Perspectives on university-based climate service providers in the United States

Universities have been engaged in developing fundamental climate science for decades, but their role in climate services has been rapidly evolving. In light of recent changes in federal priorities, there is both a need and an opportunity to examine alternative approaches to delivering reliable services to help manage climate and weather-related risks. In this context, we have interviewed leaders of climate service-related programs at universities across the United States (US) to collect insights about possible paths forward and conclude that there is significant potential for growth in this area. Our high-level research questions were: (1) What on-the-ground outcomes have university-based climate service providers (UBCSPs) been able to achieve and how? (2) How can UBCSPs scale up their work and accelerate climate change adaptation (henceforth ‘adaptation’)? And (3) How do networks support UBCSPs and how does that impact provision of services? (SI1 includes a complete list of questions).