TOPIC 1: EUROPEAN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES CAPACITIES AND SERVICES TO ADDRESS EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL CHALLENGES

Specific Challenge: The urgency and the scale of Green Deal challenges require the mobilisation and advancement of world-class scientific capacities and resources such as those offered by European Research Infrastructures. They will contribute to the transition towards a climate neutral Europe, targeting 50% emissions reduction by 2030. As a pilot under Horizon 2020, activities will focus on the provision of research and innovation services for breakthrough research in two priority areas: energy storage and advanced climate/environment observation and monitoring. Expected impacts range from answering short-term needs of thematic European Green Deal objectives to longer-term perspective including Horizon Europe.

Energy storage:
In order to boost the advancement of knowledge and technology in the field of energy storage, European researchers need effective and customised access to the best research infrastructures. The aim of this action is to bring together, integrate on European scale, and open up key national and regional research infrastructures to European researchers from both academia and industry, as well as to develop any missing services, which better fit specific needs for research and technological developments.

Advanced climate/environment observation:
European research infrastructures such as ICOS, ACTRIS and IAGOS1 are key enablers of the knowledge necessary to conceive, develop and assess European policies to address climate change and air pollution. They are essential to observe, understand and predict complex processes of the atmosphere, the concentration and flux of (long-lived) greenhouse gases, the interaction of short-lived atmospheric constituents and air pollutants. They provide sustained long-term, high quality and interoperable data, also used to calibrate satellites, validate or constraint climate models, weather forecasts, air pollution forecasts etc. Yet, these research infrastructures do not cover appropriately “hotspots” such as cities and industry intensive sites (frequently not far from cities) despite their major role: cities and their surrounding are strong emitters of greenhouse gases and air pollutants; due to the high density of population, the impact on citizens’ health is very high. In particular, in situ measurements in and around cities to quantify anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases2 and nanoparticles (with still unknown potential health damage) are lacking.

TOPIC 2: DEVELOPING END-USER PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS AND CITIZENS SUPPORTING CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION

Specific Challenge:
The science underpinning the European Green Deal has outlined what is at stake in terms of the impacts of climate change, the need to adapt to them, and the need to pursue decarbonisation pathways towards net zero. However, the challenges of mitigation and adaptation will ultimately be met by business and investors, government, and citizens. These actors therefore need to be empowered with solutions that are in keeping with scale of the challenge. As today’s planning decisions affect our emissions and resilience for decades ahead, decision-makers need to know which modes of production, consumption and lifestyle are compatible with climate-resilience and pathways achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions still fail, to a large extent, to incorporate social and behavioural factors that would increase efficiency towards our climate goals, and overcome barriers preventing achieving those goals. Scientific research provided a vast variety of information on the climate system, the impacts of climate change at different scales and options for adaptation as well as integrated assessments of mitigation pathways. However, actions are needed for relevant climate adaptation and mitigation practical solutions and information to reach the end users and helping them in building the climate-neutral future they want and address environmental challenges posed by  climate change. Actions are also needed to support the use of climate information in risk management and planning across sectors and regions.

TOPIC 3: A TRANSPARENT AND ACCESSIBLE OCEAN TOWARDS A DIGITAL TWIN OF THE OCEAN

Specific Challenge
Fit for purpose and sustained ocean observations are an essential part of worldwide efforts to understand and protect marine social-ecological systems whilst benefiting from their ecosystem services. Observations can be samples collected on ships, measurements from instruments on fixed platforms, autonomous and drifting systems, submersible platforms, ships at sea or remote observing systems such as satellites and aircrafts. 10-20 years ago, marine data from these observations were difficult to find, only accessible through long and sometimes costly negotiations and hard to put together to create a complete picture because of different standards, nomenclature and baselines. Ocean forecasting was a research activity. In two decades, the European Union invested in policies and infrastructures to make knowledge of the ocean central to environmental and climate policies as well as the blue economy. Its Member States, together with neighbours, have created an unrivalled marine data and forecasting infrastructure. Working together and the principles of free and open access, interoperability, and “measure once, use many times”, largely promoted through, Copernicus, the European Research Framework Programmes FP7 and Horizon 2020, and EMODnet activities have demonstrated clear value. The Digital Twin of the Ocean is the next step, filling the need to integrate a wide range of data sources, to transform data into knowledge and to connect, engage, and empower citizens, governments and industries by providing them with the capacity to inform their decisions. It will empower a shared responsibility to monitor, preserve and enhance marine habitats, and support a sustainable blue economy (fishing, aquaculture, transport, offshore energy, etc.). It should allow assessment of the state of ecosystems, habitats and the impact of human activities; forecasts of their short and long term changes; development of biodiversity conservation strategies; management of sustainable economic activities; assessment of infrastructure vulnerability; development of mitigation, adaptation and replacement plans to deal.

Disclaimer: The presentation of draft topics and the feedback provided shall in under no circumstances bind the European Commission in the final formulation of topics for the call. The binding call text will be published following the formal decision by the European Commission on the Funding and tender opportunities portal. (Source https://ec.europa.eu/)