CMCC Foundation - Centro Euro Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici

What CMCC Foundation - Centro Euro Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici does

CMCC Foundation (Centro Euro Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici) is a non-profit Italian research foundation established in 2005 and headquartered in Lecce. It operates as a multi-disciplinary climate science center organized around three research institutes — the Institute for Earth System Predictions (IESP), the Institute for Climate Resilience (ICR), and the European Institute on Economics and the Environment (EIEE) — supported by three infrastructure centers (the High Performance Computing Center/HPCC, the Advanced Digital Innovation Center/ADIC, and the Advanced Training and Education Center/ATEC) and four cross-cutting strategic programs covering biogeochemical and industrial carbon cycles, socio-economic outcomes, global coasts, and AI/ML integration. Its technical core consists of proprietary Earth System and regional climate models (CMCC-CM, CMCC-ESM, CMCC-Med, COSMO-CLM), ocean reanalysis systems (C-GLORS on NEMO), and integrated assessment economics models (ICES), all run on one of Europe's most powerful climate-dedicated HPC facilities (CASSANDRA + JUNO, ~2,359 TFlops across 32,400 cores and 37 PB of disk storage), and increasingly augmented by foundation models, generative downscaling, and neural-network extreme-event prediction.

CMCC's revenue model is grant-led and institutionally anchored. The Fund-Raising Office coordinates competitive proposals to the European Commission (Horizon Europe, NRRP), Italian ministries (MIUR, MASE), and international bodies, supplemented by long-term cooperation agreements with government agencies (notably MASE and the Italian State Property Agency), paid climate-risk engagements with private-sector clients in critical infrastructure (aviation operators including Bologna/Marconi, Fiumicino, Florence, and Pisa airports), and fee-bearing training programs delivered through ATEC. Its primary customers are government policymakers, the scientific research community, European institutions, private-sector organizations with climate-risk exposure, and students/early-career researchers reached through the Marsili and Bassi fellowship programs. Climate data, forecasts, and publications are distributed open-access via the CMCC Data Delivery System and ESGF, which underwrites CMCC's positioning as a public-good provider rather than a commercial vendor. Operations span seven Italian offices (Lecce, Bologna, Caserta, Milano, Sassari, Venezia, Viterbo) and an international partnership network covering 70+ countries.

Name

CMCC Foundation - Centro Euro Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici

Legal name

Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici

Website

https://cmcc.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CMCC Foundation is an Italian non-profit climate research center running proprietary Earth System and economic models on a dedicated supercomputing facility, producing forecasts, scenarios, and policy analysis for government, scientific, and private-sector clients across 70+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Target-Setting, Transition Planning & Performance Management Platforms (EUABAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPAIAMAD), Climate Finance Strategy (CapEx planning, green finance, incentives & grants) (EUABAKAG), Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Climate Finance, Carbon Markets & MRV Systems (BPADALAB)

Keywords

• Climate research services
• Earth system modeling
• Climate data analytics
• High performance computing
• Environmental economics research

Headquarters

HQ city

Lecce

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Project Funding: Competitive grant funding from European Commission (Horizon Europe, NRRP), Italian government ministries (MIUR, MASE, Ministry of Environment), and international organizations. The Fund-Raising Office coordinates proposal development and tracks funding opportunities.
2. Institutional Partnerships and Contracts: Long-term cooperation agreements with government agencies (e.g., MASE for climate policy support, Italian State Property Agency for climate risk assessment) providing technical and scientific support services.
3. Training and Education Services: ATEC provides specialized training for public authorities and private sector at EU and national levels, including seasonal schools, graduate programs, and professional development courses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CMCC Foundation conducts multi-disciplinary climate change research and produces scientific analyses, climate projections, climate data products, and policy support services for governments, the scientific community, and public agencies. It develops and operates proprietary Earth System and regional climate models, runs one of Europe's most powerful HPC facilities dedicated to climate research, and delivers open-access climate data, forecasting systems, training programs, and climate risk assessments through three research institutes and three infrastructure centers.

