Making Adaptation Project Results More Accessible to European Local and Regional Authorities: What are the gaps and needs in Climate Adaptation Knowledge?

Heavier floods, longer heatwaves, and increasing droughts have become increasing challenges to European infrastructure, public health, and local economies. While EU Mission projects provide the critical knowledge to address climate hazards, bridging the gap from this knowledge to local implementation requires aligning these solutions with the practical needs of Local and Regional Authorities (LRAs).

To have a clear picture of such knowledge-action gaps, the REGILIENCE+ project is currently running two approaches: a “Gaps Assessment” to identify available climate adaptation solutions on mainstream platforms, such as Climate-ADAPT and the Mission Adaptation Portal; and a “Needs Assessment” to hear directly from stakeholders regarding the implementation of adaptation solutions. The preliminary results, stemming from mapping of solutions from the gaps assessment and the answers from so far 147 stakeholders from 27 countries from the needs assessment, provide valuable insights on how EU Mission and other projects can enhance their solutions and how REGILIENCE+ can support in this task: 

• Bridging the Implementation and Replication Deficit

While the will to adapt is strong, an implementation gap persists as LRAs navigate restricted budgets and complex funding rules, pushing them to prioritise the use of tools which can be used for free. With fewer than 15% of Climate-ADAPT solutions and tools currently providing information on replication, and a lack of data on maintenance and cost-benefit analysis, these strategies become difficult to scale. Prioritising the production of “lessons learnt,” robust monitoring data, and clear financial requirements has been pointed out as a viable path towards implementation. REGILIENCE+ offers to support Mission and other projects in transforming their technical findings into practical Case Studies for Climate-ADAPT, providing the actionable evidence practitioners need to secure funding and turn innovation into scalable local solutions.

• Prioritising Hidden Hazards

While common climate threats are well-documented, solutions for wildfires and extreme cold/ice remain dangerously scarce in the mainstream online platforms. Directing research and innovation toward these unexplored hazards to meet the growing demand for specialised solutions is a clear call to all Mission projects. REGILIENCE+ is equally committed to meeting these expectations by prioritising these hazards, ensuring practitioners have the specific evidence and tools required to address these risks.

• Translating Information into Communication

In sectors such as water management, agriculture, and extreme heat, the format in which information is shared comes as the main bottleneck. Practitioners are often blocked by lengthy documents, hence seeking interactive webinars, peer-to-peer workshops, and in-person learning tools. Moving beyond data-centred reports and designing project outputs to be human-centric and interactive shall allow for practical guidance for LRAs.

• Integrating Unexplored Sectors

Solutions for Business and Industry, ICT, and Cultural Heritage are currently scarce in the adaptation landscape. Ensuring that adaptation frameworks include these sectors will ensure no part of the local economy is left behind.

• Closing the Geographic Gaps

Resilience must be universal, yet nearly half of European countries remain under-represented in the current adaptation landscape. Practitioners in 10 priority countries (Albania, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Georgia, Kosovo, Latvia, Malta, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine) still cannot find sufficient in-country examples and practical tools in the mainstream platforms, needed to inspire local action. Increasing outreach and tailoring tools for use in these specific regions is an important pillar to ensure that adaptation is inclusive. REGILIENCE+ offers to support Mission and other projects in sharing and communicating the specific examples and practical tools required to inspire and support local action within these 10 priority countries.