Project Title: Pathways2Resilience – Strengthening Resilience Pathways for European Regions

Pathways2Resilience is a European Union-funded project aimed at enhancing regional capacities to adapt to climate change. The project seeks to empower at least 100 European regions and communities to develop systemic, evidence-based climate resilience solutions and attract funding for their implementation.

The project is being implemented from 2023 to 2027 under the EU Mission on Climate Adaptation. Pathways2Resilience is coordinated by EIT Climate-KIC in collaboration with a consortium of 14 partners from 10 European countries. It supports regions through grants, expert assistance, training, innovation practice groups, and funding opportunities.

Main goals and activities:

• Development of Regional Resilience Plans – Regions, in cooperation with stakeholders, will develop long-term transformational climate adaptation strategies.

• Funding Attraction and Capacity Building – Up to €21 million in funding will be distributed to regions through open calls. Each region can receive up to €210,000 to implement their plans.

• Strengthening Governance and Innovation Ecosystems – Consultations, training, and practical tools will be provided to improve data management, policy coordination, behavioral change, and innovative financing models.

• Interregional Learning and Citizen Engagement – Exchange of experiences between regions and involvement of communities, particularly the participation of vulnerable groups in decision-making.

• Resilience Assessment and Improvement – Regions will use tools such as the Resilience Maturity Curve and Investment Cycle to assess their progress and plan for long-term transformation.

Participating regions:

In the first call phase (2024), 40 European regions and municipalities representing more than 53 million residents are participating. They are addressing various climate challenges – from coastal flooding to forest fires, droughts, and extreme weather events.

Some of the participating regions:

• Klaipėda, Lithuania

• Greater London, Greater Manchester (UK)

• Île-de-France, Normandy (France)

• Castilla y León, Málaga (Spain)

• Skåne (Sweden)

• Ararat Community (Armenia)

• Selenice (Albania)

• Region Zealand (Denmark)

• Marche and Umbria regions (Italy)

• Kymenlaakso (Finland)

• Cetinje (Montenegro)

• Aradippou (Cyprus)

Project partners:

The project is implemented by 14 partner organizations across Europe:

• EIT Climate-KIC (Netherlands) – Lead coordinator

• ICLEI Europe – Local governments network for sustainable development

• Dark Matter Labs – Systems design and finance innovation center

• Bankers without Boundaries (BwB) – Experts in sustainable investment

• Tecnalia (Spain) – Research and innovation center

• Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (Germany)

• Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK, Germany)

• ERRIN (European Regions Research and Innovation Network)

• Revealer (Slovenia) – Experts in civic engagement and communication

• Trinomics (Netherlands) – Environmental policy analysis firm

• CESAER – University network for science and technology

• RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

• South Pole (Switzerland) – Climate finance consultants

• DemSoc (Democracy Society, UK) – Organization for strengthening participatory democracy