The Climate & Atmosphere Research Center of Excellence of the Cyprus Institute to lead European Excellence Initiative Network for Climate & Atmospheric Sciences

The Cyprus Institute’s (CyI) Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) successfully led a strategic proposal for the establishment of a European Higher Education Institutions Network for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences through the Edu4Climate project.

Edu4Climate received funding of €2 million from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe “European Excellence Initiative” (EEI) programme, to lead capacity-building actions in Cyprus and Greece, the strengthening of their Higher Education European networks and their cooperation with surrounding national ecosystems, on research & innovation activities to address challenges relating to air pollution and climate change in support of the EU Green Deal, with a specific focus on the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME). The EMME is a region within and surrounding the EU, that has been recognized as a global climate change “hotspot”, and as such, it holds strategic significance for the success of EU and global climate efforts to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Recognizing the urgent need to address the unfolding climate crisis, Edu4Climate will work towards forming a European Universities Alliance that will act as a regional hub to advance scientific knowledge and develop innovative climate solutions.  

To achieve its ambitious objectives, the Edu4Climate Consortium brings together twelve (12) Partners from six (6) EU countries – Cyprus, Greece, France, Austria, Finland and Germany. In addition to CyI’s CARE-C, which is acting as the Coordinator, this includes the following Higher Education Institutions: the University of Crete (Greece), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France), Universität Wien (Austria), the University of Helsinki (Finland) and the University of Bremen (Germany); Public bodies, the Department of Labour Inspection (DLI) of the Cyprus Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance, the Municipality of Aglantzia (Cyprus) and the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos (Greece); and SMEs Raymetrics (Greece), ADITESS Ltd (Cyprus) and Altus Ltd (Greece). The Consortium also takes advantage of the scientific regional networks of CARE-C in the EMME region.

Starting in October 2022, and during the project’s four-year duration, Edu4ClimAte will engage its European Partners to strengthen and align their respective Educational and Training programs in Climate and Atmosphere science, establish new impact-oriented Research Infrastructures on decarbonization and atmospheric model prediction, and co-develop innovative environmental products and services with their respective surrounding ecosystems to address climate-relevant challenges across the EMME region. Edu4ClimAte will enhance local, regional, and international clusters led by its consortium to build the foundations for an inclusive European Universities Alliance in Climate & Atmospheric Sciences to support the EU Green Deal ambition and its regional challenges, as well as train and educate the next generation of researchers and innovators to achieve the EU long-term 2050 climate-neutrality objectives.