Austrian Climate Research Programme (ACRP)
The Austrian Climate Research Programme (ACRP) supports climate research in Austria – with a focus on climate change, climate change adaptation, climate mitigation, and their interconnections.
The Austrian Climate Research Programme (ACRP) is the primary climate impact research programme in Austria. The federal government invests several million euros annually with the goal of researching the effects caused by climate change and providing a scientific foundation for forward-looking decisions by policymakers, businesses, and society. It is a research programme that operates in close dialogue with the needs of politics and administration regarding climate change and climate adaptation. The knowledge generated to achieve this goal is made available in an accessible form, serving both as a basis for further research and as support for policy and administration. The focus is on scientifically grounded courses of action that enable targeted climate policy decisions by policymakers and administrators.
Central Concern: Climate Change, Its Impacts, and Possible Adaptation Measures
The federal ministry has an increased need for practice-oriented and integrative research. Besides research projects that provide concrete recommendations for climate change adaptation to policymakers and administrators, investigating complex interrelationships is also desirable.
The programme aims to expand Austria’s research competence in this sector and to integrate it more strongly into international research efforts. An international steering committee accompanies the programme and proposes thematic priorities for calls for proposals based on previous results as well as current national and international scientific questions. Particular emphasis is placed on issues especially relevant to Austria.
The results of the individual research projects are intended to provide important decision-making foundations for policymakers, the economy, and society concerning the challenges posed by climate change. Accordingly, the ACRP is an important tool for scientifically addressing the pressing questions in our engagement with climate change with excellence, and for immediately incorporating new insights and solutions into policy and practice.