ARSINOE
Building climate-resilient European regions

Climate-resilient regions through systemic solutions and innovations. This is the ambitious vision driving ARSINOE, a groundbreaking European project where Brigaid Connect plays a pivotal role. As climate change intensifies across Europe, ARSINOE is pioneering a transformative approach to regional adaptation, and Brigaid Connect stands at the center of this innovation ecosystem, connecting cutting-edge solutions with the regions that need them most.
The challenge of climate adaptation in Europe
Climate change represents one of the most urgent challenges of our time. European regions face an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme climate events: prolonged droughts, devastating floods, heat waves, forest fires, and rising sea levels. These phenomena not only threaten natural ecosystems, but directly impact strategic sectors such as agriculture, water resources, tourism, port infrastructure, and the quality of life of millions of citizens.
Faced with this reality, the European Union has recognized the urgent need to develop climate adaptation and resilience capacities at the regional level. It is in this context that the ARSINOE project (Climate Resilient Regions through Systemic Solutions and Innovations) was born, an ambitious initiative that seeks to transform the way European regions prepare for and respond to climate challenges.
What is the ARSINOE project?
ARSINOE is a research and innovation project funded by the European Union with a budget of 15 million euros, which ran from October 2021 to September 2025. The consortium consists of 41 entities from 15 European countries, including universities, research centers, foundations, and organizations specialized in climate adaptation.
The fundamental objective of the project is to create more climate-resilient European regions through the development and implementation of systemic and innovative solutions. ARSINOE is not limited to addressing isolated problems; rather, it adopts a holistic and multi-sectoral perspective that integrates technological, digital, business, governance, and environmental aspects.
Systemic innovation for climate resilience
The central methodology of ARSINOE is based on the System Innovation Approach, combined with the Climate Innovation Window, a pioneering platform that connects climate innovations with regional needs. This approach recognizes that climate resilience cannot be achieved through fragmented solutions, but requires structural and coordinated transformations involving all actors in the regional ecosystem.
The project works in 9 European regions as demonstrators, including the Canary Islands, Sardinia, Devon, Athens, Mediterranean ports, and the Main river basin, among others. In each of these pilot regions, ARSINOE applies and tests adaptive strategies specifically designed to address their particular vulnerabilities: water scarcity, aquifer vulnerability, agricultural impacts, environmental degradation, and risks to critical infrastructure.
Strategic objectives of the project
ARSINOE pursues several specific objectives that directly contribute to fulfilling the European Green Deal:
Development of open innovation frameworks:
The project fosters innovation ecosystems that generate and disseminate effective adaptive solutions through open tenders, innovation competitions, and participatory «living labs» where local actors co-design solutions.
Multi-stakeholder collaboration:
ARSINOE promotes active participation of local stakeholders to identify specific vulnerabilities and design adaptation pathways that are both socially and economically viable, ensuring their long-term sustainability.
Climate impact anticipation:
Through the development of advanced modeling tools and regional climate scenarios, the project enables anticipation of how climate change will affect key sectors, facilitating more effective adaptive planning.
Sustainable business models:
The project fosters the development of business models that contribute to the green growth of the local ecosystem, facilitating the implementation and replicability of climate innovations in other regions.
Awareness and capacity building:
ARSINOE works to increase awareness of climate change effects among regional stakeholders and society, equipping them with capabilities to interpret climate scenarios and make informed decisions.
The unique contribution of Brigaid Connect
Within the ARSINOE consortium, Brigaid Connect plays an absolutely central strategic role, leading Work Package 5 (WP5) titled «Portfolio of Innovations and Support Schemes,» which constitutes the heart of the project’s innovation ecosystem.
Legacy of the BRIGAID Project
Brigaid Connect is an international organization created by several members of the European BRIGAID project consortium (2016-2020) to continue its mission and exploit its methods, knowledge, and networks. During BRIGAID, 125 innovations from across Europe in the field of climate adaptation were evaluated, with 40 selected to participate in technical readiness assessment programs and 26 more accompanied through market readiness programs.
The Climate Innovation Window
A Solutions Showcase The most valuable asset that Brigaid Connect brings to ARSINOE is the Climate Innovation Window (CIW), a digital «showcase» platform that presents over 120 innovations to increase resilience against climate events such as floods, droughts, and extreme weather phenomena. This platform allows end-users to search for specific solutions related to different thematic areas (urban areas, energy, forests, water availability, water security, agriculture, etc.) and obtain precise information about their development status, expected effectiveness, added value, and implementation requirements.
