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Prime Minister Boris Johnson: All EU-funded activities of the ECMWF will be outsourced, the headquarters will probably move.
Photo: Jeremy Selwyn / AFP
The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in Great Britain has been an established institution in meteorology and climate research for 45 years.
Twice a day the organization in Reading provides global weather forecasts.
It also uses supercomputers to develop complex climate models.
The ECMWF is a European project, it is supported by 22 EU member states.
But then came Brexit.
Because Great Britain left the EU, the organization needs a branch within the European Union.
This is a loss for the scientists in Reading near London.
All EU-funded activities of the ECMWF will be outsourced, the headquarters will probably move.
Which part remains in Great Britain is still unclear, reports the "Guardian".
It's not just about at least 250 jobs, but also about important scientific tasks.
The new location is to take over the "Copernicus" earth observation program.
It provides numerous satellite data that are relevant for scientific environmental changes in the atmosphere and the earth's surface: from the retreat of the glaciers in Greenland to changes in the vegetation in the Amazon.
An international competition for a new location has now been announced.
The race for the important research center is still open until the beginning of October, when a decision will be made.
Cities from nine countries take part in the competition.
Ireland recently confirmed that it had applied to host the new facility.
In Austria, Vienna is hoping to become the headquarters of the renowned research institute in the future.
Battle for "Copernicus"
Bonn has applied for Germany.
According to a "WDR" report, the federal government is planning a new building in the Bad Godesberg district, should the former capital be awarded the contract.
The building would be ready for occupancy from mid-2023, before that there should be a temporary solution.
It is still unclear whether Great Britain will not have a chance to keep the "Copernicus" program despite leaving the European Community.
"The UK has shown interest in the new facility and will definitely continue to host the Reading headquarters," said an ECMWF spokeswoman.
For this, the British government would have to sign a new agreement for further participation in important EU environment and climate research programs.
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