RA VI Working Group on Research Meeting -Highlights

The RA VI Working Group on Research met on 5 March 2026 to review updates from WMO research programmes, discuss the RA VI Research Action Plan 2026–2030, and identify priorities for strengthening regional research coordination.

Participants were briefed on developments within the WMO Research Board, including work on artificial intelligence, the integration of social sciences with geophysical research, and data exchange under the WMO Unified Data Policy. The revised WMO Hydrology Research Strategy, endorsed by the Research Board will be submitted to the Executive Council and Congress for approval. Updates were also provided on the activities of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) and Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW), as well as upcoming international training initiatives and summer schools.

The group discussed ways to strengthen RA VI engagement with global research programmes, including promoting regional capacity-building on AI and big data and addressing gaps in nominations from global programme committees.

Preliminary results from a regional research survey launched during the RA VI Scientific Forum in Prague (November 2025) indicate that improving resilience to hydrological hazards—including floods, flash floods and heatwaves—is the top research priority in the region. Key research gaps include impact-based forecasting, data integration, cross-border coordination and the application of AI in prediction.

The RA VI Research Action Plan 2026–2030, presented by Prof. Adina-Eliza Croitoru, focuses on three priorities: advancing scientific knowledge of the Earth system, strengthening the science-to-services value chain, and supporting policy-relevant research. Key activities include organizing the Regional Scientific Forum, promoting research-to-operations collaboration, supporting the Hydrology Advisors Forum, and continuing the RA VI scientific lecture series.

Participants also reviewed preparations for the 19th session of Regional Association VI (RA VI), planned for the period from 28 September to 2 October 2026 in Bucharest, Romania, and discussed ongoing work on a regional collaboration platform to facilitate knowledge exchange.

The group agreed on next steps, including collecting abstracts for the Regional Scientific Forum, preparing inputs for the Research Board session in September 2026, and developing a progress report for the RA VI session.

A structured reporting format will be used, based on the template applied by the RA VI Working Group on Services and Applications. The format includes tasks aligned with strategic objectives, progress on actions, and brief narrative descriptions of activities. The meeting reached an in-principle agreement to create member profiles on the group’s Knowledge Hub, subject to written consent, to improve visibility and collaboration within the regional research community.

In conclusion, the group agreed to hold two regular meetings per year, with additional meetings organized if needed to address specific tasks or deadlines and the next meeting planned for early September.