In October 2025, a closing event workshop took place at Rethymno, Crete, co-organised by EMVIS and the Organisation for the Development of Crete (OAK, MAP member), hosted by the Technical Chamber of Greece– Rethymno Department. The workshop was attended by
On 10 October 2025, the IMPULSA 10 Centre in Pozoblanco became a meeting point for farmers, researchers, and institutions with a common objective: to share the results of the I-CISK Project and connect with other initiatives in the area to
On 28 April and 2 May, members of CREAF and UCM participated in the European Geosciences Union (EGU 2025) conference held in Vienna, Austria, where they presented the research carried out in the Los Pedroches region as part of the
In October 2025, the final I-CISK workshop took place in Venice, marking a key milestone for the Italian Living Lab and the project as a whole. The event gathered around 15 participants, including researchers, practitioners, and representatives from public agencies
The IDEAS Science team, representing the Budapest Living Lab, competed in the Be-prepared project’s international hackathon series and won the Disastropedia category at the Budapest round. The event addresses disaster resilience and preparedness by mobilising innovators and problem-solvers. It took
How the DIRECTED and I-CISK projects support user-centered climate solutions in our ever-changing world Author: Julia Kraatz (52°North) Have you ever found yourself reading about climate change and wondered to what extent you or someone you know might be impacted?
Farmers and stakeholders from Bolnisi and the Alazani-Iori Basin explored sustainable practices within the I-CISK project framework. On May 16, 2025, CENN, within the framework of the EU-funded I-CISK project and in cooperation with the French Embassy in Georgia, organised
On October 1, 2025, Györgyi BELA from IDEAS Science represented Hungary at the European Heat Adaptation Community’s monthly meeting and presented the latest results of the I-CISK project, highlighting urban heat visualization work carried out in the Budapest Living Lab.
On June 24, 2025, CENN, in collaboration with representatives from IHE Delft, presented the working version of the Alazani Basin Drought and Seasonal Streamflow Prediction System to the National Environmental Agency (NEA) of Georgia. During the first half of the
I-CISK is bringing people into the centre of climate services to ensure that they are designed with users in mind. This is giving actors the right information to make climate-smart decisions. Across the project’s living labs, it has established seven
The EU-funded I-CISK project is proud to announce the release of four new mini-documentary videos capturing the stories, innovations, and people behind its Living Labs in Lesotho, Georgia, Spain, and Hungary. Each short film brings to life how scientists, local
CENN, within the I-CISK project, developed a digital guideline on sustainable agricultural practices. The document thoroughly discusses the impact of drought on agriculture in Georgia, taking into account climate change projection scenarios. The guideline outlines specific methods and techniques for
On September 30, 2025, the concluding meeting of the Alazani Multi-Actor Platform (MAP) took place in Tbilisi, bringing together more than 25 local stakeholders, researchers, and international experts to reflect on the results achieved under the EU-funded I-CISK project. The
We are excited to announce the launch of our Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Co-Creation of Human-Centred Climate Services, developed by partners in the I-CISK project. Hosted on the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education Open Courseware Platform, this
CENN's project, 'Innovating Climate Services Through Integrating Scientific and Local Knowledge' (I-CISK), is collaborating with Iakob Gogebashvili Telavi State University. The collaboration has two main focuses. Firstly, university representatives are members of the Alazani Multi-Actor Platform, playing an active role
CENN and the Institute for Water Education (IHE Delft) unveiled the working version of the Alazani Basin drought and seasonal streamflow prediction system to MAP members on 25 June 2025. A structured, experiential learning activity allowed participants to explore how
The I-CISK project was proud to be part of the European Climate Change Adaptation Conference (ECCA 2025), held in Rimini, Italy from 16–18 June, where we co-organised a high-level scientific session together with our sister projects LOCALISED, ReachOut, and RethinkAction.
During a recent intensive sprint phase, the I-CISK team provided detailed feedback and the technology partners modified and updated most of the Climate Services (CS) for the Living Labs. This latest version also reflects suggestions made by the end users.
