Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour\u00a0bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court,\u00a0and in the presence of\u00a0His Highness Sheikh\u00a0Theyab\u00a0bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs,\u00a0the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), through\u00a0the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP),\u00a0will host the 7th\u00a0International Rain Enhancement Forum (IREF) from 28 to 30 January 2025 at Conrad Abu Dhabi, Etihad Towers.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0event\u00a0will\u00a0convene\u00a0over 50 high-profile speakers from across the globe, including\u00a0top\u00a0global experts, policymakers, and researchers to advance discussions on water security and weather modification.\u00a0With a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence solutions for weather enhancement, the\u00a0Forum\u00a0seeksto serve as a global platform for scientific discussions, fostering collaboration and innovation in rain enhancement science.<\/p>\n
The 7th\u00a0IREF coincides with UAEREP\u2019s 10th anniversary, a milestone that underscores its decade-long commitment to advancing rain enhancement science and technology\u00a0as a sustainable solution to water scarcity challenges, while contributing to water and food security both locally and globally.<\/p>\n
To date, the\u00a0UAEREP\u00a0has\u00a0allocated\u00a0AED 82.6 million\u00a0towardsthe successful completion of 14\u00a0innovative\u00a0research projects,\u00a0resulting\u00a0in\u00a08 patents, with 3 more pending registration.\u00a0The Forum will commence with a special ceremony to honor distinguished local and international figures and institutions that have contributed to the program\u2019s journey over the past decade.<\/p>\n
His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Al\u00a0Mandous, Director General of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) and President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO),\u00a0stated: \u201cThe continuous support of our leadership\u00a0for the\u00a0NCM\u00a0has been instrumental in enhancing the\u00a0UAEREP\u2019s\u00a0research\u00a0outcomes,\u00a0establishing the program\u00a0as a\u00a0global\u00a0hub that brings together a vast network of researchers and experts in weather modification and water sustainability.\u00a0We are proud of the program\u2019s journey over the past ten years and remain dedicated to further advancing its research efforts in support of the global quest to achieve water security.\u201d<\/p>\n
Al\u00a0Mandous\u00a0added: \u201cSince its inception,\u00a0IREF\u00a0has\u00a0exemplifiedthe UAE\u2019s unwavering commitment to addressing the global water security challenge through scientific innovation and international collaboration. As the climate crisis intensifies, platforms like IREF are essential for uniting diverse expertise to create transformative solutions that benefit communities worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n
Set\u00a0at the forefront of advancing rainfall\u00a0enhancement,\u00a0and\u00a0driving innovative solutions to strengthen\u00a0global water security, the UAEREP will\u00a0officially\u00a0launch\u00a0its\u00a0sixth\u00a0award\u00a0cycle,\u00a0which will focus\u00a0on five\u00a0research\u00a0thrust\u00a0areas, namely,\u00a0Optimized Seeding Materials,\u00a0Novel Cloud Formation and\/or\u00a0Rain Enhancement Systems,\u00a0Autonomous UAS,\u00a0Limited-Area Climate Interventions, and\u00a0Advanced Models, Software, and Data.\u00a0Researchers from around the world\u00a0\u2013 across academia, government and industry \u2013\u00a0will be invited to\u00a0submit their research preproposals starting from\u00a0IREF\u2019s\u00a0first day\u00a0on 28 January\u00a0until\u00a020\u00a0March\u00a02025.<\/p>\n
Alya Al Mazrouei, Director of UAEREP, said: “The 7th\u00a0edition of IREF\u00a0represents\u00a0a landmark event\u00a0in the\u00a0global dialogue\u00a0on water sustainability and weather enhancement, focusing on key topics that will shape the future of\u00a0rainfall enhancement applications, particularly the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological breakthroughs. Through knowledge\u00a0transfer\u00a0and\u00a0multi-sector\u00a0collaboration, IREF will continue to play a crucial role in advancing scientific understanding and technological innovations, ensuring a sustainable water future for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
The IREF\u00a0sessions will address\u00a0key\u00a0topics such as regional and global perspectives on water security, advancements in hybrid AI-physics-based models for climate research, and innovations in autonomous unmanned aerial systems for weather modification. Discussions will also cover the development of novel cloud seeding materials, limited-area climate interventions, and new approaches to rainfall enhancement. Students and early-career scientists will have the opportunity to present their research through a dedicated poster session,\u00a0shaping\u00a0the next generation of experts in this critical field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour\u00a0bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court,\u00a0and in the presence of\u00a0His Highness Sheikh\u00a0Theyab\u00a0bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs,\u00a0the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), through\u00a0the UAE Research Program for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[91,19,130,87,15,103,3716],"tags":[8809,5963,8829,8819,8821,8825,8817,8831,8807,8811,8823,8813,8815,8827],"class_list":["post-5670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arab-countries-en","category-events-en","category-featured-en","category-gcc-en","category-press-releases","category-reports-research","category-uae","tag-7th-international-rain-enhancement-forum-iref","tag-artificial-intelligence-ai","tag-autonomous-uas-unmanned-aerial-systems","tag-climate-crisis","tag-global-collaboration","tag-national-center-of-meteorology-ncm","tag-rain-enhancement-science","tag-research-outcomes","tag-sheikh-mansour-bin-zayed-al-nahyan","tag-uae-research-program-for-rain-enhancement-science-uaerep","tag-water-and-food-security","tag-water-security","tag-weather-modification","tag-world-meteorological-organization-wmo"],"yoast_head":"\n