Category: News

Food, Health, and Environmental RIs tackle emerging priorities

The FHERITALE project (Food, Health and Environment Research Infrastructures to Tackle Emerging Priorities) aims to help shape a more integrated European research landscape for the study of artificial materials, including micro- and nanoplastics, bioplastics, plastic additives and engineered particles.

A key goal of the project is to move beyond fragmented approaches and support coordinated, cross-domain services that connect food systems, environmental monitoring and human health within a shared One Health perspective. As such we have began developing a directory of Research Infrastructure services, many from the ENVRI community, to help inform researchers of the inter-disciplinary approaches that are available to them.

For more information visit https://fheritale.eu/survey-outcomes

If you think you provide a service not represented in the survey results, contact us via fheritale@instruct-eric.org

ENVRINNOV- Two training sessions coming in 2026!

Following the success of our first session on “ENVRI and Industry: How to Better Collaborate for Innovation”, we are excited to announce two new training sessions, within the context of the ENVRINNOV project, designed to enhance knowledge and expertise in innovation and technology transfer within research infrastructures. The training will be given by Mrs Marie-Aude RICHARD, professional trainer at Réseau C.U.R.I.E.,  a French network uniting stakeholders in the valorization of French public research.

Trainer’s profile : LinkedIn

Session 1 – 24 February 2026 1:30pm – 3:30 pm CET (online) – Innovation Management in Research Infrastructures

Topics Covered:
● Introduction to Innovation in European Research Infrastructures
● From Research Results to Impacts: Key Concepts
● Mapping Innovation Potential within Collaborative Projects
● Key Principles of Technology Transfer

Session 2 – May 2026, EGU, Vienna (on site) – Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer

Topics Covered:
● Overview of Intellectual Property Rights
● Intellectual Property Management in Publicly Funded Research
● The Technology Transfer Process
● Case Studies

These sessions are designed to equip you with practical knowledge and tools to navigate the evolving landscape of research innovation. Whether you join us online in February or in person at EGU 2026, we look forward to exploring these critical topics with you!

Registration is open for the online session (link to form). We can’t wait to see you there!

ENVRI Innovation Map presented at the ENVRI board meeting

Representatives of CARE-C at the Cyprus Institute, who lead the coordination of the ENVRINNOV project, recently presented the first version of the ENVRI Innovation Roadmap to the European Environmental Research Infrastructures (ENVRI) board at a meeting held on 7 October 2025 in Marseille, France.

More specifically, the Director of CARE-C, Prof Jean Sciare and the Centre’s managing coordinator Mrs Marina Papageorgiou, presented the initial ENVRI innovation Roadmap, including the ENVRI Innovation Hub (EIH), developed by the ENVRINNOV consortium.

The Innovation Map aims to provide a shared direction for strengthening the innovation capacity, visibility, and impact of the Environmental Research Infrastructures (ENVRI) community. It outlines the steps towards more coordinated action to support the development and uptake of new technologies, services, and tools that address the evolving needs of science, policy, and industry.  To achieve this, the establishment of the ENVRI Innovation Hub EIH) is essential, in order to set up a shared support structure, which can provide flexible, tailored innovation management, facilitation, and support services that reflect the diverse and evolving needs of the ENVRI community.

During the meeting, in which several different Research Infrastructures (RIs) across Europe took part, attendees provided initial feedback and agreed next steps.

The ENVRI Board is the core, representative body of the ENVRI Community, formally established in July 2024 to replace its predecessor, BEERi. It brings together research infrastructures (RIs) across Europe that meet specific criteria—such as being operational, multi-national, and/or part of the ESFRI Roadmap. Its main roles are to coordinate and promote ENVRI activities, serve as a “go-to” advisory body for expert advice, facilitate interaction among RI directors, and liaise with key stakeholders, including the European Commission, Parliament, and international bodies. The Board also works to highlight how the work of its member RIs connects with policy, to stimulate collaboration across clusters, and to strengthen shared practices in environmental research infrastructures.

“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or REA. Neither the European Union, nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”

ENVRINNOV leads session at the 2025 INTERGEO Conference

As part of ENVRINNOV’s mission to establish synergies with key actors of the Research and Innovation ecosystem, and plan for the successful implementation of the ENVRI Innovation Roadmap, project partners took part in the INTERGEO Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, on 7 October 2025.

The ENVRINNOV-led session brought together experts from European environmental research infrastructures to discuss how long-term environmental data can be better integrated into geospatial applications, supporting science-based decision-making and sustainable development.

