What the Mission on climate adaptation deals with

The European Commission wants to support 150 climate resilient regions by 2030 with this mission. In order to achieve this it will stimulate the development of innovative solutions while engaging at the same time with a wide range of regional stakeholders to increase the acceptance of the solutions and the changes needed within these regions. 

This mission on adaptation to climate change is not limited to Horizon Europe but is spread out over different European programmes and it will also entail other measures to achieve its objectives.

Objectives of the mission

Research and innovation support will be provided in different ways by

• helping European regions and communities better understand, prepare for and manage climate risks and opportunities
• working with at least 150 European regions and communities to accelerate their transformation toward climate resilience
• delivering at least 75 large-scale demonstrators of systemic transformations on the ground

How can you take part ?

Some regions are already further than others on their road towards full climate reslience so each region will need to follow a different path. This mission is also not limited to the front-runners but also to those that are very far behind in the climate transition. Consequently a tailor-made approach will be drawn up for each region to achieve the objectives.

Regions and communities that want to take part will need to sign the Mission Charter but first are asked to fill in this EU Survey as an initial application. An assessment of the replies and evidence provided will gauge the commitment of the regions and communities to implement adaptation measures to climate change. Regions and communities that show past, ongoing or future initiatives or the willingness to consider adaptation initiatives are invited to sign the Charter. 

On 7 June, the Commission anounced a first round of 118 regions and local authorities that will participate in the Mission. A further 17 private companies, service centres, research networks and local action groups active in improving climate resilience will endorse the Charter and become friends of the Mission. Regions and local authorities that did not do so yet can still express their interest to join the Mission. A second round of selected regions and local authorities will be announced during the EU Research & Innovation Days taking place end of September 2022.

Climate Adaptation Mission Implementation Plan

The Climate Adaptation Mission Implementation Plan aims to be the operational blueprint for how the Commission will deliveron the main goal and the objectives of this Mission, providing an operational course of action.

Open & Forthcoming calls

The calls for project proposals are not only aimed at regions and communities. Companies, universities, organisations can also be part of a consortium submitting a project.  The open & forthcoming calls are available on the Funding and Tenders Portal. The Commission has organised an Info Session on the EU Missions on 17 and 18 January 2023. More information here.

Results of EU-funded Climate adaptation-related projects 

A portfolio of projects & results on climate adaptation research and innovation funded under past framework programmes FP6 (2002-2006), FP7 (2007-2013) and Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) and the current Horizon Europe framework programme (2021-2027) can be found in the CORDIS database.

Climate adaptation-related projects supported by European Regions can be found in the KOHESIO database.

What are Missions?

Find it out here.