This three-day meeting brought together project partners, representatives from the European Commission, local demonstrators and key stakeholders to review achievements, consolidate results and prepare the project’s legacy beyond its lifetime. 

Day 1: Reviewing progress and consolidating results 

The first day focused on a comprehensive overview of progress across all Work Packages. Discussions covered the identification of climate data service gaps across Europe, the assessment of VALORADA tools usability, and the development and implementation of climate risk indicators across demonstrators. 

Partners also addressed best practices and capacity-building resources for local stakeholders, as well as progress on dissemination, exploitation and the long-term impact of project results. These exchanges ensured that VALORADA’s outputs are robust, actionable and aligned with the needs of regional and local authorities. 

Day 2: Demonstrators’ insights and lessons learned 

The second day centred on reflection and forward-looking discussions. The five VALORADA demonstrators  (Central Greece, Molise (Italy), Occitanie (France), Přerov and Mladá Boleslav (Czech Republic), and Burgas and Gabrovo (Bulgaria)) presented their main achievements and shared insights on the tools, knowledge and capacities developed through the project. 

A dedicated session on lessons learned enabled partners to collectively identify key successes, challenges and areas for improvement. The afternoon included exchanges with the Advisory Board, providing valuable external perspectives to strengthen the project’s final outputs and recommendations. 

Day 3: Final event and project closure 

The third and final day featured the VALORADA final event, entitled “The Untapped Power of Existing Data for Effective Climate Adaptation.” Bringing together around 50 participants, the event highlighted how climate, Earth Observation and local data can be leveraged to support evidence-based decision-making at regional and local levels, in line with the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. 

Participants explored the project’s key results and lessons learned, the integration of climate and EO data into operational tools, and the experiences of local demonstrators. Discussions also addressed the challenges and opportunities related to scaling up climate services, as well as the importance of capacity-building and knowledge exchange. 

Interactive exchanges further emphasised the need to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and practical implementation, supporting the transition from data to action in climate adaptation. 

Towards a lasting impact 

The VALORADA Final General Assembly highlighted the importance of collaboration, co-design and data integration in strengthening climate resilience across Europe. The project’s results demonstrate the potential of combining climate data, Earth Observation and local knowledge to support more effective and context-specific adaptation strategies. 

The consortium extends its sincere thanks to all participants, including representatives of the European Commission and members of the Advisory Board, for their valuable contributions and continued engagement. Special appreciation is also extended to EIT House for hosting the event. 

As the project concludes, VALORADA leaves behind a strong foundation of tools, knowledge and best practices to support climate adaptation efforts across European regions and cities.

The Molise experience demonstrates how co-designed indicators and integrated dashboards can help regional authorities better understand vulnerabilities related to droughts, flooding, soil degradation and coastal risks. By combining climate and socio-economic data into a single system, VALORADA supports more informed, evidence-based decision-making and strengthens regional resilience. 

The methodology developed within VALORADA shows strong potential for replication, particularly in Mediterranean and other European regions facing similar climate pressures. 

 Read the short and long version on VALORADA website: https://valorada-project.eu/downloads/ 

For more information about the project and its activities, follow the project on LinkedIn and YouTube. 

To better capture this complexity, the VALORADA project develops Climate Impact Chains (CICs) as a framework to understand how climate change translates into concrete, local risks. 

Find out how they work through our factsheet: https://valorada-project.eu/downloads/   

For more information about the project and its activities, follow the project on LinkedIn and YouTube. 

Champion Stories highlight concrete territorial experiences within VALORADA demonstrator regions. They document how Earth Observation data, climate information and local knowledge can be transformed into actionable intelligence for public authorities. 

The Central Greece experience demonstrates the potential of integrated climate services to support regional authorities in anticipating and managing climate risks. The methodology developed within VALORADA is designed to be transferable to other territories facing similar challenges. 

Read the short and long version on VALORADA website: https://valorada-project.eu/downloads/  

For more information about the project and its activities, follow the project on LinkedIn and YouTube. 

Key policy messages 

The Policy Brief identifies several key policy considerations to accelerate the use of EO in climate adaptation: 

• Promote harmonised EU-wide standards and interoperability to enable the systematic integration of EO and climate datasets into decision-making tools.  

• Foster data sharing and institutional cooperation across governance levels, in line with the principles of the Data Governance Act and the Data Act.  

• Ensure access to fit-for-purpose, downscaled climate services that meet the specific needs of cities and regions. Investments in downscaling and user-friendly climate data interpretation are key to empowering local authorities. 

• Encourage co-design and capacity-building initiatives that bring together EO experts, climate modellers, and end-users to create trusted and usable solutions. This includes joint training programmes, common toolkits, and cross-community collaboration.
   

Towards actionable and trusted adaptation tools 

The findings presented in this Policy Brief demonstrate that technical innovation alone is insufficient to enable local climate adaptation. Real progress depends on breaking down silos between data communities, fostering collaboration across governance levels, and embedding co-design with end-users at every stage of the process.

