After reviewing our finance and after discussion, the EGU’s volunteer Council made the decision to make those moneys of approximately 300,000€ available to the members in the form of a Special Activity Fund, which was launched in early 2025. EGU members were invited to submit applications for high-profile, ‘out-of-the-box’ not-for-profit activities with high visibility and large impact, that were not currently covered by any existing EGU funding.

Over the course of 2025 a task force composed from Council members reviewed the proposals to make a recommendation to Council and we are pleased to announce today at the EGU Plenary at the EGU26 General Assembly in Vienna, that 10 projects have been selected and approved to be funded, each to a value of between 21,000 and 30,000€. Viktor Bruckman, Special Activity Fund co-ordinator, said "The Special Activity Fund is a unique opportunity for EGU to find a new way to put control of the Union directly back into the hands of the members. With projects selected for funding that span the full range of ideas, from outreach and education to climate and sustainability concepts, EGU’s members have really demonstrated their creativity when it comes to expanding the work that EGU does as a scientific non-profit. I’m very excited to see the results and activities that will take place over the next year.”

More information about the Special Activity Fund projects will be released during the next few months, as the Fund is implemented throughout 2026.

The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is Europe’s premier geosciences union, dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences for the benefit of humanity, worldwide. It is a non-profit interdisciplinary learned association of scientists founded in 2002 with headquarters in Munich, Germany. The EGU publishes a number of diverse scientific journals that use an innovative open access format and organises topical meetings plus education and outreach activities. Its annual General Assembly is the largest and most prominent European geosciences event, attracting more than 20,000 scientists from all over the world. The meeting’s sessions cover a wide range of topics, including volcanology, planetary exploration, the Earth’s internal structure and atmosphere, climate, energy, and resources.

• Special Activity Fund