The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award has strengthened its focus on innovation by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the “creativity and innovation” evaluation criteria for its fifth cycle, reinforcing its commitment to advancing technology-driven solutions for global water challenges.
Announcing the enhancement, H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia UAE), said the move reflects the UAE’s vision to empower creative talent, accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and translate innovative ideas into practical projects that improve quality of life worldwide.
The announcement was made during the Board’s fourth meeting of 2025, chaired by Al Tayer.
The meeting was attended by board members including HE Prof Ebrahim Al Hajri, President of Khalifa University of Science and Technology; Prof Ahmed Ali Al Raeesi, Vice Chancellor of UAE University; Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation at DEWA; Waleed bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA; Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA; and Mohammed Abdulkareem Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Suqia UAE.
Al Tayer highlighted that incorporating AI into the award criteria—backed by a total prize pool of USD 1 million—aims to stimulate investment in artificial intelligence and inspire the development of innovative and sustainable solutions to address the global water crisis.
These solutions include advanced methodologies and systems for drinking water management, improved operational efficiency, enhanced renewable energy storage capacity and reduced unit operational costs.
Evaluators will assess how applicants integrate AI technologies and machine-learning algorithms to enable process automation, proactive monitoring, demand forecasting, materials identification, system design optimisation and other operational enhancements.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award supports innovations that desalinate and purify water using renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric, osmosis and geothermal energy. The award features four main categories:
Innovative Projects Award (Large and Small Projects)
Innovative Research and Development Award (National and International Institutions)
Innovative Individual Award (Distinguished Researcher and Youth Awards)
Innovative Crisis Solutions Award
Each category is evaluated against specific criteria, with creativity and innovation carrying significant weight across all segments. For instance, creativity and innovation account for 30% to 50% of the total score, depending on the category, alongside considerations such as technology design, health and environmental compliance, adaptability to local conditions, cost-effectiveness and scalability.