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The IMPROVE Final Conference
The IMPROVE Final Conference took place on July 16–17, The meeting focused on the two IMPROVE target
2025, at the INGV headquarters in Rome. The event brought volcanoes: Krafla (Iceland) on day one and Mount Etna
together all IMPROVE Early-Stage Researchers (ESR), many (Italy) on day two. The ESRs took center stage at the
of their supervisors, external guests, and INGV staff who meeting, enjoying maximum visibility. Each day included
joined the sessions, fostering a fruitful scientific debate only two short 15-minute introductory talks by senior
and constructive exchange of ideas. academics and two presentations by industrial partners at
the end of the day. The rest of the program featured ESR-led
The INGV President Fabio Florindo opened the meeting presentations and discussions, with ESRs also acting as
with a welcome to all participants, highlighting the section chairs.
importance of IMPROVE in building and strengthening a
European network of volcano researchers, while providing Taking advantage of the INGV venue, each after-lunch
advanced training and research opportunities. Additional session began with a short guided tour of key facilities. On
relevant invitees included Carmela (Lilli) Freda, Executive the first day, Jacopo Taddeucci, IMPROVE supervisor led a
Director of EPOS-ERIC, the European Solid Earth research visit to the High Pressure–High Temperature laboratories.
infrastructure and an external partner of IMPROVE; On the second day, Lucia Margheriti, Director of the INGV
Francesca Bianco and Claudio Chiarabba, Directors of National Earthquake Observatory, guided the participants
INGV's Volcanoes and Earthquake Departments; Stefano through the National Seismic Control Room, which
Branca, Director of the Mount Etna Observatory; and Björn operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Þór Guðmundsson, CEO of the KMT-NPO (Krafla Magma
Testbed Non-Profit Organization).
Major Outcomes from Day One: Research on Kraa Volcano
The first day focused on Krafla volcano, where nine ESRs crystallizing magma shows that solidification can take
presented their research on the underground caldera much longer than previously estimated with simpler
structure, its thermal and mechanical behavior over time, models. This helps explain a long-standing puzzle about
and the evolution of shallow magma—one presentation the longevity and emplacement of shallow magma
also covered the nearby Þeistareykir geothermal area. encountered by drilling at just 2.1 km depth.
Overall, the results significantly advance our understanding Additional results from the nine ESRs have greatly
of the volcanic system and its shallow magma bodies. improved our understanding of Krafla's underground
Despite the challenges posed by the highly heterogeneous system, knowledge that is fully shared with the industrial
caldera structure, combining multiple approaches and partner Landsvirkjun, which operates the Krafla geothermal
inversion techniques has successfully revealed magma power plant, for strategic planning. A late-afternoon
batches within the first few kilometers below the surface. presentation by Landsvirkjun highlighted the benefits of
Furthermore, advanced modeling of Krafla's cooling and academia-industry collaboration, showcasing the work

