On September 9–10, 2025, the ’2nd ATMOSYS Community Workshop’ was held in Budapest, organized by the LIFE IP HungAIRy project, in collaboration with its partner VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research) and HungaroMet. The event focused on the ATMOSYS air quality modelling software package, which supports air quality forecasting, assessment, and planning. More than twenty experts from seven countries attended the meeting in person, while additional participants joined online. The workshop aimed to foster connections, share knowledge, and facilitate experience exchange among air quality modelling teams.

The LIFE IP HungAIRy project addresses one of the most significant environmental challenges: improving air quality. The initiative covers eight regions and ten Hungarian municipalities, and includes the development of a decision-supporting air quality modelling tool, in collaboration with its partners and participating organizations.

VITO is a Flemish research institute working in the fields of clean technologies and sustainability. Its environmental modelling unit develops tools and services to support public and private stakeholders in their efforts to improve air quality.

One of VITO’s key developments is the ATMOSYS software suite, which forecasts expected pollutant concentrations in the atmosphere and visualizes them on detailed spatial maps. The suite includes ATMO-Plan, an application that helps decision-makers determine where and when to take action to improve air quality.

Within the framework of the HungAIRy Integrated Project, VITO adapted the ATMO-Plan air quality planning tool to Hungarian conditions. This web-based application allows for the assessment of the impacts of urban-scale air quality improvement measures. With its help, Hungarian partners of the network can test and implement their own air quality plans, targeting emissions reductions from traffic and residential heating.

Approximately thirty experts from Belgium, Croatia, Slovakia, Ireland, Romania, Malta, and Hungary participated in the workshop—both on-site and online—to discuss potential applications and future developments of ATMOSYS in line with the expectations of the new European Union air quality directive.

VITO was represented by Lisa Blyth (Service Business Development and Relationship Manager), Stijn Janssen (Program Manager), and Stijn Vranckx (Senior Air Quality Researcher), who presented the current use cases of the ATMOSYS software and their future development plans.

Gábor Kis-Kovács, Head of the Air Quality Modelling and Emissions Department at HungaroMet, welcomed the participants. Zita Ferenczi, Professional Lead for Air Quality Modelling at HungaroMet, gave a presentation on how the ATMO-Plan tool is applied in the LIFE IP HungAIRy project and the modelling challenges Hungary faces with the implementation of the new EU directive.

Representatives of the participating countries gave overviews of their air quality modelling activities, followed by engaging and forward-looking professional discussions. VITO’s team was open to new ideas and development suggestions.

On the second day, September 10, VITO and HungaroMet staff continued discussions in a smaller working group. The main topics were the update of ATMO-Plan’s background data and compliance with the new EU air quality directive.

The 2nd ATMOSYS Community Workshop successfully achieved its goals: it created opportunities for networking, joint thinking, and the exchange of experiences and best practices, while also facilitating a vibrant professional dialogue on air quality modelling.