In February 2025, a collaborating team from EMVIS (LL leader and knowledge purveyor), Dr. Charles Wamucii (early career scientist of the I-CISK programme), and stakeholders from the Crete Living Lab worked together on the implementation of a socio-environmental model for
Several members of the I-CISK consortium will attend the European Geosciences Union 2025 in Vienna from April 28th to May 2nd. Climate services (CS) practitioners and researchers (including Early Career Researchers) presented their contributions across diverse topics. Enhancing the usefulness
Members of the UCM and CREAF ICISK teams participated in the XIII Iberian Congress of Water Management and Planning organized by the New Water Culture Foundation on April 24-26, 2025 in the University of Salamanca (Spain). The team presented one
During the last week of March and early April 2025, Nikoletta Ropero and María Fernández carried out the fifth and last field campaign to measure groundwater levels in the Los Pedroches aquifer in Andalusia. The aim was to assess the evolution of
Between June and September of 2024, the Spanish Living Lab conducted a survey in the municipalities of Los Pedroches affected by a drinking water ban on the public trust regarding the safety of tap water. With responses from 700 residents,
Discover how the Emilia-Romagna Living Lab is using climate forecasts to help public water managers anticipate droughts, improve coordination, and make smarter, faster decisions—reducing risks and costs before emergencies arise. The Emilia-Romagna Living Lab worked closely with regional public authorities
I-CISK is an EU funded project involving universities and stakeholders across Europe and beyond, including farmers engaged through so-called “Living Labs.” Its goal is to mitigate climate change impacts by forecasting changes in variables like rainfall patterns and river flow, enabling
Lluis Pesquer from CREAF participated in the XX Congress of Geographic Information Technologies held in Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain, from October 14 to 16. The congress, titled 'Geographic Information Technologies for the Construction of Smart Territories', gathered experts
From May 15-18, 2024, Lluis Pesquer took part in the Technical Conference organized by the OLIPE Cooperative, which gathered experts and professionals from the olive sector to discuss key topics related to olive grove cultivation and olive oil production. During
Between May and June 2024, CREAF and UCM conducted three online meetings with seven members of the Multi-Actor Platform (MAP) to present visualization proposals for climate services developed for the Andalucía-Los Pedroches Living Lab. These bilateral sessions aimed to showcase
Inhabitants of Los Pedroches, home to the Spanish Living Lab, endured a year without access to potable drinking water from April 2023 to April 2024 due to prolonged drought and poor water quality. This ban was lifted following abundant rainfall
The research conducted in the Alazani and Iori basins thoroughly assessed the condition of melioration systems, specifically focusing on agricultural water distribution trends and the challenges impacting resource efficiency. Extensive fieldwork uncovered numerous water management issues, including pollution from wastewater,
The picturesque city of Chania, Greece, played host to an important milestone for the I-CISK project as partners gathered last week for the 3rd General Assembly meeting. The event served as a pivotal platform to review the strides made in
The Italian Living Lab has been focused on refining a climate forecast service prototype to support effective water management. Throughout 2024, a series of one-on-one interviews and technical sessions were conducted with stakeholders, including ARPAE, Emilia Central Reclamation Board, Burana
Recognising both local knowledge and scientific knowledge in climate services, and combining these different knowledge is essential to developing climate services that are credible, salient and legitimate; and important to more effective uptake and use of climate services. But how
From 22-26 July, representatives from the I-CISK project gathered in Maseru (Lesotho) to advance the development of climate services and enhance anticipatory action capabilities in the Lesotho Living Lab. The group included Daniele Castellana and Emie Klein Holkenborg from the
Several colleagues from 52°North travelled to our Dutch founding member, the ITC of the University of Twente, for a joint symposium. We had not been to the ITC since it moved to a new building. To grasp the dimensions of
Spatial Engineering Masters Students visit 52°North 52°North recently opened its doors to a group of 12 international students and two staff from the University of Twente, The Netherlands. The students are involved in a two-year program, in which they learn to
Julia Kraatz (52°North) How the I-CISK project bridges the gaps between People, Climate, and Disaster Risk Please take a moment to picture these two scenarios. Scenario 1 You are part of the civil protection authority and a pluvial flood (a
Faheed, an MSc student at the Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation of the University of Twente (ITC) in the Netherlands, recently completed an internship at the Netherlands Red Cross’ data and digital team, 510, within the I-CISK project.
