Call for authors for the AR7 Working Group Reports and for experts to join the Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a call for authors for the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) and a call for experts for the IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments (TG-Data). The IPCC Focal Point for Italy invites expressions of interest from Italian-affiliated experts by 10 April 2025.
Photo by Marco Priore on Unsplash.
*Note for Italian speakers: Poiché tutti i lavori riguardanti i Report dell’IPCC si svolgono in lingua inglese, così come tutti i materiali da fornire per proporre la propria candidatura sono richiesti in lingua inglese, tutte le comunicazioni ufficiali dell’IPCC Focal Point per l’Italia relative alla manifestazione di interesse saranno in lingua inglese.
Nominations submitted to the IPCC Focal Point for Italy must be received by Thursday, 10 April 2025 (midnight CEST) in order to be submitted in time to the IPCC. Please note that due to our schedule it will not be possible for us to accept late responses.
The IPCC has issued a call for nominations of experts for consideration as Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors, or Review Editors for the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), and for nominations of experts to serve in the IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments (TG-Data), to serve as Co-Chairs or as members of the Task Group.
A webinar to explain the nomination process will take place on Thursday, April 3, 2025 (see below).
A detailed description of the IPCC writing and review process is contained in the “Procedures for the Preparation, Review, Acceptance, Adoption, Approval and Publication of IPCC Reports” is available here and in the IPCC Principles Governing IPCC Work, Appendix A here. The webinar will include an overview of the process and roles and will be an opportunity to ask questions.
All those considering applying are invited to carefully read the report outlines, available here.
Nomination of Authors for the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report (AR7)
At its 60th Session in Istanbul, Türkiye, in January 2024, the Panel decided to produce a comprehensive climate assessment for the 7th assessment cycle through reports of the three Working Groups:
- Working Group I focuses on the scientific aspects of the climate system and climate change.
- Working Group II examines the scientific, technical, environmental, economic, and social aspects of vulnerability to climate change, the negative and positive consequences of climate change, and options for adapting to it.
- Working Group III assesses the scientific, technical, environmental, economic, and social aspects of the mitigation of climate change.
Nomination of Experts for the IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments (TG-Data)
The TG-Data work mainly requires, but is not restricted to, data specialists, with expertise in areas such as data provenance, scientific workflows, climate data handling systems, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) Data principles, and development and/or analysis of climate and observational datasets.
TG-Data provides guidance to the IPCC’s Data Distribution Centre on curation, traceability, stability, availability and transparency of data and scenarios related to the reports of the IPCC. For more information, including the Terms of Reference, and past activities please visit the TG-Data website.
How to apply
The IPCC Focal Point for Italy invites expressions of interest from Italian-affiliated experts and will submit nominations meeting the expertise criteria and minimum application standards to the IPCC official platform.
Before applying please ensure that your affiliated institution supports your participation and, in case you are selected, they will cover the costs of travel to the four Lead Author Meetings, or annual meetings of TG-Data.
To be considered for participation, please follow these steps:
- Download the .xlsx forms at the following links:
- Fill out the Excel nomination form (Please make sure to select max. 5 chapters listed in the report outline);
- Send an email message to: ipcc.fp@cmcc.it including:
- Excel nomination form filled in all the required fields. (Kindly rename the file as follows: Last name_form.xlsx);
- An updated CV ( 4 pages – max file size is 2MB – .pdf format). (Kindly rename the file as follows: Last name_CV.pdf);
- Send the nomination form and CV to ipcc.fp@cmcc.it in .xlsx and .pdf format respectively, by Thursday, 10 April 2025 (midnight CEST).
Nominations that do not follow these instructions will not be considered in the selection process. Please note the importance of adhering to the file requirements otherwise the submission will not be eligible for submission to the IPCC.
Please note that candidates who wish to apply for more than one working group (WG) need to submit a separate form for each WG application.
Selection process
The selection of participants is undertaken by the IPCC Bureau, giving due consideration to the following criteria:
- scientific, technical and socio-economic expertise, including the range of views
- geographical representation
- a mixture of experts with and without previous experience in IPCC
- gender balance
- experts with a background from relevant stakeholder and user groups, including urban practitioners and planners, representatives of civil society organizations and local/regional governments
“Open Hour” webinar
The IPCC Focal Point for Italy hosted an “Open Hour” webinar on Thursday, April 3 at 12:00 p.m. CEST, to introduce the call and clarify all aspects of the nomination process.
The webinar was hosted by Anna Pirani, CMCC and Focal Point alternate for Italy, who also served as executive editor of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C and the IPCC AR6 in Working Group I, and was an author of the IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report.
Speakers:
Annalisa Cherchi, CNR-ISAC
Rita Nogherotto, CNR-ISAC
Alessandro Spinuso, KNMI
Frequently asked questions
Please read the accepted outlines carefully before considering whether or not to apply for one of the roles in the preparation of the reports.
What is the timeframe for the preparation of these reports?
The detailed timeline (Lead Author Meetings, review periods etc.) is available with the report outlines, see above.
What is the role of the Focal Point in the selection process?
The Focal Point for Italy ensures that nominations that are submitted to the IPCC meet the expertise criteria and minimum application standards to the IPCC.
Do you suggest that a motivated junior researcher apply to contribute? Or should only senior researchers apply?
Highly motivated experts are encouraged to apply, cognisant of the commitment and expectations for taking on the roles of Coordinating Lead Author, Lead Author and Review Editor (see Annex 1 of Appendix A to the Principles Governing IPCC Work).
Candidates need to have demonstrated experience and knowledge in the topics identified in the chapters they are interested in applying for.
Authors are expected to have provided substantial contributions for which they are accountable (in terms of quality of the assessment). This can be in the form of paragraphs of text, sections, boxes, tables, figures; they need to collaborate with other authors to collectively achieve a consensus on the confidence in the assessment conclusions, review and agree to the full chapter; respond to review comments received on drafts; and participate in Lead Author Meetings (in-person – CLAs, LAs participate in four LAMs, while REs participate in the final two LAMs) and chapter meetings (online).
What about candidates not based in academic institutions?
The IPCC welcomes nominations of experts based in non-academic public and private institutions, companies and organizations with knowledge that is relevant for the assessment of topics identified in the report outlines. The selection will take into account all relevant experience and not only academic degrees.
Is nomination via the Italy Focal Point only for experts based in Italy, who are Italian nationals? If the potential nominee has a foreign nationality, should he/she go via the focal point of the home country?
Italy works to strengthen the interface between IPCC and the expertise base in Italy, regardless of nationality. Nominations are submitted for experts who are foreign nationals but working in Italian institutions.
Regarding the possibility of contributing literature to the reports, what could be the cut off dates?
The cut off date for literature to be accepted and published in the literature is typically before the completion of the Second Order Draft (SOD), ahead of the SOD expert and government review.
