UAE launches $1.5m cloud-seeding grants to boost rainfall

The United Arab Emirates has launched a new research initiative to boost rainfall through advanced cloud-seeding technology, offering grants of up to $1.5 million to scientists as part of efforts to address water scarcity in the region.

According to the National Centre of Meteorology, three scientists from the United States, Germany and Australia have been selected under the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science. The winners were chosen from 140 research proposals submitted by scientists from 48 countries.

Each selected researcher will receive up to $1.5 million over three years, with a maximum annual funding of $550,000, to study environmentally friendly techniques aimed at improving artificial rainfall.

The selected scientists include Dr Michael Dixon from Echo Science Works in the United States, Professor Linda Zou from Victoria University in Australia, and Dr Oliver Branch from the University of Hohenheim in Germany.

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Their research will focus on the use of artificial intelligence, new cloud-seeding materials and land-based techniques to enhance cloud formation and rainfall efficiency. UAE officials said artificial intelligence would help identify suitable clouds and improve the effectiveness of rain enhancement operations.

The UAE receives very limited natural rainfall and relies heavily on desalinated seawater to meet its water needs. The country already conducts hundreds of cloud-seeding flights every year.

Officials said the new research programme aims to support agriculture, strengthen water reserves and ensure long-term water security for the UAE and the wider region.