Med-IREN Project: Nature Meets Innovation for Climate Resilience

With the motto “NATURE MEETS INNOVATION FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE,” the Horizon Europe-funded project Med-IREN officially kicked off in October in the Municipality of Egaleo, Greece, under the coordination of the National Centre of Scientific Research “Demokritos.” Over the next four years, LAND is proud to contribute to this pioneering initiative, showcasing how nature-based solutions (NBS) can enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure in the face of climate challenges in the Mediterranean, a recognised climate and biodiversity hotspot.

Introducing Med-IREN’s Communities and Regions

The project will be demonstrated in five key regions—Granolles in Spain, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in France, Casamicciola on the island of Ischia and Marina di Pisa in Italy, and Egaleo in Athens, Greece. Replication efforts will extend to Larnaka in Cyprus, Eastern Crete in Greece, Burgas in Bulgaria, and Helsinki in Finland.

Funded by the Horizon Europe Adaptation Mission, the Med-IREN project aims to demonstrate how nature-based solutions can climate-proof Mediterranean critical infrastructures across essential sectors such as energy, transport, water, ICT, and social infrastructure, ensuring resilience against climate risks.

Med-IREN will focus on five lighthouse regions in the Mediterranean, each representing unique climate challenges. These demonstrator regions align with regional policies and contribute to positioning the EU as a global leader in climate-resilient infrastructure. In parallel, solutions will be replicated in additional regions across the EU, spanning the Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Boreal zones.

Drawing on its landscape and urban planning expertise, LAND will play a pivotal role in:

• Diagnosing, defining, and implementing NBS solutions to address vulnerabilities in each region.
• Developing methodologies to assess and prioritise NBS interventions based on multidimensional benefits and impact.
• Facilitating local partnerships, Living Labs, and stakeholder engagement to build support and foster policy coordination for NBS.

Our contributions will be instrumental in advancing the following key aspects of the Med-IREN project:

• Establishing local partnerships and stakeholder engagement, including Living Lab activities, to foster high-level support, policy coordination mechanisms, and public acceptance of NBS interventions.

• Supporting demonstrators and replicators in assessing landscape, environmental, and ecological vulnerabilities and risks within critical infrastructures, enabling more data-informed and resilient NBS implementations.

• Coordinating a multidimensional approach and a toolkit for assessing and prioritising NBS interventions to maximise impact and address the unique challenges of each region.

• Innovative Tools and Community Engagement for Systemic Transformation

To support this systemic transformation, Med-IREN will explore essential conditions for success, including participatory governance, citizen engagement, novel financing models, urban and landscape planning innovations, and capacity building. A sophisticated digital decision-making support toolkit will be developed, integrating diverse data sources (including in-situ and Earth Observation data) with advanced models and visualisation capabilities. This toolkit aims to provide deep insights and quantifiable assessments of resilience across infrastructure and NBS life cycles.

Med-IREN will draw on the outputs of more than 15 European and national projects focused on infrastructure resilience, regional adaptation, and NBS implementation. It is envisioned as a flagship initiative for the EU’s dual green and digital transition, setting an impactful precedent within the EU Green Deal framework.

The Med-IREN project will also contribute to the European Commission’s flagship initiative, Destination Earth. This initiative creates a high-precision “digital twin” of Earth to model, monitor, and simulate natural phenomena, hazards, and human activities. This groundbreaking tool enables users to design precise adaptation and mitigation strategies. With unprecedented levels of precision, speed, and interactivity, DestinE is a significant advancement in understanding Earth’s systems and accelerating climate resilience planning. As a pillar of the European Green Deal and Digital Strategy, it is vital in supporting sustainable, data-driven decisions across Europe.

Stay tuned as LAND and our partners work towards climate-resilient futures in the Mediterranean and beyond.