ClimEd Training №7: Climate Information and Services for Climate-Dependent Sectors of the Economy

On 7–11 April 2025, the seventh training course, “Developing Skills to Use Climatic Information and Services for Various Climate-Dependent Branches of Economy,” was held within the Erasmus+ ClimEd project. The event took place in a hybrid format in Vila-seca, Tarragona, Spain, at Universitat Rovira i Virgili and was dedicated to the practical use of climate information and services for various climate-dependent sectors of the economy.

The training brought together 79 representatives of Ukrainian universities, research institutions, and organisations, including Odesa I. I. Mechnikov National University, Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University, Odesa National Medical University, the Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture of NAAS, and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The programme covered climate data, climate indices, and sectoral climate products; the application of GIS in climate services; the use of Climpact, RStudio, and Shiny; as well as the development of climate service prototypes to support decision-making in climate-dependent sectors.

Lectures and practical sessions were delivered by experts from Universitat Rovira i Virgili, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, and O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv. The key topics included climate indices, climate information platforms, GIS tools, sectoral indicators, ecosystem services, and interactive visualisation of climate data.

Special attention was paid to group work. The participants worked in 16 groups and developed small-scale research projects and Shiny App prototypes for specific sectors of the economy. The project topics covered river basin management, urban stormwater infrastructure, pollen allergy risks, tourism in the Ukrainian Carpathians, viticulture in the Odesa region, the impact of climate on health, disease spread, energy consumption in social buildings, and working conditions on construction sites.

The training became the final stage of the ClimEd training series within WP5 Staff Capacity Building and contributed to strengthening the capacity of Ukrainian universities and partner organisations to use climate data, indices, and digital tools for developing practice-oriented climate services, supporting climate change adaptation, and promoting sustainable development.