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CIRCLE's scope

The scope of CIRCLE

Climate change is increasingly seen as one of the world's major challenges of the 21st century, and Europe is taking a leading role in responding to it. Whatever the success of mitigating climate change may be, certain impacts are unavoidable and European countries will need to adapt to these impacts, depending on the particular vulnerabilities and exposures in the different regions of Europe.

Their adaptation response must be informed by a coherent body of research and it is CIRCLE´s prime objective to contribute to such efforts by aligning national research programmes. This process will be a strong support for the overall goal: Implementing a European Research Area (ERA) for the field of climate change.

Final and Outlook Conference in Vienna

From the 9th to 10th of September 2009 the Final and Outlook Conference in the hotel Modul highlights the outcomes and achievements of the CIRCLE Partners and Observers to develop a European Research Area (ERA), closing the first phase of the CIRCLE project and giving an outlook on the future direction of a second generation CIRCLE project.

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CIRCLE started in summer 2004 and will extend its activities within the ERA-Net frame for 2005-2009.

CIRCLE countries black: contractors grey: further partners

Choosing the way to go

The CIRCLE research programmes have different scientific scope, background and administrative structure. The identification of differences and similarities by analysing various national research programmes in the field of climate impacts and adaptation measures is a major goal of CIRCLE SSA. First results are now available.

First results

They form the basis for trans-national cooperation within Europe in the field of climate change. CIRCLE SSA provides carefully elaborated suggestions for - and examples of - cooperation between the programmes involved and thus paves the way for CIRCLE CA, which will incorporate research programmes of 17 European countries (including Israel).

Joint activities will lead us to success only if we keep the tools as flexible as possible. With this in mind, CIRCLE CA will offer the possibility to focus on regional groups and design different tool packages for joint multi-national and trans-national calls, which will provide options like the geographical return principle, open and restricted calls and precursor activities.

CIRCLE CA partners

Adapting towards Europe's changing climate

Most national research programmes in Europe cover both impacts and adaptation to a certain degree. Whereas many of the impact-focused programmes are rooted in the natural sciences/systems, some adaptation-focused programmes draw on the socio-economic sciences/systems to a major degree.

Through an exchange of experiences and information, the programmes integrated in CIRCLE already benefit from cooperation. Programme managers and financers of each programme are represented in CIRCLE and transport CIRCLE results directly to their national programmes.

Adapting to Europe's changing climate will be a major challenge for European institutions, national institutions as well as for Europe's regions and cities. Scientific evidence is given and communicated via various sources (cp. IPCC 2001, EEA 2004, project results of FP5/FP6 projects like ACACIA, ATEAM and PRUDENCE).

CIRCLE will support Europe's adaptation process by establishing a well-functioning subsidiary level under the EU framework programme.