Partners and stakeholders met to launch a cross-border cooperation process aimed at strengthening the climate resilience of inland Alpine territories.

On 30 June 2026, the kick-off meeting of the CRESCITA (Climate Resilience, Sustainability, Competencies, Innovation, Transition and Adaptation) project took place in Udine. The project is co-financed by the Interreg VI-A Italy-Austria 2021-2027 Programme and led by Informest as Lead Partner. The meeting brought together Italian and Austrian project partners, along with representatives of public authorities, research institutes and organisations active in climate change adaptation and territorial development.

Hosted at the Chamber of Commerce of Pordenone-Udine, the meeting represented the partnership’s first operational exchange and provided an opportunity to introduce the project to stakeholders from Friuli Venezia Giulia, presenting its objectives, methodology and planned activities for the coming months.

The CRESCITA project aims to strengthen the climate resilience of inland Alpine areas, territories particularly exposed to risks arising from climate change such as landslides, floods, erosion and other extreme events. Acknowledging that many small municipalities have limited technical and administrative resources to tackle these challenges, the project will develop innovative decision-support tools, capacity-building activities and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) capable of promoting local climate adaptation.

During the morning session, partners presented their expertise and experience in climate resilience, territorial planning, Nature-Based Solutions and stakeholder engagement. The main expected outcomes of the project were presented, including the development of a Climate Adaptation Suite for municipalities, digital and participatory tools for climate planning, training pathways and the testing of innovative solutions in four pilot sites located in Italy and Austria.

Particular attention was given to dialogue with regional stakeholders through contributions from Nicolò Tudorov of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Valentina Gallina of ARPA FVG, Michel Zuliani of the Carnia Mountain Community, Giulio Giannelli of ComPA FVG and Professor Stefano Grimaz of the University of Udine. Their interventions provided useful insights into climate governance, the use of climate data, support for small municipalities, training and the development of skills needed to address the challenges of climate transition.

Among the main themes emerging during the event were the need to make scientific data and knowledge more accessible to local administrations, the importance of involving communities in decision-making processes and the value of cross-border cooperation in addressing climate challenges common to Alpine territories.

“One of the main challenges of climate adaptation is translating data, models and scientific knowledge into tools that are understandable and practically usable by local administrations, especially smaller ones.”

This principle represents one of the key elements of the CRESCITA approach and will guide the activities that the partnership will implement over the coming months to support local administrations and communities in the Alpine territories involved.

The project will continue until March 2028, engaging Italian and Austrian partners in the testing of replicable tools and methodologies aimed at supporting local administrations in planning and implementing climate change adaptation strategies.