RESIST

Why ecosystem building matters for Climate Adaptation? Lessons from RESIST

On 2 December, the RESIST Community of Interest, led by ERRIN, brought together regional authorities, EU Mission projects, researchers and practitioners for an in-depth discussion on how to empower regional ecosystems to anticipate and adapt to climate impacts.

Taking place at a pivotal moment, as the EU Missions undergo evaluation and their effectiveness on the ground is being assessed, the event showcased concrete regional experiences and explored how Mission projects are helping shape place-based climate resilience strategies.

RESIST brings together twelve regions and their wider quadruple and quintuple helix ecosystems, involving local authorities, universities, private actors and civil society. RESIST aims not only to help its regions tackle a diverse range of climate challenges but also to design the methodologies needed to transfer and adapt solutions to different territorial contexts. With four demonstrator regions and eight twinning regions, the project is testing innovative adaptation solutions and, at the same time, exploring how they can be meaningfully translated rather than simply replicated elsewhere. This transferability work will continue in 2026, opening opportunities even for regions not directly involved in the project.

The heart of the event focused on the experiences of two RESIST regions, starting with Southwest Finland. Katariina Yli-Heikkilä described a region where long-standing cooperation among municipalities, universities, applied research centres and innovation hubs has created fertile ground for climate resilience work. She explained that the region benefits from a dedicated project unit, Valonia, which supports municipalities, communities, companies and citizens on sustainability issues while maintaining an unbiased, practical and implementation-oriented approach. Thanks to strong internal coordination and a well-established Brussels office, Southwest Finland has been able to move fluidly between regional priorities and European opportunities, positioning itself strongly within the Mission on Adaptation. Yli-Heikkilä emphasised the importance of continuous stakeholder dialogue, including with farmers, foresters, vulnerable groups and other communities that might not always participate spontaneously and noted that this regular exchange has ensured a shared understanding of regional priorities and contributed to the design of a wide portfolio of climate resilience projects.

From a very different geographical and climatic context, but with equally rich lessons, Sophie Patricio presented the work carried out in Central Portugal, where wildfire risk is one of the most pressing challenges. Here, RESIST has created an opportunity to rethink land management and governance models, while strengthening the role of local communities in shaping future landscapes. She described how the project began with a clear regional goal, enhancing resilience to wildfires, but deliberately adopted a bottom-up approach to designing the necessary actions. This meant engaging municipalities, landowners, local associations, environmental organisations and inhabitants from the earliest stages, not as passive consultees but as co-creators. She explained how meeting citizens and stakeholders on their own terms, in their own settings, and through informal dialogue has built trust and fostered a sense of collective ownership. As a result, some municipalities and private landowners are already replicating solutions outside the project’s pilot zones using their own funding, demonstrating that empowerment and early involvement can lead to long-lasting change.

The second half of the event shifted towards broader reflections on how Mission projects are supporting regional transitions. Thomas Koetz from Climate-KIC introduced Pathways2Resilience (P2R), a major Mission project guiding 100 European regions through the process of understanding climate risks, strengthening enabling conditions, building shared visions, and designing climate resilience pathways. He presented the Regional Resilience Journey and the Adaptation Investment Cycle, two frameworks that help regions turn long-term resilience ambitions into actionable strategies and investment plans. Although only a selection of regions receives direct support, the methodologies, guidance documents and interactive tools developed by P2R are publicly available, allowing any interested region to benefit from the project’s work. This also includes the interactive online version of the framework, which breaks down the journey into more accessible components for regions wishing to follow the same process independently. In addition, P2R has developed a public toolbox, offering methods, templates and curated tools for each phase of the resilience journey. Although only a handful of tools have been created exclusively by P2R, the toolbox provides a rich collection of resources that any region can adopt when working on baseline assessments, stakeholder mapping, future scenarios, pathway design or action planning. Beyond the documents, Koetz highlighted that regions outside the programme are welcome to join P2R’s Innovation Practice Groups, small thematic communities of practice that meet online two or three times per year to exchange experiences on topics such as heat stress, financing, or specific adaptation challenges.

Jen Heemann from IEECP followed with insights from the REGILIENCE project, which has focused on helping regions access knowledge, avoid maladaptation and strengthen their capacity to address climate risks. She shared examples of tools created during the project, including quick guides on natural hazards and a maladaptation self-assessment tool. She described regional training sessions that brought together local authorities, researchers and community actors to jointly explore climate risks and identify opportunities for collaboration. She also presented REGILIENCE+, the new Coordination and Support Action that will build an inventory of adaptation solutions across Europe and continue offering tailored training and knowledge-sharing opportunities in close cooperation with the Mission.

The event concluded with updates from the RESIST communication team, presented by Cristina Biddlecome from REVOLVE, who previewed upcoming storytelling and dissemination materials, including the RESIST handbook, and with closing remarks from Isabel Rodrigues of INOVA+, outlining the next steps of the project as it enters a phase focused on transferring solutions beyond the original twelve partner regions.

Throughout the discussions, one message resonated strongly: empowering regional ecosystems for climate resilience requires early, sustained and genuine collaboration between public authorities, researchers, businesses, communities and citizens. Participants highlighted that while frameworks and methodologies provide valuable structure, trust-building, cultural understanding and long-term cooperation remain at the core of effective climate action.

The RESIST Community of Interest, facilitated by ERRIN, continues to serve as an open and growing platform for all regions and stakeholders engaged in climate adaptation and the EU Mission. By sharing experiences, challenges and practical solutions, the Community is helping regions strengthen their resilience journeys and build the partnerships needed to deliver transformative change.