I-CISK, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program as part of the European Green Deal, is dedicated to delivering customized climate services (CS) that are trustworthy, understandable, replicable, and effective. Across seven distinct regions spanning Europe and Africa, the
From April 3-8, 2024, CENN and the NEA hosted representatives of the Delft Institute of Water Education (IHE Delft). The purpose of the visit was to assess the progress and plan the next steps to develop a drought and seasonal
On March 7, 2024, the second plenary workshop of the Andalusia - Los Pedroches Living Lab took place at the CICAP headquarters in Pozoblanco, organized within the framework of the I-CISK Project, with the title “Advances in the development of
We are happy to inform you that the Los Pedroches Rural Development Group, a member of the Spanish Living Lab, will be part of the MONALISA project - 101157867 - GAP-101157867, recently funded in a competitive Horizon Europe call. Invited
The week of November 20, Nikoletta Ropero, from the UCM I-CISK team, visited the Los Pedroches region again for the second campaign to measure the groundwater level in the Los Pedroches aquifer. Without drinking water in the taps since April,
by Katharina Demmich 52°North’s contribution to the OGC Disaster Pilot 2023 Climate change is increasing the likelihood of natural disasters and their severe environmental and social consequences worldwide. This is why preparedness for such events is becoming increasingly important. The
On November 9 and 10, 2023, researchers from CREAF and the Complutense University of Madrid who participate in the I-CISK project in the Los Pedroches Region (Córdoba), were in the Region to work with members of the COVAP and OLIPE
Climate Services (CS) are crucial to empowering citizens, stakeholders, and decision-makers in defining resilient pathways to adapt to climate change and extreme events. Despite advances in scientific data and knowledge (e.g., Copernicus, GEOSS), current CS fail to achieve their full
In August and September, Sumiran Rastogi (PhD candidate, IHE Delft) along with I-CISK living lab leads at CENN, Miranda Apakidze and Vakho Chitishvili, carried out workshops and interviews with the multi-actor platform and members of the local community in Alazani
The European project “Innovating Climate Services through Integrating Scientific and Local Knowledge” (I-CISK) held its general assembly on October 5-6 in Madrid, Spain. UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID (UCM), representatives invited project partners to present their progress and to discuss open
52°North currently works on the first developments of mock-up climate services for different I-CISK Living Labs. Recently, our developers met remotely with the GECO team from Italy to review the architecture designed earlier this year. We discussed necessary adjustments, organized
From June 26 to June 30, 2023, the second Data Week took place in the historic New City Hall in Leipzig, Germany. The main theme of the conference was urban development and planning. On Monday, presentations and keynotes focused on
52°North’s Ben Gräler opened the IZG summer program with his presentation "Turning Data through Models into Information for Improved Climate Change Adaptation". Approximately 15 students, PostDocs and professors gathered to hear about 52°North’s current work in the DIRECTED and I-CISK
At the EGU conference in April, 52°North’s Katharina Demmich presented the current status of the cloud-based web platform implemented within the I-CISK project. The I-CISK project aims to bridge the gap between science and society in the development of adaptation
The Italian Living Lab continues to make strides successfully. In July 2023, an insightful field trip was carried out at the hydraulic around the Castellarano weir on the Secchia River with the support of the Emilia Central Reclamation Board. Visit
The latest research paper led by SMHI is now available in the journal Environmental Research Letters. The study is a part of the I-CISK initiative and aims to tackle one of the most pressing issues of our time, accurate forecasting
From September 13 -15, 2023, the global hydrological community turned its eyes toward Norrköping, Sweden, where the highly anticipated HEPEX workshop “Forecasting across spatial scales and time horizons” took place. The event drew a crowd of more than 100 experts
Marc van den Homberg, Balbina Nyamakura (IHE) and Riccardo Biella (CNDS, UU) carried out a visit to Lesotho where they attended the kick-off meeting of the Lesotho Living Lab and carried out important research. In the Lesotho Living Lab, I-CISK is supporting the Lesotho Red Cross Society and the 510 initiative in their project
Nikoletta Ropero from UCM will present her work on the characterization of the hydrology/hydrogeology of the Comarca de los Pedroches at the Adaptation Futures Conference 2023, organized by the United Nations International Adaptation Science Programme and the World Meteorological Organization
In August 2023, under the framework of the I-CISK project, we embarked on a groundbreaking mission to measure heat emissions across two central districts of Budapest, Hungary: Terézváros and Erzsébetváros. This task was accomplished as part of the Budapest Living
A workshop at the premises of the Organization for the Development of Crete S.A. (OAK) at Chania (Crete, Greece) was held on 29/5/2023. After a discussion on aspects of the advanced climatic information, which is produced within I-CISK presented by
Since the upstream of the Alazani River basin is not regulated by the reservoir, the main goal of the Living Lab is to establish a proper streamflow prediction system, which will improve the efficiency of the irrigation system during the
On the week of April 24-28, 2023, members of the UCM I-CISK team Lucia De Stefano and Nikoletta Ropero visited the Andalucía-Los Pedroches Living Lab (ALPLL) to collect data on groundwater levels and interview farmers and residents in the region.
