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 profitable tasks 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 nations, together with the UAE.
The proposals had been evaluated towards 5 standards:
- Total scientific and technical advantage
- Significance and innovation (35 per cent)
- Analysis method (20 per cent)
- Investigator or crew {qualifications} (20 per cent)
- Capability constructing (15 per cent)
- Sources 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 World 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 world hub for water-security innovation
Dr Abdulla Al Mandous, Director-Normal of NCM and President of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), stated the programme has earned world recognition for driving innovation in addressing water shortage.
He stated: “Over the course of its 5 earlier cycles, the UAEREP has established a powerful 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 modern collaborations to mitigate water shortage by way of scientific analysis, reaffirming UAEREP’s standing as a world 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 stated the chosen proposals mirror “months of rigorous work and a wealth of concepts throughout various 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 throughout the seventh Worldwide Rain Enhancement Discussion board (IREF) in Abu Dhabi in January 2025.
It attracted 140 submissions, from which 16 pre-proposals had been chosen after an preliminary evaluation in Might 2025.
Researchers had 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 Techniques
- Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Techniques (UAS)
- Restricted-Space Local weather Interventions
- Superior Fashions, Software program, and Knowledge
Funding and subsequent steps
Every profitable undertaking 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 modern analysis tasks will likely be chosen.
The Sixth Cycle helps UAEREP’s broader aim to place the UAE as a world centre for analysis, improvement, and deployment of rain-enhancement applied sciences that contribute to world water safety.
