Abstract:

The Center of Excellence CzechGlobe is a modern infrastructure of basic research focusing on the study of ongoing global change, its causes, its impacts on the atmosphere and climate, ecosystems and social and economic systems. The activities of the Center are based on the tradition of research in the Czech Republic and at the same time on a very strong interconnection with European and world research.

Environmental studies and especially climate changes are topics that are currently at the forefront of our society's interest, and research infrastructures are an integral part of a system that has the potential to address these issues. The Czech Republic supports research infrastructures dealing with the environment both at the political level, i.e. mainly by their inclusion in the Roadmap of Large Research Infrastructures of the Czech Republic as well as the European ESFRI (European Strategic Forum on Research Infrastructures) Roadmap, and financially. At CzechGlobe, we are fully aware of the importance of research infrastructures as tools for solving today's climate challenges and we strive to make the most of it. The proof that we are doing it well is backed by the fact that CzechGlobe is currently involved in a total of seven ESFRI research infrastructures (four of which it is a founding member) and we are thus the most significant Czech representative in this European programme.

In 2023, CzechGlobe became the official seat of the Interface and Synthesis Centre (ISC) in the field of environmental research within the European research infrastructure AnaEE - ERIC (Analysis and Experimentation on Ecosystems). The role of the ISC is to prepare standpoints, continuously monitor the emerging needs of society, economy and policy makers and respond to those needs.

Keywords:

Research infrastructures, center of excellence, ESFRI, global change.