The VALORADA project’s experience confirms that when local and regional authorities are directly involved in defining requirements and validating outputs, EO and climate communities can deliver tools that are both trusted and actionable. 

Read the full Policy Brief 

For more information about the project and its activities, follow the project on LinkedIn and YouTube. 

GitHub is a widely used open-access platform that enables the transparent sharing of research outputs, technical developments and methodological documentation. In the context of VALORADA, the repository has been designed as a centralised access point for the materials developed, adapted and mobilised throughout the project. Its objective is to facilitate the dissemination, reuse and long-term accessibility of VALORADA’s work beyond the project’s lifetime. 

The repository is intended for a broad range of stakeholders, including researchers, local and regional authorities, technical experts and practitioners working on climate risk assessment and urban resilience. By providing structured and openly accessible resources, VALORADA seeks to support knowledge transfer, foster replication and inspire the adaptation of project outputs in other territorial or thematic contexts facing similar challenges. 

Content currently available 

The VALORADA GitHub repository already brings together several core elements of the project, including: 

• An introduction to the project 

• The conceptual approach underpinning VALORADA’s methodology and analytical framework 

• The VALORADA catalogue, consolidating key components and references used across the project 

• A static dashboard presenting selected outputs in a structured and accessible format 

• Additional technical and methodological documentation supporting the project’s tools and analyses 

All materials are organised within a single, coherent structure, making the repository easy to navigate and use. This approach aims to ensure that users can efficiently identify relevant resources and understand how they have been developed and applied within the project. 

Upcoming developments 

The GitHub repository will continue to evolve as the project advances. In particular, the tools developed by TerraNIS will be linked to the repository in the near future, further expanding access to VALORADA’s technical outputs and strengthening the overall coherence of the resource ecosystem. 

While several key activities and deliverables are still underway, the publication of this repository marks an important step in sharing VALORADA’s progress and intermediate results. It reflects the project’s commitment to openness, transparency and the practical uptake of research outputs. 

Stakeholders interested in VALORADA’s methodology, tools and results are encouraged to consult the GitHub repository regularly, as additional resources will be made available over time. 

For more information about the project and its activities, follow the project on LinkedIn and YouTube. 

Exploitation workshops within VALORADA are designed as strategic moments to move beyond technical development and address the conditions required for sustainability. They provide a structured space to examine how project results can be maintained, scaled up, replicated or integrated into existing operational, policy or market frameworks after the project’s lifetime. 

A structured and collaborative approach to exploitation 

The workshop was introduced by Climate-KIC, represented by Kevin Ramirez, and built on a series of bilateral interviews conducted in advance with partners leading Key Exploitable Results (KERs). These interviews allowed the consortium to deepen its understanding of each KER’s specific characteristics, maturity level, user base and post-project ambitions. 

During the workshop, partners collectively reviewed the current status of selected KERs, discussed their expected position by the end of the project, and identified remaining gaps and support needs. The discussions were guided by a shared analytical framework addressing five key dimensions: description and scope of the KER, users and stakeholders, maturity and readiness, exploitation and sustainability pathways, and alignment with policy and strategic frameworks. 

Key Exploitable Results under discussion 

Several concrete solutions were presented and discussed during the workshop, illustrating the diversity and applicability of VALORADA results across sectors and territories. 

TerraCoast, developed by Terra Spatium and presented by Georgia Kalousi, is a coastal monitoring tool providing long-term, multi-temporal analysis of shoreline dynamics using Earth Observation data. The service supports evidence-based coastal management, climate adaptation planning and risk assessment for public authorities. 

PixAgri Territories, developed by Terranis and presented by Marc Tondriaux, focuses on agricultural resilience in rural areas. The solution assesses the sensitivity of agricultural systems to climate pressures, particularly water availability and drought, supporting decision-making related to crop management and irrigation planning. 

High temperatures and urban mobility, developed by ASITIS and presented by Petr Klimes, combines land surface temperature data with public transport information. The tool supports urban planning and transport authorities by identifying heat exposure at transport stops and along mobility routes, contributing to more climate-resilient urban mobility systems. 

The Resilience Information Catalogue (GEONetWORKED Catalogue), developed by HEREON, provides a structured entry point to resilience-related data, tools and services, facilitating their discovery and use by a wide range of stakeholders. 

Further discussions focused on the integration of VALORADA use cases and services including solutions such as GreenCity or EARSC platforms such as EOwiki, EOpages and EOmall. This integration supports wider dissemination and uptake of project results within the European EO services ecosystem. 

Finally, the EUGENIUS–VALORADA association for the exchange of services was presented as a key mechanism to strengthen cross-platform collaboration, promote service interoperability and support long-term exploitation beyond the project’s lifetime. 

From exploitation strategies to post-project sustainability 

Beyond individual presentations, the workshop enabled cross-cutting discussions on exploitation models, governance and operational arrangements, and long-term ownership of project results. Partners examined different pathways for sustaining services after the project, including integration into existing platforms, software-as-a-service models, partnerships with public authorities, and replication in new regional contexts. 

