The European Commission and the European Space Agency are coordinating complementary research activities to address priority knowledge gaps in climate and Earth system science.
The action builds on The next frontier for climate change science: Insights from the authors of the IPCC 6th assessment report on knowledge gaps and priorities for research, published by the European Commission in 2024. Drawing on the expertise of authors of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, the report identifies priority areas where further research is needed to advance climate science and strengthen the evidence base for effective mitigation and adaptation.
Through the EC–ESA Earth System Science Initiative (ESSI), the European Commission and ESA are bringing together complementary capabilities to address these gaps: Horizon Europe supports collaborative research into fundamental Earth system processes, while ESA’s FutureEO programme advances the use of satellite observations, data products and innovative Earth observation methodologies.
Consortia are now invited to form and hand in proposals for future EC and ESA calls for tenders. Once respective project portfolios are confirmed, a formal alliance kick-off will be organized to discuss and refine practical modalities of cooperation. The alliance partners are invited to propose their own joint activities and outputs. These might include:
- Aligning datasets, scenarios and model assumptions;
- Facilitating access to and uptake of satellite products and related methodologies;
- Coordinating data-management and open science approaches;
- Developing shared outputs such as jointly defined datasets, open tools, joint publications, community standards, assessment contributions and policy briefs.
- Training and capacity building activities, exchange of staff and/or young researchers
Collaboration will evolve with the scientific needs of the participating projects. Further exchanges during Horizon Europe Annual Meetings, relevant scientific workshops and conferences are encouraged, to provide opportunities to identify additional cooperation based on the evolving needs and added value for participating projects.