Fragmentation of research efforts, lack of a shared scientific vision and insufficient availability of research tools, shared databases, etc., is a major limitation for the understanding of atmospheric composition change over Europe under a changing climate, and the consequent inadequate transfer of prospects to the decision makers for future policies. The ACCENT-Plus project builds on the successful efforts of the Network of Excellence ACCENT which, over the past six years, has brought together the atmospheric science community engaged in global change and air pollution studies. The integration efforts within the ACCENT Network have produced a stronger cohesion of the community, including research groups from the new EU Member States and have facilitated the engagement of a new generation of scientists who have started their career in the collaborative environment promoted by ACCENT. ACCENT-Plus aims at extending the breath of the previous ACCENT phase to reach out to the policy community, facilitating the transfer of research results into policy/decision making. A prerequisite to reach this goal is to continue fostering the coordination and integration of the European science community, associating with this new effort all partners and associates of the previous ACCENT phase. Joint research programming, contribution to the international research agenda, access to information, training/mobility activities and facilitation in the use of research infrastructures will be key elements of ACCENT-Plus to preserve and enhance the excellence of European research in an ERA context, to produce integrated assessment and synthesis of scientific results and to connect science and policy making by transferring to the decision makers the important links between air quality and climate change and the prospects and benefits of co-control policies.