Andreas Stohl of the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics is part of the Consortium of a new European network for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences – Edu4Climate, which is coordinated by the Climate and Atmosphere Research Center of Excellence (CARE-C) of the Cyprus Institute. During its 4-year duration, Edu4Climate will also lead capacity-building actions.

Recognizing the urgent need to address the unfolding climate crisis, twelve Higher Education Institutions from six EU countries join forces on a European Excellence Initiative Network for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences: Within a 4-year project funded with 2 million Euros by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe coordination & Support Action (CSA) “European Excellence Initiative” (EEI) programme, Edu4Climate will establish a European Higher Education Institutions Network for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences.

Small-time window to implement solutions

It has been estimated that mankind has a relatively small-time window – if time is left at all! – in which to implement solutions to the challenge of climate change. And air quality and pollution is a problem that is evolving rapidly, too: “There are strong connections between climate change and air pollution – above all, climate forcers and air pollutants often originate from the same sources”, explains Andreas Stohl from the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics at the University of Vienna.

Climate forcers and air pollutants often originate from the same sources

“Therefore it is logical to combine the goals of limiting climate change and reducing air pollution, which is responsible for about 7 million deaths each year worldwide according to the World Health Organization”, says Stohl, who is head of VINAR, the Vienna Network of Atmospheric Research and now also part of the Edu4Climate Consortium.

During its 4-year duration, Edu4Climate will lead capacity-building actions in several European and widening countries, strengthen the Higher Education European networks and their cooperation with surrounding national ecosystems and foster research & innovation activities to address challenges relating to air pollution and climate change. “This will be done also in support of the EU Green Deal, and with a specific focus on the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East”, explains Stohl.

Global climate change “hotspot”

The Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region (EMME), a region within and surrounding the EU, is experiencing rapid population growth, has a complex socio-political landscape and has been recognized as a global climate change “hotspot”. As such, the EMME region holds strategic significance for the success of EU and global climate efforts to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. “It is therefore important to understand both the sources of climate forcers in this region, as well as the processes leading to climate change there, especially also considering extreme events”, adds Stohl.

Edu4ClimAte will engage Advanced European Partners to strengthen the scientific excellence of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from twin islands of sister countries (Greece, Cyprus) with a view to establish a “regional hub of knowledge” in air pollution and climate change research and innovative solutions, engaging their respective surrounding ecosystems from the quadruple helix in addressing societal challenges over the wider EMME.

About the project

• Founding: European Commission’s Horizon Europe Coordination & Support Action (CSA) “European Excellence Initiative” (EEI) programme (under grant agreement no. 101071247)
• Lead: The Cyprus Institute
• PI Univie: Andreas Stohl
• Project title: European Higher Education Institutions Network for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (Edu4ClimAte)
• Project start date: 1 October 2022
• Project duration: 4 years

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.