Competitive funding

International projects

  • Key Environmental monitoring for Polar Latitudes and European Readiness

    Period: from 2019 to 2021
    Funding entity:
    H2020-SPACE-2018
    Ref.:
    H2020-LEIT-SPACE/0473
    Acronym:
    KEPLER
    Amount awarded:
    85628.36€
    Abstract:
    KEPLER is a multi-partner initiative, built around the operational European Ice Services and Copernicus information providers, to prepare a roadmap for Copernicus to deliver an improved European capacity for monitoring and forecasting the Polar Regions. Our motivation is to put the public and stakeholders at the centre of Copernicus. This follows the recommendations of the ‘Copernicus User Uptake’ review, and its 4 themes of:
    1. Raising awareness for the Copernicus programme,
    2. Informing and educating Copernicus users,
    3. Engaging Copernicus users in public and private sector, and
    4. Enabling access to Copernicus data and information.

    These well tailored themes form the core components of KEPLER. However, as the Polar Regions are changing, so too are the challenges and opportunities. Because of these shifts we have included two additional themes that encompass the evolving needs. These are needed to provide opportunities for better understanding the environment, research opportunities, establishing new industry sectors and startups, and importantly empowering citizens:

    1. Identification of research gaps regarding integration/assimilation, and
    2. Improved sea-ice mapping and forecasting.

    Through these 6 themes KEPLER aims to release the full potential of Polar Regions Earth Observation, including from ESA and EUMETSAT, by identifying and eliminating the barriers that impede the use of the tremendous resource that is Copernicus. This combines 2 key elements of the call: a) bringing together key European stakeholders and competent entities, and b) growing the Copernicus brand and user-base through providing enhanced scientific and technical support. Our objective with KEPLER is to provide a mechanism that enables the broad range of Polar Regions stakeholders to be equipped with the most accurate and relevant  environmental information so that they can seize the many benefits that Copernicus products generate for society and economy.

  • DYNACLIM - Ocean DYNAmics reconstruction using remotely sensed variables in two CLIMate hotspots

    Period: from 2019 to 2023
    Funding entity:
    H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
    Ref.:
    H2020-MSCA-IF-EF-CAR/0596
    Acronym:
    DYNACLIM
    Amount awarded:
    259398.72€
    Abstract:

    DYNACLIM project aims to exploit L-band remote sensing salinity products in synergy with surface temperature and sea surface height to better estimate oceanic currents in the Arctic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. To this end, surface quasi-geostrophic methodologies are used to characterize the 3D ocean dynamics.

  • From boreal spring to summer Tropical Atlantic inter-annual variability

    Period: from 2019 to 2021
    Funding entity:
    H2020-MSCA-IF-2017
    Ref.:
    H2020-MSCA-IF-EF-ST/0409
    Acronym:
    FESTIVAL
    Amount awarded:
    158121.60€
    Abstract:

     

    The tropical Atlantic variability is thought to be controlled by two air-sea independent couple modes, denoted as Meridional (MM) and Equatorial Mode (EM). The MM and EM pattern peak in boreal spring and summer respectively, and exhibit pronounced environmental and socioeconomic impacts on the tropical countries. FESTIVAL MSCA-IF-H2020 project (grant agreement 797236) has investigated the connection between the traditional MM and EM, the air-sea mechanisms and oceanic wave activity involved and its multidecadal modulation. The main conclusions achieved during the development of FESTIVAL project are:

    1. Evolving modes, from winter to summer, emerge in the tropical Atlantic basin during the 20th century.

    2. These evolving patterns resemble different (same-phase and opposite-phase) connections between the traditional MM and EM.

    3. Evolving modes interact between each other at inter-decadal time scales along the historical record, associated with natural variability low-frequency variability patterns.

    4. The North Tropical Atlantic SSTs act as a precursor of equatorial Atlantic variability during the whole 20th century, providing significant predictive skill up to 6 months in advance.

    5. Oceanic Rossby waves, boundary-reflected into equatorial Kelvin waves, are the essential mechanism underlying the evolving modes and thus the MM-EM connection.

    6. The effectiveness of the oceanic waves in generating equatorial SST variability during summer months is modulated by the local wind forcing.

    7. The emergence of evolving modes causes a pronounced impact over the precipitation regime over Africa and South-America that substantially changes from winter to summer seasons.

    FESTIVAL results provide, for the first time, an integrated view of the boreal spring and summer interannual variability. The predictor role of North Tropical Atlantic SSTs to develop equatorial Atlantic variability is quite valuable to improve the current seasonal forecast systems. Furthermore, the seasonal varying rainfall patterns induced by the evolving modes over African and South-American countries significantly influence the agricultural practices, which allows the local governments and insurance companies to adapt specific strategies to guarantee a sustained development.

    For more information, please contact: mmartin(at)icm.csic.es; mmartindelrey(at)fis.ucm.es.

    Acknowledgments: This research has been funding by the MSCA-IF-H2020-EU FESTIVAL project, (grant agreement number 797236).

    FESTIVAL summary
  • MONOCLE - Multiscale Observation Networks for Optical monitoring of Coastal waters, Lakes and Estuaries

    Period: from 2018 to 2022
    Funding entity:
    H2020-SC5-2017-OneStageB
    Ref.:
    H2020-CLIMATE/0357
    Acronym:
    MONOCLE
    Amount awarded:
    472710.35€
    Abstract:

    Funded by EU H2020 MONOCLE brings together 12 partners from across Europe to create sustainable in situ observation solutions for Earth Observation (EO) of optical water quality in inland and transitional waters. Developing essential research and technology to lower the cost of acquisition, maintenance, and regular deployment of in situ sensors. The MONOCLE sensor system will establish firm links between operational Earth Observation (EO) and essential environmental monitoring in inland and transitional water bodies. These aquatic ecosystems, which are particularly vulnerable to direct human impacts, represent areas of the weakest performance in current EO capability, despite the major technological advances in recent decades. At the same time, these areas are of great economic importance and are crucial to sustainable food, energy, and clean water supply.

  • PANELFIT - Participatory Approaches to a New Ethical and Legal Framework for ICT

    Period: from 2018 to 2022
    Funding entity:
    H2020-SwafS-2017
    Ref.:
    H2020-SWAFS/0440
    Acronym:
    PANELFIT
    Amount awarded:
    87811.35€
    Abstract:

    PANELFIT will produce a guidelines on the ethical and legal issues (ELI) of information and Communication Technologies (ICT) research and innovation document that will serve as a complete handbook on ethics and law regarding research and innovation activities in the ICT field. It will be produced by a set of initiatives devoted to engaging with concerned scientific, economic, security, and political stakeholders and the involvement of civil society organisations from the very beginning of the project.  Moreover, PANELFIT will produce an outcome - The Code of Conduct for Responsible Research and Innovation - specifically aimed to produce a set of basic ethical standards and guidelines for researchers working in the ICT field that could serve as a day-to-day assessment tool.