The CLARA – Climate forecast enabled knowledge services project funded under the EU Horizon 2020 – Research and Innovation program sets to develop a set of leading-edge climate services drawing on the Copernicus seasonal climate forecasts.
Climate variability and change embody sizeable economic, social and environmental risks in Europe and globally. Climate services (CSs) are essential for catalysing economic and societal transformations that not only reduce these risks and/or improve societal resilience, but also unlock Europe’s innovation potential, competitiveness and economic growth. As a part of European efforts to catalyse the potential of climate services for more efficient natural resource management and improved disaster risk management and resilience, the CLARA project will boost innovation and uptake of climate services based on front line seasonal forecasts and climate projections.

Building upon the advancements in climate modelling and science in the context of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the CLARA project will illustrate genuine benefits and economic value of CSs in the face of climate variability and short-term climate change. A portfolio of user co-designed and co-developed climate services will help to improve policy and decision makings in the five priority areas: disaster risk reduction, water resource management, agriculture and food (security), renewable energy sources, and public health. Carefully designed business and marketing strategies will promote their uptake, help to energise the European market with climate services, and foster the European innovation potential.

CLARA will run for three years and involves 11 partners from six countries across Europe. The kick-off meeting was held on 19-21 June 2017 in Venice, at the premises of the CMCC Foundation – Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change, the coordinating entity of the project. Over the next few months a series of open webinars on various aspects of climate services is being organised and the first workshop of the European user forum established for the purpose of the project will be held early in 2018.

For more information, visit the project website.