As 2025 comes to a close, the RESIST Project reflects on a year of impactful collaboration, knowledge sharing, and action in the field of regional climate adaptation. Through its Communities of Practice (CoP) and Communities of Interest (CoI), RESIST has brought together stakeholders from across Europe to exchange expertise, co-design solutions, and implement nature-based solutions (NBS) that enhance climate resilience in local communities.
Understanding the CoP and COI: Participants and Purpose
The Community of Practice (CoP) gathers stakeholders from the regional ecosystems of the 12 RESIST regions. Its activities focus on identifying and cataloguing key knowledge assets, facilitating knowledge sharing and collaboration, promoting mutual learning, and measuring the outcomes of these learning processes. The CoP plays a crucial role in enabling regions to adopt innovative strategies for climate adaptation, ensuring that lessons learned are effectively applied across the RESIST network.
The Community of Interest (CoI) extends engagement to additional regions, connecting stakeholders from beyond the 12 RESIST regions while maintaining strong links with the existing regional ecosystems. The CoI facilitates cross-regional collaboration, sharing best practices in climate resilience, and broadening the reach of successful solutions to other European communities. Together, the CoP and CoI form an integrated knowledge ecosystem, driving actionable and scalable climate adaptation initiatives.
Key CoP and CoI Gatherings in 2025
The RESIST CoI convened on 2 December 2025 for the webinar Empowering Regional Ecosystems for Climate Resilience. The session highlighted how EU regions, cities, and local authorities are building resilience to climate impacts, aligning closely with the goals of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. Participants explored how regions can understand climate risks, develop adaptation pathways, and implement innovative solutions in practice. RESIST partners from Southwest Finland and Central Portugal highlighted how their regions build climate resilience through collaboration and stakeholder engagement. Through interactive discussions with all speakers, the CoI shared experiences, identified challenges, and co-designed solutions that strengthen regional ecosystems and local communities.
On 30 October 2025, the RESIST CoP focused on Communicating Climate Change to Citizens. This webinar showcased practical strategies and tools for engaging citizens in climate adaptation initiatives. Participants exchanged experiences on reaching diverse audiences, addressing communication barriers, and promoting inclusive approaches. Highlights included lessons from Catalonia and guidance on engaging people with different needs and identities, reinforcing the importance of citizen engagement in local climate resilience efforts.
Earlier in the year, on 15 January 2025, the CoP explored Stakeholder Engagement in the Implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). The session featured regional examples of NBS and fostered discussions on multistakeholder collaboration, challenges, and opportunities for scaling solutions. Experts and regional representatives emphasised participatory approaches, demonstrating how nature-based solutions for climate resilience can be effectively implemented across diverse regional contexts.
RESIST Building on EU Mission Adaptation Goals
The activities of the CoP and CoI closely support the objectives of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, which aims to guide at least 150 European regions and communities toward climate resilience by 2030. By helping regions understand climate risks, develop strategic adaptation pathways, and deploy innovative solutions, RESIST directly contributes to the Mission’s vision of resilient, prepared, and adaptive local and regional communities across Europe.
Why CoP and COI Matter for RESIST
The CoP ensures systematic knowledge sharing within the 12 RESIST regions, fostering continuous learning, innovation, and implementation of effective climate adaptation strategies. The CoI broadens this impact by connecting additional regions, facilitating cross-regional dialogue, and promoting the transfer of proven resilience solutions. Together, these communities create a vibrant ecosystem of collaboration that advances practical climate adaptation, supports citizen engagement, and drives measurable local and regional impacts.
Opportunities to participate in COI meetings and contribute to cross-regional climate resilience efforts will continue in 2026. Stay updated via the RESIST website and social media channels for announcements of upcoming events and invitations to join the network.