ABU DHABI // The deadline for proposals to win a US$5 million grant from the UAE’s rain enhancement programme will be Wednesday, its manager has said.
The UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science is aimed at encouraging more investment in research and improving international cooperation to find ways to increase rainfall in arid and semi-arid regions.
It has so far received 91 pre-proposals from 398 researchers and scientists from 45 countries in the second cycle for the grant contest.
“By receiving the full proposals on the set deadline, we will have reached a new milestone phase in this second cycle of the research programme,” said Alya Al Mazroui, programme manager, according to Wam, the state news agency.
“We also expect participating full proposals to be of a high-calibre and very competitive since they offer innovative and promising scientific ideas that will add significant value to rain enhancement science.”
Fifteen pre-proposals were selected in May, and they cover topics such as the improvement of seeding materials performance, numerical modelling on aerosols and their role in cloud formation.
The full proposals will be reviewed from August 21 to September 22.
As many as five proposals will be selected this year to share the $5m (Dh18.36m) grant and will be selected based on scientific and technical merit, innovation and significance, approach, delivery plan, required resources and budget.
The winners will be announced in January during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
Last year, three academics won the grant for their proposals on improving cloud seeding, using nanotechnology to accelerate water condensation, and developing algorithms to identify clouds capable of creating rain.
Meteorologists said this spring that cloud-seeding operations towards rain enhancement in the UAE played a role in the country’s record rainfall in March.
The weather agency measured 287 millimetres of rainfall in 24 hours in an area between Dubai and Al Ain on March 9 – the highest since official record-keeping began in 1977.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
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