We are very happy to share that from 19 – 21 April, 2023, staff of IHE Delft – Micha Werner, Ilyas Masih and Sumiran Rastogi (PhD Candidate) participated in the UNESCO conference ‘International Conference on Climate Risk, Vulnerability and Resilience
The I-CISK project coordinators, Dr. Micha Werner and Dr. Ilyas Masih, participated in an EU policy event held online on 28-29 March, 2023. This 1st climate change clustering event was the fifth edition of the EU Knowledge Sharing Event, organised
The Hungarian Living Lab focuses on the problem of urban heat islands and urban heat stress in the inner district of Budapest. The Living Lab is working on educating people on the urban heat phenomenon, the mapping of urban heat
Since our last update in November 2022, the Rijnland Living Lab, together with Water Authority Rijnland, has made great progress in co-creating a climate service with representatives from agriculture and water recreation sectors. Earlier stakeholder workshops/meetings were mono-discipline oriented, but
On March 14th 2023, an on-line meeting was held with the Hydraulic Works division of the Development Organization of Crete (OAK), in order to work together on a decision time-line exercise which is undertaken in close collaboration with other Work
In a meeting with the Hellenic National Tourism Organization's (HNTO) Head of Tourism Coordination and Programming Department, on February 15th 2023, details about the project progress were shared. The future contribution of EOT served as the focal point of the
The Crete Living Lab (Greece) lunched a wide, open hybrid multi-stakeholder platform meeting on November 11th 2022. The meeting was a great success, bringing together a diverse group of individuals from across various industries to discuss the creation of a
Thanks to all the Stakeholders and invited speakers joining the successful Italian Lab on Water Resources Workshop held on 29th March 2023! Figure 1 – Castellarano Weir, an hydraulic node view from upstream While Italy is preparing to another year
The I-CISK project overall approach and objectives, as well as the progress of Los Pedroches living lab were presented at the XII Iberian Congress of Water Management and Planning organized by the New Water Culture Foundation on January 25-27, 2023
As part of our consortium, I-CISK is happy to welcome a pool of young researchers – Balbina Nyamakura and Nikoletta Ropero Szymañskawho will be intricately linked with several core activities of the project, and will be instrumental in helping the
On October 25th the Andalucía-Los Pedroches living lab organized its first multi-stakeholder platform (MSP) meeting. Thirty-one participants, representing 18 organizations, gathered at the headquarters of CICAP, in the town of Pozoblanco, Los Pedroches. The workshop successfully achieved an important first
Smallholder maize plots before the October/November planting high in the mountains of Lesotho (photo: Micha Werner) The Lesotho Red Cross Society, supported by 510, recently established the Lesotho Living Lab. To continue the setting up of the multi-stakeholder platform in
Erzsébetváros, BudapestSource: www.kozossegitervezes.budapest.hu The Hungarian Living Lab was established in the inner city of Budapest, called Erzsébetváros. The district is greatly affected by the summer heat waves and urban heat silands due to the low coverage of green infrastructure and
From October 10-13, 2022, CENN and the NEA hosted I-CISK experts working in the field of hydrology. The purpose of the visit was to plan the development of a streamflow prediction system in the Alazani River basin. Within the framework
On September 28, in the wake of one of the most severe droughts in the Netherlands, I-CISK team hold a first meeting with Rijnland agricultural stakeholders, supported by Rijnland water-authority. This meeting was organized to get to know each other
“Drought in summer 2022”, courtesy of Emilia Romagna Region Late July 2022, during the worst drought ever, meeting with Stakeholders took place in Italian Living Lab for an open discussion in the frameworks of the ongoing extreme drought. The drought
The European project “Innovating Climate services through Integrating Scientific and local Knowledge” (I-CISK) recently held its general assembly in Münster. 52°North invited representatives from all partners across Europe to present their progress and to discuss open questions from the first
The first 6 months of 2022 have been quite challenging for water resources in Italy, progressively facing the worst drought season of the past decades, the Italian living lab has been setup and moved its first steps the Multi Actor
As part of our consortium, I-CISK is happy to welcome a pool of young researchers (PhDs) – Lotte Muller, Ricardo Biella, and Sumiran Rastogi who will be intricately linked with several core activities of the project and will be instrumental
In February 2022 members of the UCM and CREAF teams traveled to the region of Los Pedroches and to the Cazorla National Park, in south-central Spain to meet with some key stakeholders and launch the Andalucía Living Lab. The Andalucía
During the first months of 2022, I-CISK partners collaborated with decision-makers, stakeholders, and citizens in each Living Lab region, to learn from their experiences of using existing climate services, and how the I-CISK project can co-produce improved climate services that
I-CISK team members presented the project ambition at the European Geophysical Union General Assembly, which was held at the end of May in Vienna, Austria. At the event, Micha Werner, the I-CISK project coordinator, held a presentation about the project
Memorandum of Understanding was signed between CENN and the National Environmental Agency (NEA) to work on climate services. The goal of the Memorandum is to expand and strengthen the existing cooperation between CENN’s I-CISK project and the NEA. Within
Climate change is one of the defining issues of the 21st century. To take climate smart decisions in the face of extreme events today and in the future, relevant and tailored climate information is needed. Climate science developed globally, however,