The session, hosted by Mariana Salgado (ICOS ERIC), included talks by three experts from leading Environmental Research Infrastructures (ENVRIs):

    • Jaana Bäck (eLTER RI) – ‘Long-term ecosystem data for geospatial applications’
    • Tuukka Petäjä (ACTRIS ERIC) – ‘Atmospheric data and remote sensing synergies’
    • Leo Rivier (ICOS ERIC) – ‘Carbon flux data validation’

Together, the speakers showcased how ENVRIs contribute to advancing open science and innovation in the geospatial domain. Their presentations addressed three main themes:

  1. What ENVRIs offer: Open-data principles and the diversity of research infrastructures, such as ICOS’s flux towers, ACTRIS’s aerosol observations, and eLTER’s long-term ecosystem monitoring.
  2. Data and project highlights: Live demonstrations of key geospatially relevant datasets and current innovation projects.
  3. Innovation gaps and opportunities: How the geodesy and geoinformation communities can further leverage ENVRI data beyond academia—for example, in commercial applications.

Following the presentations, participants took part in the interactive “Hack the ENVRI DATA” challenge, proposing practical applications of ENVRI data — from urban planning to precision agriculture. The exercise encouraged lively discussion on data accessibility, usability, and opportunities for closer collaboration between environmental and geospatial communities.

INTERGEO is the world’s leading trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation, and land management, offering a key platform for cross-sector exchange and innovation.

The session was jointly organised by ICOS, eLTER, and ACTRIS under the umbrella of the ENVRINNOV project. By demonstrating the potential of shared data and tools, the ENVRINNOV session at INTERGEO 2025 showcased how greater cooperation between the environmental and geospatial sectors can lead to new insights and better-informed decisions for a sustainable future.

 

 

“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or REA. Neither the European Union, nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”

 

Towards an Integrated Future for Environmental Science: ENVRI-Hub NEXT Reaches 18-Month Milestone

The ENVRI-Hub NEXT project has completed its first 18 months, marking a significant milestone in the development of the next-generation open-access platform for Europe’s environmental research infrastructures (RIs). Since February 2024, the project has transitioned from planning to active implementation, laying a robust technical and collaborative foundation for a more integrated and powerful environmental science community.

“Reaching this 18-month milestone is a testament to the incredible collaboration across our consortium,” said Marta Gutierrez, EGI Foundation, ENVRI-Hub NEXT Project Director. “We have successfully established the foundations for an integrated and operational ENVRI-HUB offering the best of what environmental RIs and e-infrastructures have to offer together”

This milestone reflects the hard work of the entire consortium and the growing engagement of our community. Here’s a look at some of the key achievements.

Solid Technical Foundations: The Hub Takes Shape

A major focus of this period has been the agile development and integration of the core services that will form the operational ENVRI-Hub.

  • A Refreshed and Cohesive Gateway: Work is underway to harmonise the ENVRI-Hub central gateway. This update will better showcase the latest developments from individual components like the Catalogue of Services and Knowledge Base, providing the community with a simpler and more intuitive point of entry to the entire ENVRI-Hub ecosystem.
  • A Unified Entry Point for Data and Services: The Catalogue of Services (CoS) has been significantly expanded and enhanced. It now provides a centralised, FAIR-compliant gateway to discover and access data and services from across the ENVRI cluster. New features include an API library for developers and a user-friendly graphical interface, making it easier than ever to find the resources you need.
  • Smarter Discovery with AI: The ENVRI Knowledge Base has been upgraded with a new, modern architecture. It now indexes a vast amount of content from participating RIs and is pioneering the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) to power a dialogue-based search. This allows you to ask complex, natural language questions to find relevant research assets, publications, and datasets.
  • Streamlined Access to Essential Climate Variables (ECVs): A cornerstone of our mission is to facilitate research on climate change. We have developed a dedicated ECV-data-access Python library and integrated ECV-focused functionalities directly into the CoS. This enables researchers to quickly filter and access services and data related to specific Essential Climate Variables, streamlining the path from data discovery to analysis.
  • An Analytical Playground for Researchers: The project has deployed a containerised Analytical Framework, providing a flexible JupyterHub-based environment. This “Virtual Research Environment” (VRE) allows our developers and test users to compose and execute analytical workflows using data and services from multiple RIs seamlessly. The envrihub Python library is the central development, offering a unified, programmatic way to interact with the Hub’s resources directly from code.
  • In addition, we explored the technical feasibility of integrating the ENVRI-Hub and its components with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), and we are currently in talks with the EOSC Beyond project to take this task one step further.

A Growing and Engaged Community

Technology is only one part of the equation. A successful Hub is built with and for its users.

Launch of the ENVRI-Hub User Group: In February 2025, we officially launched the ENVRI-Hub User Group, which has already grown to include over 50 members from diverse backgrounds. This group is vital for the co-creation of the Hub, providing early feedback to ensure our development meets real-world needs. The first official online meeting was held on 25 September 2025.

