The ESSL Science and Training signed contracts with Wiener Neustadt

Tuesday February 3, 2012 Wiener Neustadt’s mayor Bernhard Müller handed over the rental contracts of the ESSL Research and Training Centre to Director of Operations, Alois M. Holzer, and Assistant to the Board, Magdalena Pichler.

ESSL Science and Training, the newly founded Austrian daughter of ESSL, will use these premises as the venue for the ESSL Testbed. For the city of Wiener Neustadt, ESSL-ST will carry out the project TorNeustadt.

TorNeustadt will estimate the tornado risk in the region of Wiener Neustadt, where the Europe-wide fourth deadliest tornado in history took place in 1916 which lead to 32 casualties. According to the ESWD, several tornadoes have occurred in the vicinity during the last 150 years. TorNeustadt is designed to deliver direct input to the civil defence programme of the town.

Furthermore, the town Wiener Neustadt lets premises to the ESSL-ST. The Research and Training Centre is located in Wiener Neustadt and will accommodate the newly established ESSL project Testbed starting in June this year. During the Testbed, new forecasting products are assessed with the focus on severe weather events, while providing training to and interaction between forecasters and developers. “We are very pleased to have found Wiener Neustadt as an ideal location for our Research and Training Centre. Important factors are the central position within Europe, the good accessibility in terms of traffic and the hotel infrastructure. We will accomplish the ESSL Testbed here each year starting this June. This is a 5-week long activity, where the most outstanding meteorologists with regard to severe weather warnings will meet in Wiener Neustadt to exchange the newest methods and warning tools. The participants will arrive from all over Europe and the USA. We want to contribute to the constant improvement of severe weather warnings in Europe. Our local partner in this is the Austrian Weather Service ZAMG. The final decision was influenced by the positive attitude existing in the Wiener Neustadt about scientific activity and the practical support in terms of preparation from the town Wiener Neustadt.“ says Dr. Pieter Groenemeijer, Director and Chairman of Executive Board of the ESSL.

The ceremony on the occasion of signing the contract took place in the protocol hall of Wiener Neustadt. Attendees of the ceremony from left to right: Ingrid Winkler (City Council for Commerce Wiener Neustadt), Alois M. Holzer (ESSL Director of Operations), Bernhard Müller (Mayor of Wiener Neustadt), Magdalena Pichler (ESSL Assistant to the Board), Christian Mürkl (Head of Financial Administration of Wiener Neustadt), Barbara Dunst (Executive Director EcoNova Wiener Neustadt), Andreas Stickler (EcoNova Wiener Neustadt). Foto: Michael Baumgartner