Innovative Multi-disciPlinary European Research training netwOrk on VolcanoEs

Project Information

IMPROVE

Grant agreement ID: 858092

DOI

10.3030/858092

Project closed

EC signature date 22 June 2020

Start date 1 September 2021

End date 31 August 2025

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 4 043 158,20

EU contribution

€ 4 043 158,20

Coordinated by

ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI GEOFISICA E VULCANOLOGIA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - IMPROVE (Innovative Multi-disciPlinary European Research training netwOrk on VolcanoEs)

Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2025-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The EU-funded project IMPROVE – Innovative multi-disciplinary European research training network on volcanoes addressed one of the most complex and societally relevant natural challenges: understanding how active volcanoes work beneath the surface. Volcanoes are both a threat and a resource — they generate devastating eruptions but also offer opportunities for sustainable geothermal energy. Despite decades of research, our ability to image and model the deep roots of volcanoes remains limited. This gap constrains eruption forecasting and the safe, efficient use of volcanic systems for renewable energy production.
IMPROVE set out to advance this frontier by training fifteen early-stage researchers in a uniquely integrated environment combining academic, industrial, and technological expertise. Its overarching aim was to develop new ways to observe, model, and understand volcanic and geothermal systems through a coordinated effort that merged geophysics, geochemistry, geology, and data science. Two iconic volcanoes served as natural laboratories: Krafla in Iceland, where magma has been directly encountered by drilling, and Mount Etna in Italy, one of the world’s best monitored active volcanoes.
The project pursued four major objectives: (1) to overcome current limits in underground imaging of magma systems; (2) to explore poorly known deformation processes bridging seismic and geodetic timescales; (3) to strengthen collaboration between science and the geothermal industry for sustainable energy use; and (4) to promote technological innovation through joint development of new sensors and instruments.
By the end of the project, IMPROVE had achieved all these goals. It produced new methods to image magma storage zones and to link seismic, geodetic, and geochemical observations across scales. It also created prototypes for advanced gas and steam monitoring devices, demonstrated new uses of fibre-optic sensing for volcano monitoring, and revitalised cooperation between scientists and geothermal energy producers.
Beyond its scientific results, IMPROVE successfully trained a new generation of volcanologists capable of working across disciplines and sectors. Several of its researchers have already secured academic or industrial positions, confirming the project’s long-term impact in both science and society.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Over its four-year duration, IMPROVE recruited fifteen international doctoral researchers, each supported by an extensive programme of training, mentoring, and mobility. They collectively carried out over 80 months of secondments across partner institutions and companies, ensuring close collaboration between academia and industry.
Scientific work focused on two natural laboratories. At Krafla (Iceland), teams combined seismology, geodesy, gravity, geochemistry, and modelling to image magma bodies located just a few kilometres below the surface. They discovered new patterns of stress and deformation at the rifting plate boundary and clarified how geothermal operations influence local seismicity. At Mount Etna (Italy), researchers integrated satellite, ground, and experimental data to study magma transport and surface deformation across timescales from seconds to years, filling a long-standing observational gap between seismic and geodetic measurements.
Complementing these scientific achievements, IMPROVE fostered strong industry engagement. Collaborations with Landsvirkjun (the Icelandic national power company), West Systems (instrumentation manufacturer), and other SMEs led to technological advances, including an automated gas–steam ratio sensor and applications of distributed acoustic sensing for geothermal and volcanic monitoring. Science-industry relationships were explored during one dedicated workshop which gathered representatives from the two sectors and furthe exposed the early stage researchers to multiple career perspectives.
Training was delivered through four network schools, five specialised courses, nine public digital training modules, and three ESR-led mini-workshops. These activities combined technical instruction with transferable skills in communication, entrepreneurship, and project management.
Dissemination and outreach were major components. IMPROVE maintained an active website and social media presence, published articles in science magazines, issued newsletters, and participated in European Researchers’ Nights. The project’s outcomes were widely presented at international conferences and workshops, and more than a dozen peer-reviewed papers have already been published or are under review, with many more forthcoming.
All data collected were managed through a dedicated open database following FAIR principles and integrated with the European Plate Observing System (EPOS), ensuring long-term accessibility. Together, these efforts guarantee that IMPROVE’s scientific and educational legacy will continue to grow beyond the project’s lifetime.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

IMPROVE pioneered new techniques for subsurface imaging, combining seismic, geodetic, gravity, and geochemical data with machine learning and numerical modelling. The work at Krafla provided a highly detailed multidisciplinary picture of how magma interacts with geothermal reservoirs in an active rift zone, while the studies at Etna bridged the observational gap between seismic and geodetic signals, revealing previously unrecognised patterns of magma migration and ground deformation.
These advances have practical consequences. Improved understanding of subsurface processes directly enhances eruption forecasting and volcanic hazard assessment, contributing to the safety of populations living near active volcanoes. The integration of scientific monitoring with geothermal operations promotes safer and more efficient use of subsurface heat resources, supporting Europe’s transition to sustainable energy. The new gas and steam monitoring device developed within IMPROVE and the field testing of fibre-optic sensing technologies illustrate how research can translate into tangible innovations with industrial relevance.
Beyond technical progress, IMPROVE has had a strong socio-economic and educational impact. It trained a cohort of versatile researchers equipped with interdisciplinary expertise, data-science skills, and experience in international collaboration. Many are now employed in universities, research centres, and industry, ensuring the diffusion of knowledge and innovation generated by the project.
At a broader level, IMPROVE has strengthened the connection between science and society by engaging citizens through outreach events, open training materials, and public communication. It has demonstrated how European collaborative research can transform our understanding of natural systems while fostering innovation, sustainability, and resilience. The project’s legacy extends far beyond its formal end — in the data it leaves open to the community, the technologies it helped create, and the new generation of scientists it has inspired.

Pictures from the organized three IMPROVE Network Schools

Images from conference presentations by the IMPROVE ESRs

Pictures from the second IMPROVE field campaign at the Etna volcano, Italy

Collection of the front page of the six IMPROVE Newsletters

Images from the IMPROVE Final Conference at the INGV Headquarters in Rome

Flyers of the three already organized IMPROVE Network Schools

Pictures from the first IMPROVE field campaign at the Krafla volcano, Iceland