TipESM and OptimESM Strengthen Collaboration at Joint Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference in Copenhagen

From 1–4 June 2026, researchers from the Horizon Europe projects TipESM and OptimESM gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, for a week of scientific exchange, collaboration, and strategic planning. Hosted by the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), the event combined the OptimESM Annual Meeting, a joint scientific conference bringing together both projects, and the TipESM Annual Meeting.

The week provided a valuable opportunity for project partners and collaborators to share recent advances, identify synergies, and discuss future directions in Earth system modelling and climate tipping point research.

A Joint Scientific Conference Focused on Collaboration

The scientific conference, held on 2–3 June, was the highlight of the event. Researchers from TipESM and OptimESM presented ongoing work, exchanged ideas, and received feedback from colleagues across disciplines and institutions. The discussions helped identify new opportunities for collaboration and strengthened existing joint activities between the two projects.

The conference also featured a series of inspiring keynote and invited presentations. Participants heard perspectives from the Director of DMI, Marianne Thyrring; the UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change, Elisa Morgera; and project collaborators: Anna Pirani from CMCC and Gokhan Danabasoglu from NCAR. Contributions from related projects and initiatives, including Destination Earth, ClimTip, and EERIE, provided additional insights into ongoing efforts to improve climate modelling capabilities and support climate risk assessments.

Alongside the plenary sessions, participants engaged in hands-on breakout discussions focused on topics including multimodel analyses, new simulation activities, and the analysis of drivers and impacts of climate tipping points. These interactive sessions enabled researchers from both projects to develop concrete plans for future collaborative work.

Advancing TIPMIP Experiments and Preparing for IPCC AR7

One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the agreement to launch a new seminar series dedicated to TIPMIP experiments and related scientific publications. Organized by TipESM, the online seminars will take place every three weeks and will provide an open forum for researchers to discuss progress, coordinate analyses, and foster collaboration across the wider community.

The initiative aims to support the development of robust, coordinated research outputs and contribute to the evidence base informing the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Interested to join? Write Justyna Bekier Baird, TipESM project manager, at jabe@dmi.dk for more details.

TipESM Annual Meeting

The final day of the event was dedicated to the TipESM Annual Meeting. Project partners reviewed progress across work packages, discussed upcoming milestones and deliverables, and participated in interactive sessions designed to align activities and outputs for the remainder of the project.

The meeting concluded with a plenary discussion on the project’s long-term legacy, exploring how TipESM’s scientific advances, datasets, modelling developments, and collaborative networks can continue to support the climate research community beyond the project’s lifetime.

Looking Ahead

The Copenhagen meeting demonstrated the value of bringing together complementary research communities to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in climate science. Through scientific exchange, collaborative planning, and the development of new joint activities, TipESM and OptimESM have laid the groundwork for stronger cooperation in the years ahead.

The projects now look forward to building on the momentum generated during the meeting, advancing research on climate tipping points and Earth system dynamics, and contributing knowledge that supports future climate assessments and informed decision-making.