UAE Program for Rain Enhancement Science Calls for Submissions by March 16, 2015

Research program to reward up to five proposals with a share of the US$5m grant

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 15 February, 2015 – Following the official launch of the ‘UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science’, inaugurated by His Excellency Ahmed Juma Al Zaabi, Deputy Minister of Presidential Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, applicants are urged to submit their pre-proposals online, before the closing date of March 16, 2015.

Aligned with the UAE Innovation Strategy, the program aims to enhance water security through international cooperation in 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 modeling, analysis, and evaluation. as well as experimental design, technologies and instrumentation.

The participation timeline begins with the optional submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) by February 16, 2015. While non-binding, the LOI will allow the program team to recruit the most knowledgeable reviewers for the pre-proposal screening.

Innovative research and technology proposals are welcomed from domestic or foreign, public or private, non-profit or for-profit organizations and individuals. As part of the application process, all candidates must clearly demonstrate their access to the necessary facilities and infrastructure to carry out the proposed project, and their ability to responsibly manage the program’s grants.

Dr Abdullah Al Mandoos, Executive Director of the NCMS, said: “This research program is an excellent opportunity for researchers interested in the field of rain enhancement to advance their skills and expertise in collaboration with globally like-minded scientists, while working on developing potential solutions for water security to bring health and prosperity to the world.

“We urge researchers from around the world to participate in this innovative program by submitting their ideas at the earliest. Together, we can bring water, and therefore life and prosperity, to the driest regions of the world.”

The submission deadline for pre-proposals is March 16, and once evaluated, the entries will be shortlisted to an invited group by May 1, with their full proposals due by midnight of August 17, 2015.

Successful proposals will be at the frontier of rain enhancement science. They must have the scope and scale to justify funding at this level, demonstrate expertise, experience and commitment, as well as social and environmental stewardship. Multi-institutional and multi-national collaborations are encouraged, as well as knowledge transfer amongst various types of institutions and organizations.

Alya Al Mazroui, Manager - UAE Program for Rain Enhancement Science, said: “With this call for submissions we invite your ideas that will contribute to the success of the UAE leadership’s vision. Together, we can advance the global scientific understanding of rainfall enhancement, cloud physics and dynamics, cloud-cloud interactions, cloud systems, and other related topics. We can enhance the level of research and innovation in the field, with an increase in global funding and global research workforce.

“Ultimately we can establish the technologies as reliable tools for fresh water augmentation, improving the verification of current rain enhancement, enhancing predictive capabilities for targeted cloud seeding operations, and also integrating new techniques or technologies to increase the efficiency of cloud seeding operations.”

The two-stage selection process will evaluate the technical aspects of the proposed projects and their potential to contribute to advancing regional rainfall enhancement, effectiveness and efficiency. The rigorous merit review selection process consists of the following elements:

-    Overall Scientific & Technical Merit, Significance and Innovation
-    Research Approach
-    Qualifications of the Research Team
-    Required Resources and Budget
-    Contribution to Capacity Development in the Field

Up to five awardees will be selected by a two-stage review process, and receive a total grant of US$5 million that will be dispersed over a three-year period. The winners will be announced on January 2016, with the projects commencing one month later.