Call for Participation: Join Code for Earth 2026, ECMWF’s annual innovation programme
Closing Date: 9 April 2026
Call for Participation: Join Code for Earth 2026, ECMWF’s annual innovation programme
Applications are now open for ECMWF Code for Earth 2026!
A brand-new set of data-driven challenges is waiting to be solved – inviting innovators to help transform how we use, visualise and understand Earth science data.
This year, there are four challenge streams organised by ECMWF with support from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), Destination Earth (DestinE) and Strengthening Early Warning in Africa (SEWA).
New for 2026: a dedicated Africa-focused stream featuring joint challenges with African partner organisations. Selected participants will work individually or in teams, guided by expert mentors from ECMWF and partner organisations, to build open-source tools that make a meaningful difference.
About Code for Earth
Code for Earth is an innovation programme run by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Its aim is to drive innovation and open source developments in the Earth sciences community – supporting developments in weather, atmosphere, and climate, Copernicus and Destination Earth (DestinE). Learn more about ECMWF, Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and DestinE.
Since 2018, each summer, selected developer teams work together with experienced mentors from ECMWF and partner organisations on innovative projects. These projects are related to the broad scope of activities at ECMWF, including data science, weather, climate or other earth sciences, visualisation and more
Overview
A brand-new set of data-driven challenges is waiting to be solved in the 2026 edition of Code for Earth, ECMWF’s annual innovation programme.
Innovators are invited to deliver solutions to given problem statements, known as challenges, that may improve how Earth science data are used, visualised and interpreted, ultimately addressing today’s most pressing environmental and climate challenges.
Run every year since 2018, Code for Earth aims to drive open-source innovation in the Earth sciences community. Last year’s successes included making meteorological charts for visually impaired scientists, an interactive platform visualising the impact of extreme weather events on energy systems, and an application enabling you to zoom into your hometown and see how a local sandstorm or forest fire affects air quality.
This year’s challenges include rapid decision making during wildfires, analysing global flood forecast data from 10,000 monitoring stations, and detecting implausible behaviour in machine learning systems.
Four challenge streams, with a new focus on Africa
The challenges are organised by ECMWF with support from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), Destination Earth (DestinE) and Strengthening Early Warning in Africa (SEWA).
They fall under four streams:
- Data visualisation
- Machine learning
- Software development
- Africa – introduced for 2026, with a focus on joint challenges with African partner organisations
Selected teams will co-develop open-source tools and services that support stronger early warning systems, build regional innovation capacity, and help address key challenges in weather, atmosphere and climate. In the fourth stream, teams will also work on climate change and digital transformation in Africa, defined by local or regional challenge partners.
Open to individuals and teams
Participants are invited to submit proposals for any of the challenges they wish to address. Eligibility details for all streams can be found on the FAQs page on Code for Earth’s website.
After the Call for Participation, selected applicants work individually or in teams, guided by experienced and expert mentors from ECMWF and partner organisations, to solve real-world challenges with applied data science, computing and open-source software coding. All individuals or teams that complete their project successfully will be recognised for their achievements.
How to take part
Applications for Code for Earth 2026 close strictly at 23:59 CEST on 9 April 2026.
For details on how to apply, and terms and conditions, see the Code for Earth website.
Click Here To Apply
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This is an exceptional opportunity for the experts in geoscience, remote sensing, and environmental science.
Great to hear this from you Girma