set guidelines for proposals for the Program’s 5th Cycle in 2023. The two-day event discussed a range of promising new research areas as an important step in the Program’s next call for new proposals as it renews and expands the future direction of its ambitious drive to gain new knowledge.
Drawing the participation of leading scientists from prominent global and local institutions, the workshop featured sessions that explored the potential for identifying knowledge and scientific gaps in the full lifecycle of rainfall from cloud to ground, new approaches and technologies for rain enhancement, and efforts to translate new research findings and technologies developed by the Program awardees into operations and practical applications.
The workshop participants were welcomed by His Excellency Dr Abdulla Al Mandous, Director of the National Center for Meteorology (NCM) and President of the Regional Association II (Asia) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and Alya Al Mazroui, Director of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science.
His Excellency Dr. Al Mandous said: "Since its inception under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science has grown into a leading international focal point for developing cutting-edge solutions and new technologies in cloud seeding research. This workshop has facilitated meaningful discussion between the many leading experts in attendance on promising new avenues of enquiry in rain enhancement science."
"With investment in and support for innovation being a national strategic priority for the UAE, the Program’s 5th Cycle will help generate exciting new ideas that could have a global impact. Three research areas have been identified after a thorough review of progress to date and future research priorities," Al Mandous added.
The expected outcome of the workshop is a new solicitation document that identifies the Program’s future research priorities to be signed off by the Program’s Strategic Direction committee (SDC) along with the Program Secretariat and international, local and NCM experts. The new solicitation document will be shared publicly in mid-October 2022 as part of the call for research proposal submissions for the 5th Cycle.
Commenting on the workshop, Alya Al Mazroui said: "We are working hard to build on the great innovative advances we have already made and to harness new scientific and technical ingenuity that will drive creative water solutions. Through such innovation, we have already made real progress in enhancing and further developing capacity in the field both locally and globally while encouraging global research collaborations that could lead to new advances in this important field."
In just a few years, the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science has established itself as a leading international cluster of cutting-edge scientific research based on the investigation and application of new technologies to weather and clouds.
The Program’s globally acclaimed success has confirmed the status of Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a pioneer in in the field of rain enhancement and a hub for an internationally recognized research network that is activating the knowledge transfers needed to nurture new innovations and secure economic growth in those regions of the world vulnerable to water stress.