A Cohesive ENVRI Identity and Presence: We have consolidated the ENVRI branding and given the ENVRI Community website a visual update, creating a central, recognisable home for all our activities. In collaboration with our sister project ENVRINNOV, we jointly manage communication channels. This includes the ENVRI newsletter and our social media presence, which has now moved its primary engagement to LinkedIn and Bluesky. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest project updates, news, and opportunities to engage with the community.

A Strong Presence at Major Events: ENVRI-Hub NEXT helped coordinate the successful joint ENVRI Community booth and scientific sessions at the EGU General Assembly 2025 in Vienna, showcasing the power of our collaborative community to thousands of researchers. The booth featured representatives from a wide range of ENVRI-related projects.

We have also initiated our public training activities in May, with a joint webinar co-organised with the EOSC-EVERSE project on “Research Software Quality Assessment”, and expect to host more in the coming months.

The Road Ahead: From Staging to Production

The first 18 months have set the stage for an exciting future. Ulrich Bundke, FZJ, ENVRI-Hub NEXT Technical Coordinator, added: “The successful staging deployment proves our technical architecture is sound. In the next phase, we will focus on hardening this environment for production, adding more content and starting public operations.” 

As we move into the second half of the project, we will focus on refining these services based on your feedback, onboarding more data and services, and preparing for a wider public release.

This progress is a testament to the power of collaboration. We extend a huge thank you to all the project partners, RIs, and community members who have contributed to this journey.

Explore Further:

2nd IRISCC Open Call for Access – Opening September 29, 2025!

The 2nd IRISCC Open Call will open on September 29, 2025, giving researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals the opportunity to access world-class research infrastructure services and facilities addressing climate change-driven risks.

Call Timeline:

  • Opens: September 29, 2025

  • Closes: November 28, 2025

Scope: General (non-thematic) – proposals are welcome from all sectors, including academia, government, and industry.

About the Call

Following the success of the first call, this round continues to offer access to leading research infrastructures across Europe. Participants can explore a wide range of services supporting research on hazards, exposure, and vulnerabilities related to climate risks.

ENVRI community Research Infrastructures participating include IAGOS, ACTRIS, AnaEE, EMBRC, eLTER, ICOS, IS-ENES, SeaDataNet.

In addition, you can access services from other RIs and domains such as EIRENE-RI, D4Science, EGI, ECMWF, OPTED and GESIS.

Check out all the RIs offering services through IRISCC: https://www.iriscc.eu/partners/

Funded by the European Union, IRISCC facilitates sponsored access to top research infrastructures to advance climate risk research.

🔍 Browse the Catalogue of Services: Catalogue of Services
📣 Apply to the Open Call: Open Calls

Access Modes

IRISCC offers three main access options:

  1. Transnational Access (TA) (Physical, Remote, Hybrid)

    • Submit a proposal through the Open Call.

    • Selected projects receive full access to facilities, platforms, and expert support.

    • Travel and subsistence funding up to €2000 per proposal.

  2. Virtual Access (VA)

    • Available anytime without a proposal.

    • Access high-quality datasets, virtual platforms, and analytical tools remotely.

  3. Fast-Track Access

    • Continuous submissions for Emergencies & Ukrainian Researchers.

    • Swift evaluation process for urgent access to critical infrastructures.

How to Apply

  1. Check Eligibility – Ensure you meet the criteria in our Handbook.

  2. Explore the Catalogue of Services – Browse available services and confirm feasibility with service managers.

  3. Submit Your Application:

  4. Use the Services & Make an Impact – Contribute to solutions for climate risk adaptation and mitigation.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications are assessed on:

  • Scientific & technical relevance

  • Novelty and innovation

  • Implementation quality

  • Bonus: cross-infrastructure collaboration

What’s Covered:

  • Full access to IRISCC services, installations, and data

  • Travel & subsistence up to €2000 per accepted proposal

This is a unique opportunity for anyone interested in cutting-edge infrastructure for climate-related studies, including marine, atmospheric, ecosystem, and environmental research.

Visit www.iriscc.eu to learn more and apply.

ENVRINNOV- Videos of Innovation Strategy Pilot Cases published

As part of the ENVRINNOV’s project mission to develop an Innovation Roadmap for the ENVRI community, outlining strategies and mechanisms to strengthen collaboration among key innovation stakeholders in the co-creation of new technologies and services, four pilot case studies were conducted.

These pilots, carried out by five Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) in the Atmosphere, Biosphere, and Geosphere domains, served as practical demonstrations of how collaborative innovation can be implemented across subdomains.

All pilot cases have been successfully completed (more details here) and an informative video has been developed by the respective organisation, for each case study. You can find all videos below:

 

  • Pilot Case: “Drone-sensor system to detect and quantify methane emissions” (led by CEA and the Cyprus Institute).

