CarboSchools+ proposes to link carbon science laboratories with secondary schools to develop partnerships where young Europeans learn and conduct experiments about climate research and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In partnership projects, scientists and teachers co-operate over several months to give young people a practical experience of research through real-time experiments, site visits, debates etc. A final output (article, exhibition) shares the findings with parents, friends, community etc. Nine research institutes in 7 countries will explore how they can best motivate and support such partnerships at the regional level in a wide variety of contexts, approaches, topics and age-groups. European co-operation will allow a comparison of results, learn from each other and develop replicable good practice. Pupils will gain European experience by doing comparative measurements through a common “school CO2-web”. An in-depth study of impacts on attitudes, beliefs and skills will allow a better understanding of the projects' level of effectiveness. Over 2 school years, partnerships will involve about 90 scientists, 140 teachers and more than 3000 students. Their direct interaction will support teachers in the highly complex, interdisciplinary and socially relevant field of global change, and improve the communication skills of scientists. Methods and materials will be jointly developed and shared with a broad range of players in science education via the internet, a European conference and regional dissemination activities. CarboSchools+ is proposed by institutes firmly rooted in two FP6 research projects on climate change on the basis of outstanding results from educational projects piloted since 2005. A field-tested concept, a first set of resources and an enthusiastic human network provides us with confidence and institutional support to make science learning more engaging and challenging for young people as future workers, consumers and citizens.