Transformative innovation for climate change adaptation - a mapping-based framework for territories

This report looks at the key features of territorial Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) strategies, as they are developing throughout the EU, and examines whether and how the adoption of a Transformative Innovation (TI) approach could add value to these strategies and their implementation. The analysis is based on a literature review covering the two fields. Starting from rationales for linking TI and CCA strategies, seven key TI features are identified which are further explored in this report, in order to form a picture of the possible beneficial contributions TI might make to the design and implementation of CCA strategies. For each feature, potential contributions to climate adaptation are identified. Also, barriers to integrating TI in CCA strategies are formulated, both to strategy formulation and strategy implementation. Infusing TI approaches into the design and implementation of CCA strategies holds a promise to raise their effectiveness, and calls for more experimentation. As a way to start such experimentation, the framework developed in this report has been applied to 16 territories, covered in 14 separate case study reports listed in annex 2, drawing meaningful insights per territory as regards accelerating climate adaptation through transformative innovation. It targets public authorities in EU territories (and beyond) at different governance levels (from national to local), as well as other territorial stakeholders involved in or affected by climate adaptation policies and transformative innovation policies.