United Arab Emirates, 16 April 2019—(AETOSWire)-- HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia), announced details of the 2nd Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The award encourages research centres, individuals, and innovators around the world to develop sustainable and innovative solutions using solar energy to address scarcity of potable water. Overseen by Suqia, under the umbrella of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the award has three main categories: Innovative Projects Award, Innovative Research & Development Award, and Innovative Individual Award, with prizes totalling USD 1 million.
The Innovative Projects Award targets government, semi-government, and non-government organizations. It has two categories: Large Projects Award with prizes worth USD 300,000, and Small Projects Award with prizes worth USD 240,000. The Innovative Research & Development Award targets individuals and teams from academic institutions and research centres that are independent or annexed to government or semi-government organizations. It has two categories: the National Institutions Award and the International Institutions Award with prizes worth USD 200,000 each. The Innovative Individual Award has two categories: the Youth Award, which targets youth between 15 and 35 years old with a prize value of USD 20,000; and the Distinguished Researcher Award with a prize value of USD 40,000. Terms & conditions for applying are available on Suqia’s website (www.suqia.ae). Deadline for receiving applications is 30 June 2019.
“This year’s award builds on the success of the first one in 2017, which attracted 138 participants from 43 countries. We were pleased with the size of participation from young people in the award, which celebrated 10 winners from 8 countries, emphasizing the role of the UAE as a platform for innovation, a destination for innovators, and an incubator for creative minds from around the world,” said Al Tayer.
Al Tayer noted that over 9 million people in 34 countries had benefited from Suqia’s projects by end of 2018.