Europe is warming faster than any other continent, with 2023 being the hottest year on record. This rapid Climate Change (CC) increases the frequency of extreme weather events, such as floods, wildfires, and droughts, endangering people, infrastructure, ecosystems, and the economy. From 1980 to 2020, climate disasters cost the €12 billion annually, and future hazards could raise this figure to €170 billion per year. In response, the European Commission (EC) has enacted policies like the European Green Deal (EGD), the European Adaptation Strategy, and the European Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC), all aiming to boost resilience, particularly in rural areas that are disproportionately vulnerable due to their dependence on natural resources and exposure to diverse climate risks. Rural areas, especially Remote Rural Areas (RRAs), face even greater obstacles like lower institutional capacity, underinvestment, and depopulation, limiting their ability to adopt climate adaptation measures. Covering 50 % of the European Union (EU)'s rural territories, RRAs urgently need empowerment to tackle CC effectively. GRACE project focuses on addressing the needs of rural and small and medium communities localised in EU RRAs to adapt and build resilience against CC, by strengthening their capacities and empowering them to become actors of change and take transformative action. A consortium of 27 organizations from 16 countries implements the project, with 5 Demonstrator Regions (DRs) in Austria, Denmark, Italy, Portugal and Sweden co-developing innovative solutions centered on nature-based approaches. These solutions are designed to deliver multifunctional, place-based social, environmental and economic benefits. In addition, circular economy principles will be embedded within these solutions to promote sustainable resource use, regenerative practices, and closed-loop systems, further enhancing local adaptation capacity. At the same time, the project will enhance local socio-economic activities, promote circular business models, maximize the value of natural capital, and help mitigate the challenges of depopulation and aging in RRAs. 5 Replicator Regions (RRs) in Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Slovakia and Ukraine will prepare for adopting the innovations developed by the DRs. Finally, GRACE will also engage Observer Regions (ORs) to follow and potentially replicate these solutions, fostering widespread CC adaptation across Europe’s rural areas. By integrating Nature-based Solutions (NBS), digital technologies, and inclusive community participation, GRACE will catalyze transformative adaptation in EU rural territories, ensuring that RRAs can successfully navigate climate challenges ahead and secure a sustainable, climate- resilient future.

WATERGRID’s objective is to develop and demonstrate the Smart Water Grid (SWG) concept for more climate resilient water management, particularly targeting extreme drought, but framed within Integrated Catchment Management, addressing the whole catchment in a holistic approach. The resource efficiency of Nature Based Solutions (NBS) previously established in eight sites will be analysed alongside the academic literature, forming an Evidence portfolio (Project Result 1 - PR1). Of these eight sites, five will be demonstrators, spread across the Atlantic, Continental, Mountain and Mediterranean biogeographical areas, with specific water scarcity challenges, NBS types and scales, in which 58 additional innovative and locally attuned NBS will be implemented to slow, move and actively store water for reuse as part of locally designed SWGs. Three validation sites will mainstream potential of the SWG approach and demonstrate replicability of the Project Results (PRs) that have been co-created and co-deployed with 138 stakeholders in a participatory approach. Protocols and standards will be developed, providing a step-by-step guide for the design, maintenance and operation of the SWG (PR2). A digital Platform (PR3) will display models of the catchment and a Design App will provide guidance to users on designing NBS into their SWGs. This Platform will be linked to a Monitoring programme (PR4) to display real time information via a Digital Twin to support long term maintenance of SWGs. An Operationalising toolkit (PR5) will create enabling social, governance and economic environments for sustainable SWGs. Finally, at least three Policy briefs (PR6) will display SWG benefits to various policies, from the EU to the local scale. By 2035, WATERGRID expects to increase by 20% the water available for usage to compensate scarcity, decreasing 7 types of water pollutants and saving 10.6M €/year through 37 SWGs across Europe.