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsXfQUeHjZo&

  • Pilot Case: “Development of multi-function electronics to control in-situ instruments for trace species detection” (led by KIT)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5S84iGamXM

  • Pilot Case: “Scientific services – Atmosphere “(Led by University of Helsinki)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mQ0dXKr2E0

  • Pilot Case: “Scientific services – Biosphere, targeting the scientific community’s need for better estimates of environmental impacts of drought stress to ecosystem productivity” (Led by University of Helsinki)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pyhXyglEAQ

  • Pilot Case: “Intra-RI Technological Development”: facilitating the development of interoperable/harmonized technologies by RIs and their effective transfer within ENVRIs “(Led by UFZ)

Link: https://youtu.be/hLqu6Q_xZTg

ENVRI Community RIs Offer Access Through IRISCC Open Call for Climate Risks Research

Several ENVRI community Research Infrastructures — including IAGOS, ACTRIS,  AnaEE, EMBRC, eLTER , ICOS, IS-ENES and SeaDataNet — are proud to offer their services through the IRISCC (Integrated Research Infrastructure Services for Climate Change risks) project.

Funded by the European Union, IRISCC supports climate risk research by providing sponsored access to leading RIs and their facilities across Europe.

🔍 Browse the Catalogue of Services:
https://www.iriscc.eu/catalogue-of-services

📣 Apply to the First Open Call:
https://www.iriscc.eu/open-calls

What’s Included:

  • Access to research facilities, platforms, and data

  • Transnational (physical, remote, hybrid) and Virtual access modes

  • Travel and subsistence support (up to €2000 per proposal)

  • Open to researchers, policymakers, and other eligible stakeholders

This is a unique opportunity for anyone interested in accessing cutting-edge infrastructure for climate-related studies, especially in marine, atmospheric, ecosystem, and environmental domains.

Visit www.iriscc.eu to learn more and apply today.

ENVRINNOV Training Session at EGU2025 Highlights Innovation potential of ENVRI-Industry Collaboration

The ENVRINNOV (ENVIronment Research infrastructures INNOVation Roadmap) project partners, led by CNRS, successfully organised a training session entitled “Environmental Research Infrastructures and Industry: How Can We Better Collaborate for Innovation?” during the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2025, which took place in Vienna, Austria on 30 April 2025.

The session featured interactive discussions, including an ice-breaker quiz, a “tour de table” exchange, and presentations of success stories. Participants examined the role of research infrastructures in fostering innovation, shared insights from industry collaborations, and identified challenges and enablers based on experiences from previous projects.

Speakers included:

  • International Cooperation officer at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) Dr Ariane Dubost, who presented key insights from the ENVRI-FAIR meeting on language challenges.
  • Management Coordinator at the Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) of the Cyprus Institute (CyI) Marina Papageorgiou who focused on the role of Research Infrastructures (Ris) in Innovation and how he ENVRINNOV project can support ENVRIs in their innovation process.
  • Communication Officer at EMSO ERIC Sara Pero, who introduced the Physical Access to the RI and facilitated the presentation of success stories of collaboration between the industry and RIs and
  • Industry experts, Sales Engineer at Droplet Measurement Technologies, Adrien Danner, Chief Scientific Officer at Seagrass Blue, Craig Syms, and Project Manager and Senior Oceanographer Marc Lucas from CLS Group, who discussed their experience collaborating with RIs

During the training, over thirty participants were able to develop their knowledge in the field of innovation and collaboration. Attendees were encouraged to engage in ongoing dialogues and contribute to shaping the future of environmental research and innovation.

This  was the first of a series of capacity-building activities designed to promote a shared understanding of innovation processes within the ENVRI ecosystem. For more information and to participate in upcoming activities, please visit: bit.ly/contact_envrinnov

 

“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or REA. Neither the European Union, nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”

Open Position! AnaEE-ERIC – Data and Modelling Scientist

AnaEE-ERIC is currently looking for a Data and Modelling Scientist to lead our Data and Modelling Centre (DMC) in Rome, Italy – at the beautiful setting of CREA’s Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Engineering.

Application DL: April 17th

What You’ll Do:

  • Develop cutting-edge tools and virtual services for the ecological research community
  • Implement FAIR data standards and train facility managers across Europe
  • Represent AnaEE-ERIC at international conferences and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams
  • Contribute to EU Horizon Europe projects and proposals
  • Be the vital link between AnaEE-ERIC and CREA

The Ideal Candidate:

  • Has 3+ years of post-graduate experience in data management, modelling, or engineering
  • Demonstrates independent research capabilities and problem-solving skills
  • Excels in collaborative environments with strong communication skills
  • Possesses operational knowledge of DevOps, database management, and programming fundamentals
  • Is ready to travel across Europe and work in an international setting

For more information visit Working at AnaEE: anaee.eu

For more information, go to CREA’s website (in Italian): AnaEE-DMC job