By ESS team

  • The Belgrade Festival gathered over 140 participants, from scientists to artists, aiming to foster collaboration, innovation, and public engagement around climate services and adaptation.
  • Through art–science collaborations and regional engagement, Climateurope2 continues to bridge the gap between data, creativity, and decision-making for a more climate-resilient Europe.

Organised within the framework of the EU-funded Climateurope2 project coordinated by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC), the second Climateurope2 Festival took place in Belgrade from 29 September to 1 October 2025. The event was organized by the Center for the Promotion of Science (CPN) and gathered over 140 participants from across Europe to promote collaboration, innovation, and public engagement in climate change through both science and art.

As coordinator of Climateurope2, the BSC aims to strengthen and expand the European community of climate services, ensuring that knowledge, data, and tools reach all regions equitably. Serbia was chosen as the host of this second Festival to help consolidate a growing network of experts in Southeast Europe, a region particularly vulnerable to climate change, where the market for climate services is still developing.

Prof. ICREA Francisco J. Doblas-Reyes, coordinator of Climateurope2 and director of the BSC Earth Sciences Department, said: “In Eastern Europe, the public and private climate services markets have not had the same opportunities to grow as in Western Europe. Holding the Festival in Belgrade was a way of showing that the climate services community values being present there and a chance to demonstrate how the climate services market in the region can develop.” 

Over three days, participants—including scientists, policymakers, entrepreneurs, artists, and communicators—engaged in keynotes, workshops, and interactive sessions focused on topics such as agriculture, health, and regional adaptation. The festival also featured a Climate Services Marketplace to showcase ongoing projects and foster collaboration between science and society.

These exchanges brought new members from Eastern Europe into the Climateurope2 network, reinforcing the project’s mission to build a truly pan-European and inclusive community of specialists in climate services.

Bringing science and society closer through art

Beyond its scientific programme, the festival highlighted the role of art in communicating climate knowledge and inspiring action. The artistic programme included exhibitions and performances from the winning projects of the Climateurope2 art+science open calls, where artists worked with scientists to transform data into creative experiences.

Among the featured works were M1L3NΛ, a digital installation by Ana Pinter, and Breathing, a multimedia piece by Arnaud Laffond. Visitors also experienced the Climate Capsule and See the Weather exhibitions, exploring the intersections between climate data, nature, and human perception.

The installations M1L3NΛ and Climate Capsule formed part of the Traveling Climate Action–Roadshow, an initiative led by the Serbian Center for the Promotion of Science (CPN) within Climateurope2, which toured five cities across Southeast Europe to raise awareness about the role of climate services and strengthen regional collaboration. The Belgrade Festival marked the final stop of this tour.

About Climateurope2

Coordinated by BSC, Climateurope2 is a 4.5-year project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme. It brings together 32 institutions across Europe, including research centres, universities, public agencies, and private organisations, to strengthen the uptake, standardisation, and equity of climate services across all sectors of society.

Through initiatives like the Climateurope2 Festival, the project continues to foster collaboration between science, policy, and society, ensuring that climate information is transformed into actionable knowledge for a more resilient and sustainable future.

Other resources:

Contact: ines.martin@bsc.es