RISE-IN Kick-off Meeting in Milan

The Horizon Europe and DG CLIMA-funded project RISE-IN (Resilient Investment for Sustainable Environments) marked its official launch with a successful kick-off meeting held from 21st to 23rd May 2025 at the Politecnico di Milano.

The event was formally opened by Professor Raffaella Cagliano, Director of the Department of Management Engineering, and Professor Alessandro Perego, Vice-Rector for Sustainable Development and Societal Impact, both representing Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI), the coordinating institution. Their welcome remarks set the stage for a productive gathering aimed at shaping inclusive and climate-resilient urban futures.

This was followed by a speech from Charikleia Sifaki, Project Officer at the European Commission, who emphasised the significance of the RISE-IN project within the broader EU Mission: Adaptation to Climate Change objectives.

Professor Laura Grassi, RISE-IN Coordinator at POLIMI, then presented an in-depth introduction to the project, highlighting its objectives, conceptual framework, methodology, ambitions, and expected impacts. RISE-IN pioneers a new approach to climate adaptation by bridging the gap between environmental resilience and financial viability. Focusing on nature-based solutions (NBS) for flood risk management, the project introduces the concept of Bankability Readiness Level (BRL) – a novel metric to assess, enhance and unlock investment potential of climate-resilient solutions.

Demonstrator cities Cesena (Italy), Christchurch (New Zealand), and Póvoa de Varzim (Portugal) were introduced, showcasing diverse contexts for implementing and testing innovative climate resilience strategies. Additionally, replicator cities Ghent (Belgium), Zhytomyr (Ukraine), and Kadıköy (Türkiye) were presented, underlining the project’s ambition to scale and adapt successful practices across Europe and beyond.

A highlight of the event was an inspiring speech by Vanessa Bruynooghe, representative of DG CLIMA, European Commission, who reinforced the EU’s commitment to supporting ambitious climate adaptation actions and transformative local strategies.

On the third day of the meeting, a collaborative clustering session brought together sister projects CLIMINVEST, BLOSSOM, and CLIMATEFIT, fostering synergies and coordinated efforts. The session concluded with the development of Common Action Plans and a discussion on long-term cooperation.

The RISE-IN consortium brings together 26 partners from 13 countries, uniting academic institutions, local authorities, industry, small-medium enterprises, non-governmental organisations, and climate networks. Over the course of five years, the consortium will work collaboratively to co-design and implement inclusive and effective climate adaptation solutions, contributing significantly to Europe’s transition toward climate neutrality.