• Alya Al Mazroui, Manager of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement: “We are seeking to attract as many outstanding candidates as possible from leading scientific institutions in our region and around the world”

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 13 March 2017:  With one week left before the deadline for submissions of pre-proposals, the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science today visited the Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi (PSUAD) to outline the objectives and current activities of the Program and provide more information to students. Hosted by the Departments of Physics and Geography at PSUAD, the visit marks the latest stage in an outreach campaign that has seen the Program engage with leading research institutions both locally and internationally. 

Alya Al Mazroui, Manager of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, gave a presentation to an audience of students that explained the current progress being made by the Program’s awardees and the Program Secretariat’s role in ensuring that research projects are effectively implemented. Mrs Al Mazroui’s address was followed a presentation by Dr Sufian Farrah, Senior Meteorologist at the National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) to highlight the UAE cloudseeding infrastructure and the operations achieved since the 1990s.

The presentation at the Sorbonne is the latest event in an outreach campaign through which the Program delegation is urging scientists from leading institutions around the world to submit pre-proposals before the imminent deadline of March 16. 

The visit to Sorbonne builds on the Program’s poster session held at the Frontiers in Theoretical and Applied Physics (FTAP) conference, which took place at the American University of Sharjah from the 22-25 February. The Program delegation attended the event in order to build on its existing network of expertise in rain enhancement science. Over the course of the poster session, the Program’s delegation held more than 25 meetings with leading scientists and institutions.

Approximately 300 scientists from more than 45 countries presented papers at the FTAP conference this year. Topics covered at the conference include space science, nanotechnology, materials and laser sciences. The FTAP conference is the first conference in the region to be endorsed by the American Physical Society (APS), the Material Research Society (MRS), the Institute of Physics in the UK (IOP), and the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The event featured key experts and renowned speakers from prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, Cambridge University, the National Research Council of Canada, the Max Planck Institutes in Heidelberg, Munich and Dresden, Singapore National University, the University of Tokyo, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the Chinese Academy of Science along with many others.

Alya Al Mazroui, Manager of the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement, said “We are delighted to have the opportunity to present our Program and provide further details for the attendees at such a prestigious scientific gathering. The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science is a global program that has already seen a significant level of interest from research institutions from around the world. We are seeking to attract as many outstanding potential candidates as possible from leading scientific institutions in our region and around the world.”

Offering a grant of US$ 5 million over a three-year period to be shared by up to five winning research proposals, the Program is encouraging the submission of 1 to 3 pages pre-proposals before the deadline expires. The selected applications will be evaluated through a two-stage merit review process before the final awardees are announced at an exclusive ceremony during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2018.

For its Second Cycle in 2016, the Program received a total of 91 pre-proposals, representing 398 scientists and researchers affiliated to 180 institutes distributed across 45 countries. This year, more 181 Letters of Intent were submitted, from more than 50 countries. This significant level of interest testifies to the Program’s importance and marks it as a truly global initiative.

In order to encourage more investment and advancement in rain enhancement technologies, the Program has developed strong international synergies with renowned scientists and representatives from leading global institutions. Last year, the Program concluded a series of successful international research collaboration visits and event participations across 7 countries and 4 continents, involving meetings with numerous scientists and representatives from top global institutions to build relationships and research collaborations and encourage submissions to this year’s Third Cycle.

Potential applicants to the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science can apply through the program website no later than March 16 at midnight GMT. The application process requires the completion of all online forms and a list of project staff.