$1m Global Water Award invites applications

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

The second cycle of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award has been open to receive applications to win total $1 million award in three major categories.

The details of the award were announced by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia) at a press conference in Dubai.

The award was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage research centres, individuals, and innovators around the world to find sustainable and innovative solutions using solar energy to address the 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 $1 million.

Al Tayer made this announcement at a press conference on Wednesday. Members of the Board of Suqia who were present included Fahad Abdelrahman Bin Sultan, Deputy Secretary-General for International Aid in the UAE Red Crescent Authority and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Suqia; Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development & Excellence at DEWA; and Mohammed Abdulkareem Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Suqia.

 “This year’s award is particularly important during the Year of Tolerance, announced by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. The Year of Tolerance is an extension to the Year of Zayed 2018 as it carries the values consolidated by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan who extended a helping hand to the needy all over the world and alleviated human suffering, regardless of gender, race, colour or religion. These principles are carried on by our wise leadership. This year’s award builds on the great success of the first one during the Year of Giving in 2017. We witnessed wide participation and much innovation by global research centres, institutions, and individuals. We received 138 participants from 43 countries around the world. We were also pleased with the size of participation from young people in the award, which celebrated 10 winners from 8 countries, emphasising 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, during the press conference.