The principle focus of EUROVOLC is to overcome fragmentation at various levels, including community, project and discipline. Harmonization of the volcanological community includes linking scientists and stakeholders and connecting still isolated volcanological infrastructures located at in situ volcano observatories and volcanological research institutions.

EUROVOLC activities will address four main themes: community building, volcano-atmosphere interaction, sub-surface processes and volcanic crisis preparedness and risk management. Researchers are working across partner institutions and with stakeholders over 25 work packages, addressing different aspects of these themes. 

Examples of networking activities under these themes include collaboration and networking between volcano observatories, volcanological research institutions and civil protection agencies, networking of atmospheric gas and aerosol observations as well as observations of subsurface processes, and initiation of access to multidisciplinary observations from Krafla Volcano Laboratory (Iceland) as a test bed.

Joint research activities include multidisciplinary assimilation of data for volcanic ash transport models and source-term parametrisation; integrated modelling of pre-eruption data and integration of petrological and real-time monitoring data; and the development of tools for hazard assessment and risk management.

Trans-national and Virtual Access activities include the main European volcano observatories and volcanological research infrastructures offering free access to their sites, for example, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Piton de la Fournaise Volcano Observatories, and online resources, for example, virtual access to satellite-image derived SO2 flux time series.