Product overview

CMCC Foundation operates as a multi-disciplinary climate research center with a platform-plus-institutes architecture organized around three Research Institutes (IESP for climate predictions, ICR for climate resilience, and EIEE for economics and environment), supported by three infrastructure Centers (ADIC for digital innovation, ATEC for training, and HPCC for high-performance computing). The portfolio includes climate data services (Data Delivery System, Forecasting Systems, Climate Data Products, Data Visualization), climate modeling software (CMCC-CM, CMCC-ESM, CMCC-Med and others), the CMCC Foresight platform, fellowship programs (Marsili and Bassi), and four Strategic Programs integrating AI/ML capabilities into climate research. All offerings are oriented toward scientific research institutions, policymakers, and public authorities seeking climate analysis, predictions, and decision-support tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CMCC Data Delivery System Free, seamless, open-access platform providing the scientific community with consistent access to all climate data produced and used by CMCC through a unified interface.
• Forecasting Systems Operational climate forecasting services delivering seasonal to multi-annual predictions across global to local spatial scales for scientific and institutional users.
• Climate Data Products Datasets including seasonal forecasts, environmental monitoring, decadal predictions, and climate change projections produced and curated by CMCC for use by the scientific and policy communities.
• Data Visualization Systems Maps and visualization tools designed to display climate and weather information and scenarios for research and public communication use.
• Climate Models and Software Software tools designed and developed by CMCC (including CMCC-CM, CMCC-ESM, CMCC-Med, and others) for managing climate data and running climate experiments, used in national and international projects and scientific publications.
• ESGF Data Statistics Service Platform for tracking and visualizing climate data usage and availability across the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF), providing the global scientific community with insight into data availability and exploitation.
• CMCC Foresight Platform Online foresight platform providing articles on climate science, policy, adaptation and mitigation, and business models for urban nature-based solutions, targeting policymakers and the general public.
• High Performance Computing Center (HPCC) Services Computational facility providing high-performance computing services dedicated to climate change research, with the CASSANDRA (1,225 TFlops) and JUNO (1,134 TFlops) clusters totaling 32,400 cores and 37 PetaBytes of storage.
• Training and Education Services (ATEC) Specialized training and education for public authorities, private-sector professionals, and graduate students, including seasonal schools, graduate programs, and professional development courses delivered by the Advanced Training and Education Center (ATEC).
• Marsili Fellowship Program Fellowship program offering junior scientists the opportunity to advance globally relevant climate science topics with access to CMCC's world-class HPC facilities and collaborative research environment.
• Bassi Fellowship Program Fellowship program bringing distinguished senior scientists with outstanding achievements to mentor emerging research leaders and drive strategic initiatives at CMCC.
• Climate Risk Assessment and Adaptation Services Custom climate vulnerability, hydraulic hazard, and risk assessment services for critical infrastructure operators and government agencies, including adaptation strategy design for sites such as airports and public real estate assets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Climate projections from seasonal to multi-decadal timescales across global to local scales
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ocean VisionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024CMCC Foundation became a member of the Ocean Vision Network in 2024. Ocean Visions is a nonprofit organization at the center of a wider network of leading North American universities and oceanographic institutions working together to advance research, innovation, and scalable solutions for ocean-climate challenges.
• Resources for the Future (RFF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Signed in 2018, this agreement defined the birth of the European Institute on Economics and Environment (EIEE). The partnership aims to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement, serving as a central focal point for research insights and policy solutions within Europe.
• European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018CMCC Foundation manages the EAERE Secretariat since 2018. EAERE has approximately 1200 members in over 60 countries from academic institutions, public sector, and private industry, serving the environmental and resource economics community.
• BIOdiversity and Economics for ConservatiON (BIOECON)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018CMCC Foundation became a partner of the BIOECON network in 2018, which assembles economists, lawyers, and scientists from leading international academic and research institutions addressing biodiversity loss and sustainable development.
• Integrated Carbon Observation System - ICOS Italian NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017CMCC became part of the ICOS Joint Research Unit signed by fifteen Italian institutions, centers and universities committed to supporting and promoting Italian participation in ICOS-RI (Research Infrastructure). ICOS tracks carbon fluxes across ecosystems, atmosphere and oceans through over 130 monitoring stations.
• Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005CMCC was established in 2005 with financial support from MIUR, along with the Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea. MIUR continues as a key institutional partner supporting CMCC's research mission.
• Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea Protection (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005CMCC was established in 2005 with financial support from this ministry. The ministry continues as a key institutional partner providing ongoing support for climate research activities.
• Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Co-founding institution of CMCC Foundation. INGV contributes expertise in geophysics and volcanology to the collaborative research environment.
• Università degli Studi del SalentocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Co-founding institution and host of CMCC headquarters in Lecce. Provides academic framework and research collaboration.
• Università Ca' Foscari VeneziacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Co-founding institution and host of CMCC@Ca'Foscari research center. Partnership has evolved into a strategic collaboration resulting in one of the most important climate research centers developed by Italian universities.
• Università di SassariminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Co-founding institution of CMCC Foundation providing research collaboration in Sardinia.
• Università della TusciaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Co-founding institution of CMCC Foundation providing research collaboration.
• Politecnico di MilanominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Co-founding institution of CMCC Foundation providing engineering and technical expertise.
• Università di BolognaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Co-founding institution of CMCC Foundation. Hosts ActFast project coordination and contributes to aquaculture and climate research.
• Italian Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (IAERE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMCC Foundation is an institutional member of IAERE, which has approximately 160 members from Italy and beyond. IAERE organizes annual conferences, advanced training schools, and promotes postgraduate courses in environmental and resource economics.
• Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium (IAMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMCC is a Sustaining Member of the IAMC Scientific Steering Committee and ran the IAMC Secretariat from mid-2018 to mid-2024. IAMC is a consortium of more than 60 scientific research organizations leading integrated assessment modeling for IPCC scenarios.
• International Energy Workshop (IEW)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMCC's European Institute on Economics and the Environment is one of the longstanding supporting partners of IEW and manages IEW's permanent secretariat.
• Italian Society for Climate Sciences (SISC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMCC Foundation is an institutional member of SISC, a nonprofit association established in 2013 serving as a meeting point for scientists from different disciplines who use climate information.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Climate Analytics: International climate science and policy institute producing analyses on 1.5°C pathways, decarbonization, and climate impacts. Comparable science-to-policy translation mandate and focus on supporting government and intergovernmental climate decisions.
• Met Office Hadley Centre: UK government climate research center producing Earth system models, regional projections, and climate services. Closely comparable to CMCC's IESP and operational forecasting offerings and similarly serves government and policy stakeholders.
• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): US-based research center advancing atmospheric and Earth system science with community climate models (CESM). Comparable in scope of Earth system modeling, HPC investment, and role as a national-scale climate science provider.
• Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung (PIK): Germany's leading climate impacts research institute, conducting integrated climate and socio-economic modeling. Direct peer in producing policy-relevant climate science at the intersection of physical modeling and economic assessment, with comparable HPC-driven modeling capabilities.
• International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA): International research institute conducting systems analysis on climate, energy, and sustainability. Comparable integrated assessment modeling work, multi-country membership base, and policy-facing research mandate.
• CICERO Center for International Climate Research: Norwegian climate research center producing policy-relevant climate science and economic analysis. Comparable in combining physical climate research with socio-economic impacts and policy advice, with similar European policy-maker customer base.
• BSC - Barcelona Supercomputing Center: Spanish supercomputing center with major Earth system modeling activities (including regional climate modeling for Europe). Closely comparable HPC-driven climate modeling mandate and participation in CMIP-class and CORDEX activities.
• Max Planck Institute for Meteorology: German research institute developing Earth system models (MPI-ESM) and contributing to CMIP-class experiments. Direct peer in producing CMIP-compliant climate models and in coupling physical climate with impacts research.

Broad incumbents

• European Climate Foundation: Major European philanthropic funder and convener supporting climate policy and advocacy. Broader incumbent in the European climate ecosystem with overlapping science-to-policy and Mediterranean-adjacent priorities, but operating as a funder rather than a research producer.
• Resources for the Future (RFF): US-based independent research institution on environmental, energy, and natural resource economics. Co-founded CMCC's EIEE in 2018; closely comparable in its independent-economics-research mandate and policy engagement model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CmccClimate

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles31 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CMCC Foundation - Centro Euro Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici