The ULTimateCO2 project, managed by the French geological survey BRGM, is drawing to a close.  The aim of this project is to advance the understanding of processes that affect the long-term storage of CO2 and the production of guidance for predicting the long-term retention of CO2.  This four-year project has united 12 partners including research institutes, universities and industry from 10 countries.  The culmination of the research was presented at a technical workshop in Paris in October.  The meeting reviewed how a combination of model projections, lab experiments and the study of natural analogues can be used to predict how CO2 can be trapped and retained in natural reservoirs.  ULTimateCO2 will enable operators, regulators and other stakeholders to understand how different processes, particularly trapping mechanisms, secure CO2.  The guidance produced from the research is designed to meet the requirements of the European Directive on geological storage of CO2 (2009/31/EC) which has established a legal framework for the environmentally safe geological storage of CO2.