EUFAR, The European Facility for Airborne Research in Environmental and Geosciences brings together infrastructure operators of both instrumented research aircraft and remote-sensing instruments with the scientific user community, both expert and early-stage researchers, other data users and stakeholders.
EUFAR has existed since 2000 for the purpose of linking the airborne environmental research community (both facility operators and scientific users) in Europe. A major part of its activity has been to use funding from EC Framework Programs to support Transnational Access. Around 120 flight campaigns, each benefiting a separate user group, have been supported where the users did not normally have access to appropriate airborne observing facilities through their national research funding. Other successful outcomes have included joint research activities focussed on the development of improved data quality and standards, the organization of summer schools where student groups have obtained hands-on experience in airborne research topics and the publication of a textbook on airborne measurements for environmental research.
In 2018, EUFAR was established as an AISBL – an international not-for-profit association under Belgian law. This is supported by its member organisations (currently 13 from 9 countries) with the leading objective to maintain EUFAR as a central point of contact for scientists who require airborne observations to support their research. Its membership includes organisations that are leaders in the operation and use of research aircraft and instrumentation, both in terms of in-situ atmospheric measurements and the use of imaging and other remote-sensing techniques for the study of the Earth’s surface.