The innovations published in the CIW benefit from an integrated network that includes various stakeholder groups from across Europe, built through the participation of end-users in identifying and testing innovations, the creation of communities of innovation for knowledge exchange, and the organization of demonstration events.

The Climate Innovation Window
A Solutions Showcase The most valuable asset that Brigaid Connect brings to ARSINOE is the Climate Innovation Window (CIW), a digital «showcase» platform that presents over 120 innovations to increase resilience against climate events such as floods, droughts, and extreme weather phenomena. This platform allows end-users to search for specific solutions related to different thematic areas (urban areas, energy, forests, water availability, water security, agriculture, etc.) and obtain precise information about their development status, expected effectiveness, added value, and implementation requirements.
The innovations published in the CIW benefit from an integrated network that includes various stakeholder groups from across Europe, built through the participation of end-users in identifying and testing innovations, the creation of communities of innovation for knowledge exchange, and the organization of demonstration events.
Leadership in innovation portfolio management
In ARSINOE, Brigaid Connect leads four fundamental tasks within WP5:
- Regional needs assessment (Task 5.1):
Brigaid Connect coordinates self-assessment workshops where representatives from the 9 pilot regions identify priority needs, available capacities, and opportunities to link previous implementations with new climate adaptation strategies. - Open Calls for Innovators (Task 5.2):
The organization manages the process of open tenders at the European level to identify promising or mature innovations that can be included in ARSINOE’s Innovation Portfolio. This process includes three phases: identification of relevant solutions adapted to each local context, preparation and publication of calls, and evaluation and selection of solutions through the ARSINOE Selection Committee, which is chaired by Brigaid Connect. The result: between 15 and 20 climate innovations contracted for inclusion in regional innovation packages. - Climate Innovation Window upgrade (Task 5.3):
Brigaid Connect leads the improvement of the CIW platform, co-identifying new functionalities to facilitate the innovation selection process based on the experiences of ARSINOE’s local and regional stakeholders, and establishing connectivity with other relevant platforms containing inventories of climate resilience solutions. - Support schemes for innovators (Task 5.4):
The organization establishes a competitive scheme so that developers of innovations implemented in pilot regions can access additional support in the form of consulting services: business strategy, branding and marketing communication, identification of suitable procurement schemes, and guidance on preparing applications for public contract award programs.
The Differential Value: Connecting innovation with real need
Brigaid Connect’s contribution goes beyond mere administrative management. Its value lies in its capacity to:
- Curate a quality portfolio:
Not all innovations are equally effective. Brigaid Connect applies rigorous methodologies to evaluate the technical, social, and market readiness of solutions, ensuring that only the most promising ones are integrated into regional innovation packages. - Facilitate matchmaking:
Connecting innovators with end-users and decision-makers is a critical challenge. Brigaid Connect’s European network and experience in public procurement processes enable acceleration of this matching. - Transfer practical knowledge:
The experience accumulated in BRIGAID about what works and what doesn’t in implementing climate innovations translates into practical guidance for ARSINOE regions. - Promote replicability:
By systematizing knowledge about effective climate solutions and making it accessible through the CIW, Brigaid Connect facilitates other European regions’ ability to learn from and adapt these innovations to their own contexts.
Impact and Legacy
The ARSINOE project, with Brigaid Connect in a central role, is contributing to making the major objectives of the European Green Deal operational in real and multi-sectoral contexts.
At the end of the project, the legacy will include:
- A validated portfolio of climate innovations ready for adoption
- Proven methodologies for systemic innovation in climate adaptation
- A digital platform (CIW) that will continue connecting innovators with regions needing solutions
- Sustainable business models demonstrating that climate adaptation can be economically viable
- Transferable knowledge on how to build climate resilience holistically
Ultimately, ARSINOE represents a pioneering approach to addressing climate adaptation not as an isolated technical challenge, but as a systemic transformation requiring innovation, collaboration, and an integrative vision. And at the heart of this approach, Brigaid Connect provides the experience, tools, and networks necessary to turn climate innovations into implementable solutions that make a real difference in building truly resilient European regions.
ARSINOE
Climate-resilient regions through systemic solutions and innovations
- Horizon Europe: Grant agreement No 101037424
- Budget: €15 M
- Consortium: 41 partners
- Duration: 48 Months (01.10.2021 – 30.09.2025)
- Case studies: 9