Growing Climate Resilience in Remote Rural Areas through Community Empowerment
PROJECT TITLE

Growing Climate Resilience in Remote Rural Areas through Community Empowerment


YEAR 2025
PROJECT DURATION 48 months
DATE STARTED October 2025
DATE COMPLETED September 2029
FUNDING AGENCY / DONOR HORIZON Europe Innovation Action, European Commission
COORDINATOR Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC)
COUNTRIES Greece,Italy,Sweden,Ukraine,Slovak Republic,Latvia,Poland,France,Belgium,The Netherlands,Germany,Portugal,Austria,Ireland,Denmark
PARTNERS Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC), INOVA+ - Innovation Services SA, CIHEAM, Stichting VU, European Public Law Organisation (EPLO), AEIDL, CRS, ESCI, BAB, Aconium GmbH, IfLS, ERDN, CIMBAL, KLAR, Comune di Cavallino Treporti, Region of Thessaly, Vidzeme Planning Region, SLU, Region Västerbotten, Aalborg Kommune, DTU, Zilina Region, Zalishchyky City Council, EBM, Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Mayo County Council

OVERALL OBJECTIVE

The main objectives of the project are:
•    Strengthening the climate resilience and adaptive capacity of Remote Rural Areas (RRAs) across Europe 
•    Empowering rural communities to become active agents of climate adaptation and transformation 
•    Supporting the co-creation of place-based adaptation pathways through stakeholder engagement and participatory processes 
•    Developing and deploying innovative solutions, including Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and digital tools 
•    Enhancing multi-level governance frameworks to enable effective climate adaptation in rural contexts 
•    Promoting inclusive, socially driven and economically viable adaptation strategies 
•    Contributing to the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change by scaling and replicating solutions across regions

ACTIVITIES

•    Establish and activate Rural Climate Resilience Groups (RCRGs) to engage local stakeholders and foster co-creation processes 
•    Characterise regional contexts and develop shared adaptation visions and pathways 
•    Conduct climate risk assessments and scenario planning for Demonstrator and Replicator Regions 
•    Develop and implement an AI-powered digital dashboard for climate adaptation planning and decision-making 
•    Co-create and test nature-based and innovative adaptation solutions in Demonstrator Regions 
•    Support Replicator Regions in adopting and scaling successful solutions 
•    Design and implement multi-level governance frameworks and assess economic potential of adaptation strategies 
•    Deliver capacity-building activities, training programmes, and peer-to-peer learning exchanges 
•    Promote communication, dissemination, and exploitation of results through scientific outputs, policy engagement, and stakeholder outreach 
•    Ensure effective project management, coordination, data management, and ethical compliance

KEY RESULTS AND OUTPUTS

•    Climate risk profiles and adaptation pathways for Demonstrator and Replicator Regions 
•    Deployment of an AI-based decision-support platform for climate resilience planning 
•    Implementation of nature-based solutions delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits 
•    Development of governance models and policy recommendations for rural climate adaptation 
•    Strengthened stakeholder engagement and community participation mechanisms 
•    Knowledge exchange, capacity building, and replication of solutions across European regions