Cyprus and Malta, being small islands with similar needs, will leverage on the work that they have been doing with EIT Climate-KIC to bring all the relevant partners together, exchange ideas, organize workshop and prepare action plans in the innovation field of their National Energy and Climate Plans.

Climate change (CC) is an increasing threat at European and global scale affecting social stability, public health, and well- being. The Mediterranean (Med) has been recognized as a CC hotspot and is among the least economically developed of the main EEA European biogeographical regions. Adapting to CC demands requires a radical shift from piecemeal to transformative strategies and approaches, supporting policy development at all levels and advancing transversal and multilevel governance solutions. Nature-based solutions (NbS) to preserve and restore ecosystems, increase climate resilience, sustainably manage the environment, while providing wider long-term socioeconomic benefits, are at the heart of the European CC Adaptation (CCA) Mission Adaptation Plan objective to support at least 150 European regions and communities to become climate resilient by 2030 and a main EUGD pillar. In DesirMED, NbS will be prioritized, together with innovative technologies and inclusive social practices. DesirMED will increase ambition, ownership and capability of regional Med leaders and communities through proven transformative CCA approaches. Recognising that successful adaptation generally occurs at local and regional levels, DesirMED involves a multilevel set of actors in 5 Demonstrating regions (DRr) and 3 Replicating Regions (RRs) working hand- in-hand with scientific partners to foster holistic approaches to implement transformative adaptation. DesirMED, by engaging at the regional level key institutions in a multi-level governance framework, will act as a catalyser to trigger and accelerate the necessary action in key community systems. Overall, DesirMED will strengthen knowledge and capabilities of Med regions and communities to take leadership and ownership in their transformative CCA pathways and accelerate the implementation of transformative solutions required to increase their resilience over the long term.

Increasingly frequent extreme weather conditions due to climate change concomitant with unsustainable historical resource use and management practices create the perfect storm - threatening our livelihoods, well-being and environment. A transition towards resilience requires that we simultaneously address social inequalities and implement cross-sectoral innovations to build social, economic and environmental resilience to extreme events. Together, Regions4Climate partners commit to addressing current and forecasted climate change-related challenges and building more resilient European communities within an innovative socially engaged, citizen-driven paradigm. We aim to develop smarter, more inclusive, more resilient regional ecosystems through cross-sectoral innovation jointly created with stakeholders, by and for people. The development and implementation of cross-sectoral strategies that incorporate combinations of social, technological, digital, business, governance and environmental solutions to common climate resilience challenges is at present constrained by knowledge deficits and uncertainties, as well as science-policy-stakeholder gaps. Regions4Climate will bridge these gaps and address existing uncertainties by further developing, adapting and integrating state-of-the-art technical know-how, innovative tools and collaborative practices to support transparent, evidence-based risk and vulnerability analyses and robust decision-making processes. We will utilise system dynamic modelling to understand relationships among and trade-offs between different resilience innovations, providing tools for informed decision-making tailored to engage stakeholders and support European regions and communities exposed to significant climate change impacts. New scientific insights, along with a framework of interoperable tools, methodologies and demonstrated solutions will enable European regions to develop their own resilience plans and transformative adaptation pathways.

Objectives 1. Improve the competitiveness of the EU industrial sector by reducing 20% energy costs in industrial water processes. (WP4) A total reduction of 26 GWh/year will be achieved at the end of the project implementing energy efficiency measures in the European manufacturing companies. 2. Identify saving potentials and benchmark energy performance through an Energy Management Self-Assessment (EMSA) collaborative web-tool. (WP1 & WP2) Manufacturing industries can anonymously introduce their data into the EMSA web-tool to know their ranking regarding other industries with the same processes. 3. Strengthen the energy saving market through the creation of an “Energy Angels” network: facilitating contacts with skilled energy managers and auditors and providing access to support for the implementation and financing of water energy efficiency projects. (WP3) The energywater proposal will prepare the ground for investment facilitating information about potential savings and establishing a network of qualified providers (with technical and financial skill). Furthermore the Energy Angels network will implement a training module to improve the availability of skilled energy managers and auditors in which at least 200 people will be trained. 4. Improve energy performance in industrial water processes through benchmarking activities and a best practice guide based on real experience case studies. (WP4) Saving strategies identified in the EMSA web-tool will be implemented in manufacturing industries. The best energy saving strategies to manage industrial water processes will be compiled in a guidance document. 5. Influence energy efficiency regulation through public authorities’ involvement. (WP4) In order to optimise energy efficiency in manufacturing industries both private and public stakeholders have to be aware of their role. We will make public authorities part of the energywater project with the objective to identify and remove regulatory and non-regulatory barr

ENERFUND is a tool that will rate and score deep renovation opportunities – like a credit score used by banks to rate clients. The tool will be based on a methodology to be developed and on a set of parameters such as EPC data, number of certified installers, governmental schemes running, etc. By providing a rating for deep renovation opportunities – whether for private establishments or for public buildings – funding institutes can provide targeted loans, retrofit companies can identify sound opportunities, municipalities can promote targeted incentives and the public's trust for retrofitting will be enhanced. The objectives of the current proposal is to (a) analyse the status quo and needs of deep renovation stakeholders and the public, (b) build upon the outcomes of previous projects to create a tool for deep renovation financing, (c) promote the tool to all interested stakeholders, (d) measure and document the impact of the tool on deep renovation strategies and financing and (e) provide a powerful tool that will assist EU stakeholders meet their obligations on increasing renovation rates. The partners, from 12 countries, include 2 universities, in charge of the project management and the development of the methodology behind the tool, 2 SMEs with extensive experience on database management, EPC mapping, development of online decision-making tools, and 11 Ministries, Energy Agencies, NGOs, etc that are connected with the relevant stakeholders throughout Europe and can promote the tool. The expected impact is approximately 45GWh due to the use of the tool to promote deep renovation of buildings and through our training and dissemination activities. ENERFUND will account for approximately 1% of the current annual renovation rate during the project duration. The strategic, long term aim is to provide a unified global tool for the promotion, not only of deep renovation of buildings, but of all energy related activities in the building sector.