UAE offers $1.5m grants for AI-driven cloud seeding to fight water scarcity

The United Arab Emirates has announced a new research push aimed at increasing rainfall through next-generation cloud seeding, offering grants of up to $1.5 million to selected scientists.

The National Centre of Meteorology said three researchers from the United States, Germany and Australia were chosen under the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science. The selections came from 140 proposals submitted by scientists across 48 countries.

Each project can receive up to $1.5 million over three years, with a ceiling of $550,000 per year. The named recipients are Dr Michael Dixon of Echo Science Works (US), Professor Linda Zou of Victoria University (Australia), and Dr Oliver Branch of the University of Hohenheim (Germany).

Their research will explore artificial intelligence applications, new seeding materials, and land-based methods intended to improve how effectively clouds produce rainfall. UAE officials said AI could help pinpoint suitable cloud formations and raise overall operational efficiency.

The UAE receives limited natural rainfall and relies heavily on desalinated seawater, while conducting hundreds of cloud-seeding flights annually. Officials said the programme is designed to support agriculture, strengthen water reserves, and improve long-term water security for the country and the broader region.