Future Earth is pleased to announce a call for proposals of Research demonstrators for COP–26, in a partnership between Future Earth and the European Space Agency.

This is an open call to the Future Earth community for the production of research demonstrators to strengthen the impact of Future Earth science at the UNFCCC COP-26 meeting. Up to €25,000 is available per project to show how research data can be used in a real-world situation by end users, to make an impact on policy and/or as a step towards commercial or operational uptake of the research.

Click here for the full text including eligibility, requirements and application instructions. Of particular note is the requirement that proposals include the use of ESA CCI data, and that lead applicants represent the Future Earth Global Research Projects (GRPs) and Knowledge Action Networks (KANs) as active members, obtaining a letter of support from their GRP or KAN International Project Office.

Thematic areas for this solicitation cover the themes of the COP-26 meeting:

• Adaptation and resilience
• Nature and safeguarding of ecosystems
• Energy transition
• Zero carbon road transport

The deadline for applications is 11 May 2020. We are aware of the postponement of COP26. This call with the published deadlines will go ahead as planned with an extended delivery window to February 2021.

Applications must be sent via email to the ESA-Future Earth Joint Programme liaison, Sophie Hebden: sophie.hebden@esa.int.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Future Earth have partnered to facilitate the development and uptake of Earth observation data by Future Earth’s research networks. It links to ESA’s Climate Office, which manages development of a suite of Essential Climate Variable (ECV) data products in response to the UNFCCC’s need for systematic observations of the climate system. ECV dataset families developed as part of ESA’s Climate Change Initiative (CCI) programme include: Aerosol, Biomass, Cloud, Fire, Glaciers, Greenhouse gases (CO₂, CH₄), Ice Sheets, Land Cover, Ocean Colour, Ozone, Permafrost, Sea Ice, Sea Level, Sea Surface Salinity, Sea State, Sea Surface Temperature, and Soil Moisture. They are freely available through the CCI Open Data Portal, and can be manipulated and analysed using the CCI Toolbox.