Cordex

What Cordex does

CORDEX (Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment) is an international scientific coordination framework operating under the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). Initiated in 2009 at a meeting in Toulouse following the 2008 establishment of the WCRP Task Force on Regional Climate Downscaling, CORDEX coordinates regional climate modelling science across 14 global domains covering all continents and the polar regions. Its primary functional purpose is to address the resolution gap between Global Climate Models (which operate at roughly 1000x1000km) and the finer scales needed for national and local adaptation planning, by producing coordinated regional climate projections at 25–50km resolution and increasingly at convection-permitting (~4km) scales.

The framework's core technology stack comprises dynamical Regional Climate Models — including RegCM, WRF, RCA, CCLM, MM5, REMO, ETA, NHRCM, HadGEM3RA, and GRIMS — alongside Empirical Statistical Downscaling (ESD) techniques, and increasingly coupled regional climate system models coupling atmosphere, land, ocean and aerosol components (notably in Med-CORDEX). CORDEX establishes the experiment protocols (CORDEX-CMIP5, CORDEX-CMIP6, CORDEX CORE), data archiving specifications, and evaluation frameworks that ensure comparability across modelling groups, and distributes all outputs openly through the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) and regional data portals (NA-CORDEX, Euro-CORDEX, Med-CORDEX database, SARCCIS, MENA, etc.). The initiative is governed by a Science Advisory Team and supported by an International Project Office (IPOC) hosted at SMHI in Norrkoping, Sweden from 2015 to 2025, and transitioning to a joint arrangement between ESA's ECSAT facility in Oxford, UK and the University of Cape Town from 1 July 2026 under incoming Director Dr Rachel McInnes.

CORDEX does not operate as a commercial business and generates no revenue; all data and protocols are provided at no cost to climate researchers and impact/adaptation practitioners worldwide. Its value capture is institutional and scientific: outputs are cited in IPCC Assessment Reports (AR6, SR15) and the IPCC Interactive Atlas, the framework runs triennial ICRC-CORDEX conferences and domain-specific workshops, and it pursues active Flagship Pilot Studies on convection-permitting modelling, land-use change, air-sea coupling, aerosols, urban climate and tropical cyclones. Funding flows from WCRP, ESA, host institutions (SMHI, UCT, ICTP), APN, and national research agencies, supporting an ecosystem rather than a customer-vendor relationship.

Name

Cordex

Legal name

WCRP Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment

Website

https://cordex.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CORDEX is a WCRP-coordinated international framework that runs regional climate downscaling experiments across 14 global domains, producing standardized high-resolution climate projections for climate researchers and impact/adaptation practitioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Norrköping

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CORDEX is a WCRP-coordinated international scientific framework that organizes and coordinates regional climate downscaling activities across 14 global domains. It establishes standardized experiment protocols (CORDEX-CMIP5, CORDEX-CMIP6, CORDEX CORE), coordinates multi-model ensemble simulations using both dynamical Regional Climate Models (RCMs) and Empirical Statistical Downscaling (ESD) methods, and disseminates high-resolution regional climate projection datasets through the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) and regional data portals.

Product overview

Cordex (Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment) is a WCRP international research coordination framework, not a commercial product company. It organizes and coordinates regional climate downscaling activities across 14 global domains (Africa, South America, Central America, North America, Europe, Mediterranean, South Asia, East Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Australasia, Antarctica, Arctic, and MENA). The framework provides coordinated sets of regional climate model simulations, experiment protocols (CORDEX-CMIP5, CORDEX-CMIP6, CORDEX CORE), and data archives through distributed ESGF nodes. The main outputs are climate projection datasets and scientific collaboration infrastructure rather than commercial software products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CORDEX-CMIP6 Experiment Protocol and Data Archive Coordinated multi-model regional climate downscaling experiments aligned with CMIP6, providing high-resolution regional climate projections (~25-50km resolution) across 14 global domains. Distributed through ESGF for climate researchers and impact assessment practitioners.

Quantifiable outcome

• CORDEX data cited in IPCC AR6 assessments and Special Reports (SR15)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and flagship.

• World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCORDEX is a core WCRP framework established in 2009 to advance regional climate downscaling science. WCRP provides governance oversight through the Joint Scientific Committee and coordinates with related programs including CMIP, CLIVAR, and WWRP.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESA's ECSAT facility in Oxford, UK will host the CORDEX International Project Office from July 1, 2026, providing administrative infrastructure and coordination support.
• Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMHI hosted the CORDEX International Project Office for 10 years (2015-2025) in Norrkoping, Sweden, providing foundational administrative and coordination support.
• University of Cape Town (UCT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCT co-hosts the CORDEX International Project Office providing science communication and administrative support, and hosts the CORDEX Africa activities at the Climate Systems Analysis Group.
• International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICTP developed and maintains the RegCM regional climate model widely used across CORDEX domains; hosts training workshops and coordinates South America/Central America activities.
• Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPN has funded multiple CORDEX Southeast Asia activities including SEACLID project phases and capacity building workshops in the region.
• IPCCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCORDEX data has been used in IPCC AR6 reports, Special Reports (SR15), and the IPCC Interactive Atlas. CORDEX-Africa contributed lead authors to multiple AR6 chapters.
• Mediterranean CLIVAR (Med-CLIVAR)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMed-CORDEX is endorsed by Med-CLIVAR along with WCRP CORDEX, MISTRALS, and HyMeX, focusing on Mediterranean climate system modeling.
• WCRP Climate and Cryosphere (CliC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolar CORDEX (Arctic and Antarctic domains) is coordinated jointly with WCRP Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) project.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WCRP_Cordex

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cordex