ChallengeON

CHALLENGE STATEMENT

How might we design a scalable, low-cost seed-carrier that can be deployed by drone to reliably establish vegetation in the desert and arid landscapes of the UAE?

This challenge calls on startups, researchers, students and technology providers from around the world to design a seed-carrier solution that addresses a clearly defined ecological and operational challenge: restoring vegetation in extreme desert environments via scalable, drone-based seeding.

Participants are expected to deliver solutions that demonstrate germination performance, environmental durability, cost-efficiency, and readiness for integration with Nabat’s UAV platform. Drawing on proven agritech and materials-science techniques is encouraged, but proposals should clearly articulate how their approach improves on existing seed-carrier mechanisms.

The objective is to identify a scalable, field-ready seed-carrier that can be manufactured at low cost and deployed at scale to support long-term desert vegetation restoration.

Challenge Statement

How might we develop a low-cost UAV-deployable seed carrier that accommodates multiple native UAE seeds of varying sizes and that significantly enhances vegetation establishment in desert and arid environments?

Solutions must demonstrate tangible improvements in germination, breaking seed dormancy and early-stage survival by overcoming environmental stresses such as extreme heat, wind exposure, water scarcity, poor and saline soils, as well as seed predation. The seed carrier must be designed for scalability and cost-effective production.

Background of the Problem

Nabat has identified a specific gap within UAV-based desert vegetation restoration that requires innovation beyond existing seed-carrier mechanisms.

Currently, traditional planting methods are slow, costly, and often ineffective in desert and arid regions such as the UAE, where extreme heat, water scarcity, poor and saline soils, and seed predation severely limit germination and early plant survival. While UAV-based seeding offers a scalable alternative, the seed-carrier mechanism itself needs improvement to boost establishment rates and provide better anchorage and early-stage survival.

This challenge aims to surface new materials, formulations, designs, biological approaches and assembly mechanisms that can improve germination, break seed dormancy, and support early-stage survival — while remaining practical, low-cost, and deployable at scale.

Technical & Solution Requirements

Proposed solutions should, where applicable:

Planting Conditions: be suitable for variable ranges of temperature, humidity, solar intensity, salinity, soil type, and irrigation requirement
Target Species: 2 seed mixes with 3 species per mix (see table below); participants to determine the ratio of species per mix
Environmental Compliance: biodegradable, non-toxic, and safe (no microplastics); meeting desert requirements
Seed-Carrier Compatibility with the Nabat UAV platform: 2.5–3 cm diameter, compatible with the Nabat UAV platform. The seed carrier can be spherical, oval / egg-shaped, cylindrical, disk-like, etc., as long as the dimension is within the specified limit.
Loading & Handling: compatible with Nabat’s drone loading process; the carrier must not degrade during pre-flight handling or loading on the UAV
Impact Resistance: structural integrity during aerial deployment from the Nabat platform, at an expected drop height of 12–15 metres

Species (Scientific)	Family	Life Strategy	Dormancy Type	Seed Size (cm)	~1000-Seed Weight (g)
Mix A
Eremobium aegyptiacum	Brassicaceae	Annual ephemeral	None / physiological	0.05–0.10	0.18
Cyperus conglomeratus	Cyperaceae	Perennial sedge	Minimal / epigeic	0.10–0.20	0.42
Stipagrostis plumosa	Poaceae	Perennial grass	Shallow physiological	0.20–0.30 (caryopsis)	0.85
Mix B
Panicum turgidum	Poaceae	Perennial grass	Minimal	0.20–0.30	1.52
Calligonum comosum	Polygonaceae	Perennial shrub	Physical (hard seed coat)	0.20–0.60	2.98
Haloxylon salicornicum	Amaranthaceae	Perennial shrub	Short physiological	0.20–0.30	1.24

Proposed native seed species across the two seed mixes (2 mixes × 3 species). Participants will specify the seed ratio per species per carrier.

Participants should specify how many seeds per species per seed-carrier.

Solutions may range from prototype-stage to production-ready designs, but must clearly articulate a credible path to producing a ready-to-deploy seed-carrier in time for field validation in January and February 2027.

Commercial & Cost Considerations

Participants are expected to provide:

Indicative cost per seed-carrier, targeting ≤ AED 0.4
Key cost drivers and the assumptions behind the pricing
Production capacity and scalability over a 5-year horizon

Solutions with the potential for cross-regional scalability across other desert and arid environments are highly encouraged.

Scoring Criteria

During Proposal Solicitation (Phase 1), proposals are scored against five weighted criteria:

Overall Quality & Sustainability of the Solution
Germination Effectiveness
Cost Effectiveness
Integration with Nabat UAV
Production / Scalability

During the Video Pitch (Phase 2), videos are scored on:

Experience / Track Record — the rationale behind the solution and the history of its development, the success rate to date, and whether it has already been deployed and tested in desert or arid conditions
Team Competence / Confidence — whether evaluators are confident in the team’s ability to deliver

During Solution Validation & Holistic Review (Phase 3), each solution is scored after validation on:

Germination Effectiveness — did the solution achieve significantly high germination, at a rate higher than that of adjacent reference areas?
Integration with Nabat UAV — could the seed-carrier be deployed by Nabat’s UAV platform?

Other Considerations

IP Ownership: non-exclusive, perpetual licence

The winner keeps ownership of the IP and can continue to commercialise, license, or sell it to anyone.
The sponsor receives permission to use the technology, but the winner can grant the same rights to others.
A post-competition discussion regarding an exclusive licence may take place, and may be a prerequisite for prize disbursement.

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