Particular attention was paid to identifying target users, assessing their capacity to host or operate services, and clarifying the organisational and commercial conditions required to move from pilot use to sustained deployment. Alignment with European and national policy frameworks was also discussed as a key factor for uptake and replication. 

Contributing to scale-up and replication 

The outcomes of this second exploitation workshop will directly feed into Deliverable D5.4, which aims to consolidate best practices and recommendations for the scale-up and replication of VALORADA results. These insights will support not only the sustainability of individual KERs, but also the broader objective of ensuring that VALORADA contributes lasting value to climate adaptation efforts across Europe. 

By strengthening the link between innovation, users and long-term implementation, the workshop represents a significant step towards turning project knowledge into durable, actionable climate adaptation solutions for regions and local authorities. 

For more information about the project and its activities, follow the project on LinkedIn and YouTube. 

Over recent months, the VALORADA consortium has strengthened its outreach through participation in major international events and closer collaboration with MIP4ADAPT, in order to maximise the impact of the tools and methodologies developed throughout the project. 

This edition highlights key project milestones and reminders, presents outcomes from the final VALORADA Capacity Building workshops held during the European Week of Regions and Cities, and reflects on VALORADA’s participation in international events, including the Smart City Expo World Congress 2025. It also reports on the outcomes of the fifth VALORADA General Assembly, which focused on the project’s final steps, and introduces a newly published scientific article in Frontiers in Climate examining the integration of value systems and place-based characteristics in climate risk assessments. 

Looking ahead, the newsletter outlines upcoming activities, including the forthcoming publication of the first VALORADA policy brief, the organisation of a second exploitation workshop in early 2026, and preparations for the project’s final General Assembly and closing event in Brussels. The edition also features a spotlight on Climateurope2, one of the projects within VALORADA’s extended network. 

Read the full edition and stay up to date with the final phase of VALORADA by subscribing to our newsletter.  

For more information about the project and its activities, follow the project on LinkedIn and YouTube. 

Drawing on ten participatory Climate Impact Chain (CIC) assessments co-developed with local stakeholders in European demonstration regions, the study covers four major hazard domains: urban warming, heatwaves, droughts and extreme precipitation. It demonstrates that climate risks are not assessed solely on the basis of biophysical exposure or economic damage, but are deeply shaped by locally salient values, including health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, economic security, social cooperation, safety, identity and institutional trust. 

The article further highlights how tensions between competing values, such as environmental protection versus economic development, or water conservation versus sanitation needs, can influence both risk perception and adaptation decision-making. These value-based tensions are shown to be particularly critical in contexts where resources are constrained or where long-term sustainability objectives intersect with short-term economic pressures. 

Methodologically, the research is grounded in a co-creation and participatory action research approach, involving municipal authorities, technical services, elected representatives, civil society, academia and the private sector. This process ensured that scientific knowledge was combined with local experience, governance practices and territorial specificities, strengthening both the legitimacy and the operational relevance of the resulting risk assessments. 

The authors argue that integrating values and place-based characteristics into climate risk assessments is essential for designing adaptation strategies that are socially meaningful, politically legitimate and practically effective. More broadly, the article contributes to ongoing European discussions on how climate risk governance can better reflect local priorities and societal dynamics. 

The publication directly supports the objectives of the VALORADA project, which aims to strengthen local climate adaptation planning through improved data governance, validated methodologies and actionable climate intelligence for public authorities. 

Many thanks to all the authors and organisations involved: Cristóbal Reveco, Joerg Cortekar, Joerg Cortekar, Chiara Trozzo, Martin Vokral, Lola Kotova, Eeva Kuntsi-Reunanen, Giulia Galluccio, Natalia Korhonen, Hereon GERICS, CMCC, Asitis and FMI 

Read the full open-access article here.

For more updates, follow VALORADA on LinkedIn and YouTube.

The meeting served to review the overall progress of VALORADA, verify the completeness of its scientific and technical outputs, and coordinate the remaining steps before closure. It also provided an opportunity to discuss the organisation of the Final Event, a key milestone to conclude three years of collaborative work. 

During the morning, partners delivered an overview of the outputs produced across the project, outlining achievements, methodological developments, and points requiring final consolidation. This session ensured that the decisions taken are aligned with the project’s inventory of results and that all deliverables, tools, and products are accurately captured ahead of final reporting. Demonstration regions then shared reflections on the implementation of VALORADA solutions, assessing whether initial expectations were met and identifying lessons with relevance for wider application. 

The rest of the day was dedicated to a structured discussion on knowledge rescue and knowledge exchange. Partners explored the added value generated by VALORADA, the outstanding gaps that still require attention, and the strategic steps necessary to strengthen the impact of the project’s outcomes in the months ahead. The session also examined how this collective learning could inform the potential development of a follow-up initiative. 

The meeting concluded with a review of pending decisions, open questions, and preparatory actions for the Final General Assembly in Brussels. This closing exchange ensured a shared understanding of the priorities for the final phase, particularly regarding dissemination, exploitation, and coordination across the consortium. 

For more updates, follow VALORADA on LinkedIn and YouTube.