The Horizon 2020 project ‘ARSINOE- Climate Resilient Regions Through Systemic Solutions and Innovations’ that was officially launched in October 2021.  ARSINOE is financed by the European Commission with a total budget of 15 million euros and is coordinated by Prof. Chrysi Laspidou, University of Thessaly. It brings together 41 partners from 15 countries and intends to be a game-changer for shaping pathways to resilience by delivering regional innovation packages that build an ecosystem to develop and implement innovative climate change adaptation measures and solutions across Europe. The kick-off meeting of the project took place in Athens on October 14 and 15, as a hybrid event.

The four-year ARSINOE project will develop a methodological framework for combining the Systems Innovation Approach (SIA) with the Climate Innovation Window (CIW). It will create an ecosystem to meet EU Green Deal targets for specific regions under a three-tier approach:

  • integration of multi-faceted technological, digital, business, governance and environmental aspects with social innovation for the development of adaptation pathways to climate change linkage with CIW to form innovation packages by matching innovators with end-users/regions
  • fostering the ecosystem sustainability and growth with cross-fertilization and replication across scales, at the European level and beyond, using appropriate business models and exploitation-outreach actions.

Nine widely varied regions across Europe will demonstrate the ARSINOE three-tier approach as a proof-of-concept regarding its applicability, replicability, potential and efficacy. The regions are: (i) Athens metropolitan area (EL), (ii) Mediterranean ports including Port of Piraeus (EL), Limassol (CY) and Valencia (ES), (iii) Main river in Germany (DE), (iv) transboundary Ochrid/Prespa lakes (MK, AL, EL), (v) Canary Islands (ES), (vi) transboundary Black Sea including Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey (RO, BG and TR), (vii) Southern Denmark (DK), (viii) Torbay and Devon county (UK) and (ix) the Mediterranean island Sardinia (IT).

Interested in learning more about ARSINOE? Check out the YouTube video to find out more about the project’s concept.

To follow its updates and developments, follow the ARSINOE Twitter account.