Mission & objectives

The Climate Centre has been created to lead scientific research at the highest level on climate and related economic and ecological issues.

It also serves as a contact point for organisations, policymakers and citizens

for a wide range of climate-related services.

The mission of the Belgian Climate Centre is to maximise the impact of science on climate mitigation and adaptation in Belgium to support an efficient and socially just transition.

The Climate Centre has three main objectives:

Strengthening scientific research capacity

Our first objective is to bundle and strengthen climate-related research capacity by establishing structural collaborations with research institutes, both at the federal and regional level as well as with universities, hereby putting forward complementarity and interdisciplinarity as key values.

Improving the transfer of knowledge from researchers to a wide range of stakeholders

Our second objective is to improve the transfer of knowledge from researchers to users in order to enable science-based decision making, by developing climate services, facilitating the access to data & information, and connecting experts and users.

Increasing the applicability of future research programmes into climate action

Our third objective is to increase the coherence and strategic impact of research programs through the transfer of experience from societal actors to researchers, and by leveraging funding opportunities.

The Climate Centre's history (how it started)

17 December 2021:

establishment of the Climate Centre, approved by a decision of the Council of Ministers
the governance of the Climate Centre and its operational model are adopted by the Council of Ministers

29 November 2022:

official opening of the Climate Centre at the Space Pole in Uccle

May to August 2023:

in addition to the Scientific Director and the Operational Director, four staff members took up their positions
in total, the Climate Centre will employ about 10 staff members

Valérie Trouet, Scientific Director Belgian Climate Centre

“Belgium has world-class climate scientists, but the field is relatively fragmented. The primary mission of the Centre is to establish a process of cooperation and coordination and to develop a strategy through which we can offer climate services to governments and businesses."

Ella Jamsin, Operational Director Belgian Climate Centre

"The Climate Centre comes at a crucial time. Data on recent heat records show us the scale of the problem. But science is also providing solutions, both to limit the impact of climate change, and to adapt optimally to this reality"