A policymaker faces a tough decision about allocating resources for flood protection. A citizen checks their phone, wondering if the heatwave alert should be taken seriously. A farmer walks across a dry field, unsure whether irrigating again is worth it. A child asks why the weather keeps changing so much.
What all of them need is not just weather updates, but climate information that is actionable, timely, and trusted – and above all, meaningful knowledge. Climate services are not just forecasts: they are the bridge between science and society, helping individuals and institutions make better decisions in a changing world.
This is the mission of the ClearClimate project: making climate information services more human-centred, accessible, and ready for action.
On 14 April 2025, project partners met in Novi Sad, Serbia, for the midterm meeting – a moment to take stock of progress and shape the way forward. The meeting was a vibrant space to exchange ideas, present emerging results, and reconnect with the project’s vision, with the support of project advisor Nancy Dzokoto-Pomenya from the REA.
During the sessions, partners shared progress in several areas:
- understanding the needs of diverse user groups,
- designing AI-based solutions to improve the accuracy of climate data,
- developing narrative approaches to communicate climate extremes,
- strengthening connections between mobility experiences and co-created knowledge.
After two years, ClearClimate’s objectives remain highly relevant. This is evident in the alignment with Climateurope2, another EU-funded project working on the standardisation of Climate Services Information (CSI). ClearClimate contributes especially to Key Message 5: the need to define minimum quality standards for climate services – both for providers and users – by fostering participatory design and real-user testing.
One of ClearClimate’s greatest strengths is its diversity. Researchers and professionals move across institutions and countries, creating opportunities for mutual learning and co-developing practical solutions. This is especially relevant in South-East Europe, where the availability of climate services is still limited but the potential for improvement is high.
Through trainings, workshops, and informal exchanges like lunchtime talks, the project also invests in transversal skills – including communication, ethics, and interdisciplinary collaboration. These are essential to bring climate innovation out of the lab and into the hands of people.
Among the recent activities, CESIE led the delivery of the first Soft Skills Training, titled “Collaborative work in the 5-helix model: citizen engagement, co-creation, and RRI experiences.”
This training explored how to integrate Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) into climate action, making services more inclusive and relevant to daily life. CESIE shared its experience in bridging research and society, co-creating for sustainable cities, and using gamification techniques.
Participants also previewed the ClearClimate board game, “Our Sustainable Planet”, designed to raise awareness – especially among children – about climate change and collective responsibility.
As part of the first project phase, CESIE supported two key staff secondments:
- Ginevra Passiglia explored global trends in climate education, focusing on the state of the field in Italy and Sicily, and the potential of AI for environmental education.
- Valerio Margiotta carried out an in-depth review of literature on Climate Information Services and agroecology, identifying current and potential market demand and application in Sicily.
As ClearClimate enters its second half, it focuses on improving tools in real-world contexts. The goal is to strengthen not only the scientific quality of climate services, but also their usability and relevance for a wide range of users, including citizens, policy makers, educators, researchers and farmers.
About the project
ClearClimate – Engaging approaches and services for meaningful climate actions is a project funded by European Research Executive Agency (REA), Horizon Europe, MSCA Staff Exchanges 2022.
Partners
- University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences (Serbia) – Coordinator
- Wageningen University (Netherlands)
- Loughborough University (United Kingdom)
- Universitat Autonoma De Barcelona (Spain)
- Swps Uniwersytet (Poland)
- Climate Adaptation Services (Netherlands)
- Predictia Intelligent Data Solutions (Spain)
- University for Development Studies (Ghana)
- Previsico LTD (United Kingdom)
- CESIE (Italy)
For further information
Read more about the project, visit the web site https://clear-climate.com/ and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin.
Contact Caterina Impastato: caterina.impastato@cesie.org.
