The choice follows a gathering of UAEREP’s Worldwide Technical Evaluation Committee, held at NCM headquarters in Abu Dhabi on 7–8 October 2025, marking the ultimate stage of the analysis course of.
The successful initiatives and awardees will likely be formally introduced in January 2026.
UAE cloud-seeding initiatives
The committee reviewed 13 full proposals submitted by 58 researchers representing 38 establishments throughout 9 international locations, together with the UAE.
The proposals have been evaluated towards 5 standards:
- Total scientific and technical advantage
- Significance and innovation (35 per cent)
- Analysis method (20 per cent)
- Investigator or workforce {qualifications} (20 per cent)
- Capability constructing (15 per cent)
- Assets and price range (10 per cent)
Establishments contributing proposals embrace the College of California (Irvine and Los Angeles), Columbia College, Princeton College, Victoria College, ETH Zurich, Stockholm College, Kyoto College, Tsinghua College, Politecnico di Milano, Khalifa College, Mohamed bin Zayed College of Synthetic Intelligence (MBZUAI), the American College of Sharjah, and International Aerospace Logistics (GAL).
Distinguished authorities companies additionally took half, such because the Nationwide Centre for Atmospheric Analysis (NCAR), the Chinese language Meteorological Administration’s Climate Modification Centre, the South Korean Nationwide Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Brookhaven Nationwide Laboratory, and the US Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Constructing a worldwide hub for water-security innovation
Dr Abdulla Al Mandous, Director-Basic of NCM and President of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), mentioned the programme has earned world recognition for driving innovation in addressing water shortage.
He mentioned: “Over the course of its 5 earlier cycles, the UAEREP has established a robust world repute as a focus for groundbreaking innovation geared toward addressing the problem of worldwide water stress.
“This achievement is aligned with the UAE’s ongoing dedication to supporting worldwide efforts in local weather resilience and sustainable water useful resource administration.”
He added that the Sixth Cycle will proceed to advertise revolutionary collaborations to mitigate water shortage by way of scientific analysis, reaffirming UAEREP’s standing as a worldwide hub for rain-enhancement analysis.
Science by way of collaboration
Alya Al Mazroui, Director of UAEREP, thanked the members of the Worldwide Technical Evaluation Committee for his or her “dedication, perception, and spirit of collaboration all through the multi-phase, merit-based analysis course of.”
She mentioned the chosen proposals replicate “months of rigorous work and a wealth of concepts throughout numerous scientific methodologies, new applied sciences, and forward-looking approaches,” including that UAEREP stays dedicated to serving to innovators translate their analysis into options that profit each the UAE and communities worldwide.
The Sixth Cycle of UAEREP was launched in the course of the seventh Worldwide Rain Enhancement Discussion board (IREF) in Abu Dhabi in January 2025.
It attracted 140 submissions, from which 16 pre-proposals have been chosen after an preliminary evaluate in Might 2025.
Researchers have been then invited to submit full proposals by August 28, 2025, aligned with the programme’s 5 precedence analysis areas:
- Optimised Seeding Supplies
- Novel Cloud Formation and/or Rain Enhancement Programs
- Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Programs (UAS)
- Restricted-Space Local weather Interventions
- Superior Fashions, Software program, and Information
Funding and subsequent steps
Every successful challenge will obtain as much as $1.5m (AED5.511m), distributed over three years, with a most annual allocation of $550,000. As much as three revolutionary analysis initiatives will likely be chosen.
The Sixth Cycle helps UAEREP’s broader objective to place the UAE as a worldwide centre for analysis, improvement, and deployment of rain-enhancement applied sciences that contribute to world water safety.
